D is for Dinosaurs!

Personally, I've been looking forward to Dinosaur Week since A was for Alligator and I'm happy to say that it was even more fun than I expected. 

Okay, this picture of "S" is actually from the Friday before, but how sweet does she look in her birthday dress? Happy birthday, little one!

One of my favorite crafts from Dinosaur week was this one put together by our Assistant Preschool Teacher. She cut balls in half and the kids made them into dinosaur hats. One of the Dads stuck around to watch the process and got a dinosaur makeover courtesy of the preschool class. 

At circle Time I showed the kids these "real" dinosaur eggs that I.. eh em... found. We kept them all week and made sure they were warm and safe. (Keep scrolling to see what happened to them.)

 One of the favorite activities of the week was digging for fossils in the sandbox. 

When they'd found all the pieces, they put them together to find out what kind of dinosaur it was. So fun!

The instruments during circle time continue to make the little ones jump and wiggle. Look at these two, like little cartoons. Eeek!

Another craft was making necklaces with these (salt dough) "real" dinosaur teeth. My favorite thing about preschoolers is their gullibility. oh, the magic of childhood. 

With all the dinosaur learning, we still made plenty of time for playing outside. The last weeks of dry season aren't going to waste around here. 

According to my son, this leaf was an umbrella and he gave it to "S" so she wouldn't get wet. She walked around using it like a parasol for a good while. Innocent imagination. I love it. 

One of the teachers found this tarantula floating in her fish pool. Unfortunately it was already dead, but she brought it to school anyway to show the kids. They were so into it!

 Okay, another craft... why not. This was our D-shaped dinosaur craft. 

I love that "Y" put a necklace on hers.  

Okay, here it is. My favorite part of the week! On Friday, we put out these Dinosaur footprints (leaves) leading from the back fence to a corner of the yard. 

The kids followed the footprints until they reached this...

A Dinosaur nest hidden in banana leaves! When they uncovered it, the eggs had cracked open and there was a note and a toy left in the nest.  

The note said, "Thank you for taking care of us! Last night while you were sleeping our Mom came and took us home. We left you this toy to show you what we look like. Thanks again!"

 I wonder how old they will be when they realize dinosaurs are extinct? For now, it's innocent bliss. 

We also played T-Rex Hide and Seek. Whoever had the "footprint" was the T-Rex and they had to count. This is how "SK" kept himself from cheating. Ha ha... love him!

My husband, our toddler teacher, decided to get the munchkins playing baseball. I was skeptical, but boy did they have a blast! 

Look how patiently they all waited for their turn!

Gotta love the tongue technique!

And this had nothing to do with Dinosaurs, but I was so impressed with the picture of a Cat that 4 year old "Y" drew on the chalkboard. Complete with a crown and all. 

We are half way through "E is for Exploring"as I post this (sorry for the delay). I can hardly wait to share this next week with you. It is going to be hard to top Dinosaur week though.

It is still hard to believe that this isn't just a dream. There is something about watching little people learn and grow that is so, so satisfying. All of us over here at illumiNation feel honored to be involved in these children's lives. I feel almost guilty to be having such a good time. Almost.