Paleontology Lesson Plan for Homeschooled Children
This is a sample of the type of lesson plan I would create. The company is not real.
Even though he may change his mind a hundred times in his life, each new career choice your child makes will introduce him to new hobbies. Following are suggestions for spending a homeschool day on paleontology.
Age: Preschool-third grade with a few suggestions for older siblings
Preparation: Put together a dress-up box for your child. Let him decorate the box himself. Include career costumes from Connie’s Little Career Dreams in the box, and prepare to use them during a full week of career explorations. Present each career costume on the appropriate day, so your child is receiving a special gift each day this week. This lesson covers one day on a favorite with children.
Prior to the start of homeschool, hide toy dinosaurs in the sandbox or bury them in a small corner of dirt, carefully marked so your child doesn’t dig up the whole yard.
The paleontology costume from Connie’s Little Career Dreams comes complete with a miniature dinosaur hunter kit. Present it to your child and explain what each item is for.
Pre-reading: When your child is all dressed up, write the word Paleontology on your white board, one letter at a time. Have your child tell you what each letter is, or tell him if he doesn’t know. Then help him “read” the word. Don’t worry if he’s too young to read. You’re just introducing him to the concept of words. Older children can “rainbow write” the word. Have them write the word on a large sheet of paper and trace it in many different colors. They can finish up by decorating the borders with dino stickers or drawings.
Science: Read a book together about dinosaurs. Any book you own or can find in the library will work. You just want to get him picturing dinosaurs. If you can find one, a book on paleontology is also nice, but you can easily explain to your child what a paleontologist does. This is a great website to explore with your child.
American Museum of natural History Ology section
Now go into the yard and let your little paleontologist find the hidden dinosaurs. If you have older children, they can use this time to build a dinosaur from a kit.
Art: After the dinosaurs have been found, invite your child to invent a dinosaur. Give him clay or other materials and see what sort of dinosaur he’d like to “discover.”
Math: Help your child count the dinosaurs he dug up earlier. Set them in a row and point to each one individually as you say the number. Counting is more than memorizing and reciting numbers. It involves knowing that each item represents a number.
For older children, create math problems using the dinosaurs. Set out six dinosaurs in two groups. Circle each group with yarn. Ask your child to count how many are in the first group. Have him write the number on a card. If he can’t write, have cards prewritten and help him choose the correct one. Place the card under the first set (group.) Do the same with the second set. Finally, add a plus sign and an equals sign in the correct place and show him how to “read” the math problem and then solve it. Put a card down for the answer.
If your child is old enough, teach him to subtract until there are none left. Then explain there are no more dinosaurs—real ones—on the whole earth because they’re extinct. Write and teach the word.
Social Studies: Set up a homemade dinosaur museum. Display the dinosaurs your child found and the ones your family made. Have your child dictate or write a simple report about dinosaurs to include. Don’t forget to do one on the made-up dinosaurs. Include pictures of your dinosaur hunter in full costume, digging and holding up his discovery. What else would your children like to put in the museum?
Finish off the day with a good dinosaur movie. Don’t forget to put the paleontology costume from Connie’s Little Career Dreams into the new dress up box. Your child is certain to want to head out on another expedition soon.