LESSON OBJECTIVES
This is a fun engaging lesson plan based on something all little kids find fascinating – DINOSAURS!
MATERIALS
- Music player and prepared music
- RCAWY books
- Dinosaur masks
- Dinosaur rubbing plates
- Paper and crayons
CONNECTING CIRCLE
- Say the YogaKids Pledge together with the corresponding hand movements.
- Introduce the theme (Dinosaurs). Let’s all put on our masks and think about what it would be like to be a dinosaur. Scientists don’t really know what color dinosaurs were – What color do you think they were?
- ABC Backrub – Spell D-I-N-O-S-A-U-R. Laughing Language
- Dragon Breath – Dragons are like mythical dinosaurs. Real dinosaurs didn’t breath fire or have wings like a dragon. Dragon breath is good for toning our bellies and brings lots of oxygen to our brains making us feel alive. Did you know that even though dinosaurs had really big bodies, their brains were very small? Body Benefits, Ecological Echoes
POSES AS PATHWAYS/INTEGRATE THE ELEMENTS
Use a Dinosaur book to show a picture of each dinosaur (RCAWY)
Down Diggity Doggy Down/Lunges – Some dinosaurs are quadrupeds and some are bipeds. Quadrupeds walk on four legs and bipeds walk on two — like the T-rex. Ecological Echoes, Math Medley
Om a Little Teapot Triangle — The triceratops has three pointy horns, just like a triangle has three pointy corners. Triceratops used its horns for protection. Ecological Echoes, Math Medley
Warrior Series – The ankylosaurus was covered in strong armor which protected him from predators. Let’s get strong with the Warrior Series. Ecological Echoes, Affirmations
Opening My Wings – The pteranodon was a flying reptile. It’s wings were attached to an extremely long 4th finger– also known as a phalange. Ecological Echoes, Awesome Anatomy
Partner Superman – The wannanosaurus was a thick-headed dinosaur. These dinosaurs used their head butting to show who was the strongest. The Wannanosaurus was actually a very small dinosaur – just 2 feet long. Ecological Echoes, We All Win
Elephant – Swing your spikes like a stegosaurus. The stegosaurus had 17 bony plates down its back and if it were attached it would swing its dangerously spiky tail at it’s attacker. Many of the horned dinosaurs lived in herds and protected each other. Ecological Echoes, Bridge of Diamonds
Trumpet Breath – The parasaurolophus had a 3 foot long hollow tube at the top of its head. Paleontologists think it was used as a horn to communicate with other dinosaurs. What kind of sound do you think it made? Use kazoos and sing a song. Ecological Echoes, Musical Musings)
R is for Roar – The Tyrannosaurus Rex – or T.Rex – was the most powerful of all the predatory dinosaurs. It’s teeth were the size of bananas! How loud can you roar? Ecological Echoes
Mountain– The brachiosaurus was so tall it could always find food high in the treetops where other dinosaurs couldn’t reach. Ecological Echoes
Reach for the Sun – The large sail on spinosaurus’s back helped the dinosaur control it’s body temperature. It absorbed the sun’s heat. Let’s reach for the sun and warm up our bellies. Ecological Echoes
MUSICAL MUSINGS
Play We Are The Dinosaurs by Laurie Berkner. March around and act out the song.
QUIET QUESTS
Resting Pose – Now it’s time for us to stop and take a rest. Let’s come to the floor and place our hands on our bellies. Breath deep – it takes lots of air to fill up those dinosaur lungs.
READING COMES ALIVE WITH YOGA/VISUAL VIGNETTES
Elephant Ears – Get ready to listen.
Read Dinosaurs Galore by Giles Andreae, Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp by Carol Diggory Shields or any fun dinosaur book while children are creating dinosaur rubbing plates.