Tracing Prehistoric Paths: Let’s Investigate Dinosaur Footprints

Imagine stepping back in time, walking the same ancient trackways as the dinosaurs. Tracing ancient routes isn’t just for scientists—it’s an exciting way for children to explore history, nature, and movement through hands-on learning. With ABC School Supplies’ engaging resources, young learners can investigate dinosaur footprints, uncover fascinating insights, and develop key skills in an interactive way.

Dinosaur footprints provide real-life evidence of how these incredible creatures moved across the land thousands of years ago. Scientists study these trackways to establish important facts about dinosaurs, including their size, speed, and behaviour. With ABC School Supplies’ Dinosaur Footprint Stones, children can recreate their own ancient route indoors or outside.

Recreate the thrill of discovering ancient dinosaur footprints by setting up an interactive fossil excavation.

• Roll out play dough or sand in a tray.
• Press ABC’s footprint stones into the surface to create a trail.
• Partially cover the prints with leaves or loose material to encourage investigation.

Ask children:

• What animal might have left this footprint?
• How large would this dinosaur have been?
• What does the shape of the foot indicate about its movement?
• Could it have been hunting or running away from a predator?

Take this outdoors by creating a trackway in the sand leading to hidden dinosaur figures. Encourage children to carefully track the footprints, just like real palaeontologists!

Children love to dig, unearth, and investigate! ABC School Supplies’ excavation kits provide a simple and exciting way to explore ancient routes.

• Equip children with tools like magnifying glasses, brushes, and clipboards.
• Bury footprint stones in a sandpit or soil for children to uncover.
• Encourage them to brush away loose sand and examine fine details like claws and scales.
• Record findings by making footprint rubbings with wax crayons or pressing them into clay.
• Set up an outdoor scavenger hunt with dinosaur figures to match footprints to the correct species.

By analysing different footprints, children can understand about dinosaurs' movement and characteristics.

• Sort footprint stones based on different features: number of toes, size, or shape.
• Match footprints to images or figures of dinosaurs.
• Research dinosaur facts together: How fast did they move? What did they eat? Were they solitary or did they travel in groups?

Bring the scale of dinosaurs to life by creating life-sized footprint comparisons.

• Draw a dinosaur footprint on a large sheet of paper or chalk it onto the ground.
• Compare it to children’s feet by tracing their outlines inside.
• See how many children’s footprints fit inside one dinosaur track.
• Turn it into an interactive game by hopping from one footprint to another, following the dinosaur’s route.

Introduce key words to support learning:

• Palaeontologist – a scientist who studies fossils.
• Trackway – a series of footprints left by a dinosaur.
• Fossil – preserved remains of ancient life.
• Carnivore/Herbivore – meat-eating vs. plant-eating dinosaurs.
• Extinct – no longer existing.

• Stomp, Chomp, Big Roars! Here Come the Dinosaurs! by Kaye Umansky
• Harry and the Dinosaurs series by Ian Whybrow
• Tyrannosaurus Drip by Julia Donaldson
• The Girl and the Dinosaur by Hollie Hughes

Exploring dinosaur footprints is a fascinating way to engage children with history, science, and nature. This activity provides a unique platform for studying, allowing young minds to piece together what life looked like in an ancient period. By using ABC School Supplies’ high-quality resources, educators and parents can create an immersive experience that helps children understand how dinosaurs moved across the land, leaving behind tracks that are still known and studied today.

This hands-on approach encourages curiosity and discovery, making history feel like a real part of the present. Although much has changed since the time of dinosaurs, exploring their footprints provides a complete and insightful look into the past. It allows children to date events, reach their own conclusions, and develop an early appreciation for scientific study.

By incorporating different sections of ancient routes, children can compare how dinosaurs adapted to their country’s diverse landscapes. Recently, scientists have discovered new trackways that head in different directions, offering fresh insights into migration and behaviour. Encouraging children to explore these ideas can inspire a love for learning and a deeper connection with the world around them.

Start tracing prehistoric paths today with ABC School Supplies and watch children’s imaginations take flight!