How can we rescue the baby Triceratops from the T. rex?
BACKGROUND RESEARCH NOTES:
The Triceratops is a herbivore which means it only eats plants.
The T. rex is a carnivore which means it only eats meat.
MY PLAN:
Get the baby Triceratops onto the train by feeding it lettuce, and throw a piece of meat in the opposite direction of the train to distract the T. rex!
FIELD NOTES:
The baby Triceratops didn’t eat the piece of lettuce, but when we gave him a piece of meat, he ate it. Weird!
The mama Triceratops came to rescue her baby and SHE ate the piece of lettuce!
FINDING:
Even though adult Triceratops are herbivores and don’t eat meat, baby Triceratops are different and eat some meat! Sometimes baby animals eat different things than they do as adults so they can grow faster and stronger.
FOR TEACHERS / PARENTS:
About the Episode: Dana embarks on a rescue mission to save a baby Triceratops from a hungry T. rex. In this dino experiment Dana investigates what makes the baby Triceratops grow faster and stronger. Dana and Saara learn that the T. rex is a carnivore and the Triceratops is a herbivore, except when it’s a baby. This episode introduces children to carnivores, herbivores and what differentiates them.
Extension Activity:
Create your own sorting game using the items in your fridge!
1. Create two piles and use two sheets of paper to label them “for herbivores” and “for carnivores”.
2. Remove some vegetables and meat from your fridge and place them in a pile on a table or counter.
3. Now ask your child to sort the items into the right piles.
4. Once they are all sorted, you can extend this learning activity by having a third pile labelled “for omnivores”. You can place all the items back together in that pile and explain that omnivores eat both plants and meat!
Heart Moment: In this episode, Dana feels sad because Saara isn’t as excited to go on the mini train ride as she used to be. Dana helps Saara rediscover her love of trains by going on an imaginary Baby Dino Rescue mission. At the end of their mission, Saara expresses that she actually had a lot of fun, but mostly because she loves spending time with Dana. This is a good opportunity for you to talk to your child about how interests can change as people get older, but that it’s always important to spend quality time together, no matter what the activity may be!
CURRICULUM EXPECTATIONS:
Kindergarten
25.2 Identify and talk about their own interests and preferences
13.3 Select and use materials to carry out their own explorations
14.3 Recognize, explore, describe and compare patterns in the natural and built environment
22.1 Communicate their ideas about something through music, dance, and/or visual arts
23.1 Use problem-solving skills and their imagination to create drama and dance
Grade 1 Science– Understanding Life Systems Needs and Characteristics of Living Things
2.3 Investigate and compare the physical characteristics of a variety of plants and animals, including humans
3.2 Identify the physical characteristics (e.g., size, shape, colour, common parts) of a variety of plants and animals
Grade 2 Science – Understanding Life Systems Growing and changes in Animals
2.2 Observe and compare the physical characteristics (e.g., fur or feathers; two legs or no legs) and the behavioural characteristics (e.g., predator or prey) of a variety of animals, including insects, using student-generated questions and a variety of methods and resources
3.1 Identify and describe major physical characteristics of different types of animals (e.g. insects, mammals, reptiles)
