DRAWING DINOSAURS WITH GLUE: Projects and Activities Inspired by My Books

During my nearly fifty years as a published author I have visited hundreds of schools to talk about my books and what it is like to be an author. I am always impressed by the creative projects teachers have done with their students in connection with my books. When kids do these projects it reinforces the concepts of the book and expands their impact. Over the next few weeks/months I will share some of these projects on this blog.

Dinosaur projects never grow old. At one school I visited the students had used Elmer's Glue to draw the outline of their favorite dinosaurs on black paper. After the glue dried and became transparent, they filled in the rest of the drawing with pastel crayons. The bumpy glue outlines gave the dinosaurs a 3-D look and suggested their scaly bodies. And the dark background provided an eerie quality as if we were looking into the past.

The students had read my book Dinosaurs All Around, about an artist who creates dinosaur models for museums. Some of my other books about dinosaurs include Dinosaur Mountain and Dinosaurs Down Under. You can find all these books as e-books on Amazon.

LIFE-SIZE PAPIER MACHE SHARK: Projects and Activities Inspired by My Books

Paper Mache Model Shark.

During my nearly fifty years as a published author I have visited hundreds of schools to talk about my books and what it is like to be an author. I am always impressed by the creative projects teachers have done with their students in connection with my books. When kids do these projects it reinforces the concepts of the book and expands their impact. Over the next few weeks/months I will share some of these projects on this blog.

One of my all-time favorite projects inspired by my books is the life-size papier mache shark created by fourth graders at a school in California. Making a model like this requires close observation of the shark's body shape and characteristics. Sharkeel O'Neal remained in their classroom long after my visit, reminding the students of my author visit and all they had learned about sharks from my books.

My books about sharks include Watch Out for Sharks illustrated with photographs by Richard Hewett and Giant Shark: Megalodon, Prehistoric Super Predator  illustrated with beautiful watercolor paintings by Laurie Caple. Both books are available is e-books on Amazon.

FOSSILS FROM THE ICE AGE: Projects and Activities Inspired by My Books

Model tar pit with fossil bones made of clay.

During my nearly fifty years as a published author I have visited hundreds of schools to talk about my books and what it is like to be an author. I am always impressed by the creative projects teachers have done with their students in connection with my books. When kids do these projects it reinforces the concepts of the book and expands their impact. Over the next few weeks/months I will share some of these projects on this blog.

Model tar pit with Fossil "bones" made of clay:

One of my all-time favorite school projects is a model tar pit made by fourth grade students studying California history. After reading TRAPPED IN TAR: Fossils from the Ice Age, they created fossil bones of Ice Age animals--mammoths, sabertooth cats, camels, dire wolves and more. The teacher made a tar pit by slathering roofing tar on a piece of plywood. Then the students embedded their "fossils" in the tar for a realistic depiction of the La Brea Tar Pits in miniature. (The dinosaur on the edge is a mistake--dinosaurs lived millions of years earlier.) 

As part of the project each student wrote a poem. Here's a sample.

Trapped in tar,

Stuck in goo,

With bundles of others,

Sticky as glue.

Stuck as can be,

They try to get out,

Twisting and turning

Knowing they will die without a doubt.

You can learn more about the fossils of the La Brea Tar Pits and life in Southern California during the Ice Age in my book TRAPPED IN TAR: Fossils from the Ice Age, available in both paperback and as an ebook.

LIFE-SIZE CALIFORNIA CONDOR MODEL: Projects and Activities Inspired by My Books

Life-size California condor model.

During my nearly fifty years as a published author I have visited hundreds of schools to talk about my books and what it is like to be an author. I am always impressed by the creative projects teachers have done with their students in connection with my books. When kids do these projects it reinforces the concepts of the book and expands their impact. 

Over the next several weeks I will share some of my all-time favorite book related projects on this blog.

Life-size condor model:

The California condor is the largest flying bird in North America and has a wingspan of more than 11 feet. A third-grade class made this impressive life-size model with construction paper. Every single feather was cut out separately and glued on. Condor facts are displayed above. I'm sure that the students will remember creating the condor, long after my visit to their classroom. 

You can learn about the California condor and the efforts being made to save it from extinction in my book ON THE BRINK OF EXTINCTION: The California Condor, available as an ebook on Amazon.