Imagine Your Own Dinosaur

Dinosaur Week at QuartoKids continues with a fun book that kicks our imaginations into high gear: There’s a Stegosaurus on the Stairs! In this adorable and educational picture book, readers imagine what it would be like for the Stegosaurus to live among us today. For instance, school might be difficult due to its tangerine-sized brain, but it would easily be able to pick out the ripest fruit at the market due to its amazing sense of smell! Have you ever tried to imagine your own dinosaur?

A curious mind is a must for budding paleontologists, who research and analyze fossils in order to piece together a complete picture of a dinosaur. By looking at fossils, paleontologists can scientifically figure out how a dinosaur lived in the past, from its diet and habitat to its measurements and appearance. Even though we know a lot about dinosaurs, no one has ever seen one because they lived so long ago. This means that the dinosaurs we study today started out as mere imaginings from the mind of a paleontologist!

For a fun dino activity, let’s tap into paleontology mode and imagine your own dinosaur and all the characteristics it would feature! First we’ll need to take out a pencil and some paper, and draw an outline. Will your dino be as big as the Tyrannosaurus Rex? Or will it speedily scurry beneath the feet of all the other dinosaurs?

Next, imagine the characteristics of your prehistoric creature. If your dinosaur lives in the water, it should probably have fins and flippers for easy swimming. If your dino is smaller, protect it from predators by adding spikes or a heavy club tail (like the Euoplocephalus).

Finally, your dinosaur is going to need some color. Will your dino camouflage itself with earth-tone scales, or attract mates with brightly colored plumes? Remember, there are no right or wrong answers in imagination!

Don’t forget to name your new dinosaur friend, and make a Dinosaur Passport like the one for our friendly Stegosaurus. Stay tuned for more dinosaur fun coming your way, and check out the excerpt of There’s a Stegosaurus on the Stairs!

Excerpted from There’s a Stegosaurus on the Stairs

What if Stegosaurus sat on a whoopee cushion?

Pfffffffffffffffffft!

He’d be so embarrassed, he would blush—but not in his cheeks!

Blood could rush to the big plates on his back. This happened when he was scared, excited, or even embarrassed!

What if Stegosaurus went for a walk?

He wouldn’t fit on the sidewalk. At 30 feet (9 meters) long and 7 feet (2 meters) wide, he’s as… Big as a bus!

If he walked in the road, he’d cause a traffic jam. He could only walk at 5 or 6 miles per hour (8 or 9 kilometers per hour)—that’s not much faster than you can walk.

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