Dinosaurs, Rocks and Fossils Workshop
Portals To The Past
Bringing history lessons to lifeWe offer exciting, immersive and inspiring history workshops for schools, presented by a charismatic team of “performing historians” with a deep-rooted passion for their subject.
Hands-on, educational workshops
Drawing upon an unrivalled pool of talented historians, archaeologists and reenactors, we typically visit more than 1,700 UK schools a year to deliver hands-on, educational workshops that leave kids (and teachers) buzzing.
Why choose Portals to the Past?
We are not just “teachers that get dressed up”. Our multi-talented re-enactors are specialists in their field; true historians with a genuine passion for the past. The Portals team takes great delight in sharing their knowledge and their enjoyment of history with a whole new generation of history buffs.
As seen on film and TV...
Our Time Travellers are very much in demand for their depth of knowledge and enthusiasm for their subject. They regularly take part in historical re-enactments, and have appeared in many films, historical documentaries and on the BBC’s “Horrible Histories”.
Teacher Checklist
Risk Assessments
Where we travel to
We can visit your school in:
Which curriculum topics do we cater for?
Dinosaurs Workshop
Let us take your children back to the Jurassic period, the time of the Dinosaurs, and investigate their world. This workshop will bring out the hidden palaeontologist in your pupils. This exciting and action-packed workshop will bring out the hidden palaeontologist in your pupils, giving them a chance to get hands-on with a vast collection of scale model dinosaurs and real fossils.
What size groups do we cater for?
Portals history workshops are designed to cater for up to 100 children, all day, working around your timetable.
Anything else?
Please note, if your school is located in a town or city we will require secure off-road parking for the duration of our visit to your school.
Who are Portals To The Past?
Our dinosaurs, rocks and fossils workshop is available for Reception, KS1 and KS2 in the East of England and surrounding counties.
Below is an overview of each workshop and the activities included...
Reception – Dinosaurs and Fossils
Let us take your children back to the Jurassic period, the time of the Dinosaurs, and investigate their world. This workshop will bring out the hidden palaeontologist in your pupils.
Areas covered in this interactive workshop include:
What are dinosaurs?
Big heads, small heads, some with feathers, some with scales… Your pupils will take a close up look at T – Rex, Velociraptor and Triceratops. Frills, horns and sharp teeth – what were they used for? What makes a Dinosaur a Dinosaur?
How bones are turned into stone.
A fun, practical demonstration on how dinosaur bones become fossilised.
How do fossil hunters find fossils?
Skin and tissue all now rotten, lay underground and long forgotten!
Meet Mary Anning – the famous fossil hunter from Lyme Regis
KS1 - Dinosaurs and Fossils
Let us take your children back to the Jurassic period, the time of the dinosaurs. This exciting and action-packed workshop will bring out the hidden palaeontologist in your pupils, giving them a chance to get hands-on with a vast collection of scale model dinosaurs and real fossils.
Areas covered in this interactive workshop include:
What is a fossil?
From bones to stones… how did this happen? A practical demonstration on the formation of fossils, and a chance to get hands-on with genuine fossil dinosaur bones.
The different types of fossils.
Pupils partake in a fossil hunt and discover and leanr to identify the many fossil types.
What is a dinosaur?
The flying Pterosaurs were not dinosaurs! Why not? Stare into the face of the ferocious Velociraptor and the fearsome T-Rex. Discover some amazing dinosaur facts, including why dinosaur poo is treasure to a palaeontologist.
Where did all the dinosaurs go?
Catastrophic impact, super volcano… or a sniffy cold?
Today’s living dinosaurs.
Who’s afraid of the chicken?
Fossils & Darwin (option)
Learn about the pivotal role that fossils played as Darwin developed his revolutionary ideas on evolution.
Mary Anning
Meet Mary Anning – the famous fossil hunter from Lyme Regis
KS2 - Rocks, Dinosaurs and Fossils
A panoramic glimpse into everything pre-historic taking students on an exciting geological and palaeontological adventure from the Earth’s primordial beginning.
The morning session consists of group investigations, where students explore numerous informative displays and wonderful scale models of the world in various stages of evolution, dinosaur models and genuine high-grade fossil specimens, interspersed with interactive discussions on the following sub-topics:
The Earth’s formation – from a spinning cloud of gas to a rocky core
Time line – from bacteria to early humans (via walking fish)
Rocks – what are rocks and what are they made of?
Dinosaurs – the life and times of Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptor, Triceratops and more
The afternoon session starts with an interactive group discussion on the Earth’s spectacular fossil treasures, followed by:
Fossils – What are they and how are they made?
Fossil hunting and the equipment used to excavate fossils
The day concludes with a hands-on examination of some exceptional fossil specimens and the opportunity for students to select and draw fossils of their choice.
Meet Mary Anning – the famous fossil hunter from Lyme Regis
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