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Grades 3-5

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Activity

Observe a Dinosaur

Ever wish you could watch a dinosaur in action? Investigate modern birds for an insightful look at how ancient dinosaurs moved and behaved.

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Activity

Dino Times! How Dinosaurs Lived

Travel to Liaoning, China, where a fossilized lakebed is providing scientists with the most complete picture to-date of what a dinosaur ecosystem probably looked like.

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Activity

Fossilized Fashion: How Dinosaurs Looked

We know that some dinosaurs had fancy frills while others had sharp horns or pointy spikes. But why? Investigate the purpose of these and other dinosaur "fashions."

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Hands-on Activity

Dinosaur Illustrations

Ankylosaurus, Barosaurus, Coelophysis—add to your dinosaur vocabulary with these 12 illustrations. Soon you'll be able to spot a Pachycephalosaurus from across the room.

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Activity

Solve a Sedimentary Layers Puzzle

The history of life on Earth is recorded in the planet's rock layers. Try your hand at reconstructing geologic history with this fossil-filled puzzle.

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Activity

Make an Ecosystem Diorama

Now you can gaze at your favorite museum diorama anytime you want, night or day. Grab your crayons, and create a shoe-box replica of A Wading Bird Rookery, The Olympic Rain Forest, or A Giant Cactus Forest.

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Activity

Flesh Out a Fossil

Discover how artists bring dinosaur skeletons to life with skin, feathers, and other features. Then try to create your own lifelike Velociraptor from a skeletal drawing.

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Article

Formation of the Solar System

About 4.6 billion years ago, our solar system came into being. This comic strip explains the processes that led to the creation of the planets and the asteroid belt.

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Article

Cosmic Chemistry

What happened after the Big Bang? This comic strip explains the interactions that lead to the creation of stars, planetary nebulas, and supernovas.

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Article

Impacts

Why do you think they call it “Impacts"? A comic strip shows what can happen—and does happen—when asteroids head for Earth.