Dinosaur Bones: Bishop Museum Dinosaur Exhibit

On January 23, 2007, the Dinosaur Bones Group met to prepare for their field trip to the Bishop Museum’s dinosaur exhibit. At this meeting, Ms. Leigh explained to the group that they would be using a clipboard, paper, and pencil to make an observational drawing of something they would like to remember from the dinosaur exhibit. Each member of the group then contributed one idea of what they might want to draw while at the Bishop Museum. As each child offered a suggestion, Ms. Leigh wrote the word on the whiteboard with the help of the group members. By breaking down each word into separate phonemes (smallest units in speech), the boys were able to recognize the different sounds in the words. The list included:

1. Bones (CH)
2. Water (bones) (GA)
3. Skin (TK)
4. Teeth (BM)
5. T-Rex (JD)
6. Blood (KS)

On January 24, 2007, both preschool classrooms headed to the Bishop Museum’s dinosaur exhibit. Before entering the exhibit, the Dinosaur Bones Group met with Ms. Leigh to revisit their list of ideas.

They then headed inside to the wonderful world of dinosaurs. As the group marveled over the moving dinosaurs, they excitedly spoke about the different dinosaurs they hoped to see. When the group finally got to the Tyrannosaurus Rex, they all decided to bring out their clipboards to draw.

After drawing their pictures, the group continued on through the exhibit. At the end of the exhibit, the group came upon a skeletal representation of a creature that lived underwater during prehistoric times. Though it was not a dinosaur, its name meant "near dinosaur." The interest of this group has always been in bones, and with this display the group was able to get a glimpse of what a fossil may look like when it is still embedded in the ground.

Posted on January 30, 2007 9:16 AM | Permalink