Summary

Engage the students in the preparation and enjoyment of a classroom picnic and games while learning about vegetarianism and the need for proper handwashing before eating or preparing food.

 

Materials

• Ingredients for the Brachiosaurus Picnic(see printable page below)
• Supplies for Games (see printable page below)
• Printable Pages: Recipes for a Brachiosaurus Picnic and Picnic Games (1.89 MB PDF)

 

Related Video Clips

Brachiosaurus Brunch (2 minutes 34 seconds) and Every Dinosaur Poops (44 seconds)

 

Procedures

1. Show students a picture of a Brachiosaurus from the Dinosaur Train Field Guide, and have students practice saying this species' name [BRAK-ee-oh-SAWR-us] Ask them to guess what type of food they think this dinosaur ate. After listening to all suggestions, explain that Brachiosaurus ate only plants, therefore it was an "herbivore" like many other dinosaurs, such as Triceratops. (If you wish, you can also introduce the terms "carnivores" for meat-eaters and "omnivores" for animals that ate both plants and animals.)
2. Have students watch the first video clip above entitled "Brachiosaurus Brunch" in which they talk about a Brachiosaurus Picnic and play games.
3. Plan a Brachiosaurus Picnic using the Recipe page and Games page [see PRINTABLES above] to give you some ideas. Discuss why it is important to wash your hands before you eat, and after you use the bathroom.
4. During the Brachiosaurus Picnic, watch the second video clip above of the song "Every Dinosaur Poops" -- and talk about why every animal needs to go. Ask: What might happen if an animal didn't poop out the parts of food its body didn't need? (Eventually, the animal would die.)

 

Extensions

1. Students could learn how scientists use the feces of animals today (as well as fossilized feces called coprolites) to learn about animals’ dietary habits.
2. Students could go to library to learn about dung beetles – and other insects that use the poop of larger animals as their foodsource. In this Dinosaur Train episode, Buddy has a hypothesis that one animal’s waste can provide nutrition for other smaller animals.