Discover Some Unusual Educational Dinosaur Books for Kids

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 02:12:41 +0000

For the true dinosaur lover, discovering exciting books can open up a whole new world of learning and fun! Here are four terrific and creative books which inspire young minds to inquire, explore, and learn.

Dinosaur ABC

28 pages, list price: USA $6.95
Available on Amazon for $6.95

Created by Priddy Books, this colorful board book makes a wonderful companion with which to teach the letters and sounds of the alphabet. Written by Simon Mugford and designed by Jo Rigg, Dinosaur ABC contains a sturdy page with a different dinosaur for each letter. Children will learn fun facts about the habits and lifestyles of the various dinosaurs, and see a scaled example of the size of the dinosaurs in relation to humans. Fun colors engage the eye, and pronunciation guides are helpful for young readers. The last two pages of the book contain a number of the dinosaur images together with ordinary, everyday images, such as a car and an elephant, to give a sense of how these creatures would have looked in terms of size.

First Dinosaur Encyclopedia

127 pages, list price: USA $15.99
Available on Amazon for $10.87

Filled with fun facts and educational images, this dinosaur book from DK Publishing will have your little one inquiring, comparing, and learning in no time. Wonderful photos, drawings and quizzes excite the imagination while encouraging children to ask questions and hunt for answers. This is a terrific book for parents to read to young children, and for more advanced readers to enjoy on their own. It pairs well with the inquiry method of teaching, and would be a great addition to both home and school libraries.

Encyclopedia Prehistorica The Complete Collection

Individual list price: USA $27.99, boxed set list price: US $95.00
Available on Amazon for $59.85

This is one of the ultimate book sets for any dinosaur lover, young or old. An incredible collection of pop-up books by Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart, this boxed set includes Dinosaurs, Sharks, and Mega-Beasts. My children were given Dinosaurs, named a Best Illustrated Children’s Book by New York Times, as a gift, and as soon as I became aware that the others existed, I went running to buy them.

Absolutely remarkable pop-up creations of incredible creatures adorn every page, with smaller flaps to the right and left containing more pop-ups and fun facts. The detail of these pop-ups is unbelievable. From full skeletons to battles with sea monsters, the fantastic paper creations will amaze parents and children alike. The full boxed set also includes a drawer with three free standing pop-ups for display.

Dinosaurs

224 pages, Price in the UK only £50
Available on Amazon for $41.11

Steve Brusatte’s gorgeous coffee table book, Dinosaurs, is a hefty tome for the sophisticated dinosaur lover.

Beautiful, dramatic imagery adorns the over-sized pages of this book, which is filled with compellingly presented scientific information about an astounding number of dinosaurs. Crisply detailed renderings, photographs, charts, and more take you on a journey through the times of the dinosaurs.

Texture and light define the stunning, almost photographic images in this impressive and beautiful more-than-a-book.

These four dinosaur books are the favorites of my children, and are definitely worth a look if you are in the market for a unique gift for that special dinosaur lover in your family.

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Fun Kids Craft Ideas for Children Who Love Dinosaurs

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 06:45:51 +0000

Do you have a kid who really loves dinosaurs? Nothing inspires an active imagination in quite the same way as the dinosaurs, with their sheer size and awesome power. Chances are, you are always on the lookout for great dinosaur toys and projects.

Finding dinosaur toys is relatively easy. Plastic dinosaur toys come in all colors and sizes, and are available everywhere from the grocery store to the toy store. “Squishy” dinosaurs are another, inexpensive option. Made of rubber, these squishy toy dinosaurs are fairly detailed, and stretch, bend, and squish to your child’s delight!

Once you have your dinosaur toys, your kids will doubtless begin searching out dinosaur “food” and other necessities. Unless you want to lose your box of tissues and your house plants to hungry dinosaur teeth, you may want to consider helping your child create their own play accessories. Any respectable dinosaur should have his own habitat, complete with trees, volcanoes, caves, and, of course, tall grass.

Early dinosaurs saw only non-flowering trees, so tree-making can be a fun and inexpensive craft project which will inspire creativity. Consider that the completed trees will need to be able to stand upright on their own, at least until the dinosaurs come along. Empty toilet paper rolls make great tree trunks. Save a few, and pull out some extra gift tissue paper, preferably green. With a little bit of glue and paint, your child can turn these common household items into inexpensive and practical trees. Simply crush and twist the tissue paper, insert it into one end of the cardboard roll, and affix with a dab of glue. If the dinosaurs eat the trees, no problem! Recycle and reuse.

Don’t toss away that newspaper! You still need some caves for your dinosaurs. Papier mache is easy and fun. Tear the newspaper into strips, mix one part flour with two parts water to make a paste, and grab a tired out latex balloon. Coat the balloon with layers of newspaper dipped in paste until covered. Once dry, decorate with paint, and cut in half, or otherwise open. Voila, great dinosaur caverns!

If you are going to create a volcano, it may as well be an active volcano. Form the exterior of your volcano from plaster or clay, and fill an old can or bottle positioned in the center with baking soda. Mix vinegar, water, and a healthy squeeze of dish soap. Add some red food coloring for a more convincing presentation. When ready, pour liquid mixture into volcano, and watch it erupt.

Green construction paper can be cut like fringe, and glued to a piece of heave duty cardboard to create rows of tall grass in which the dinosaurs can hide. Your child will have great fun painting and arranging the various components of their very own dinosaur habitat.