Dinosaur Detectives

Nursery & Reception

Children join Professor Fossil, become a Dinosaur Detective and travel millions of years back in time to help rescue a missing dinosaur egg from Terry Dactyl.

Activities Include:

• Professor Fossil's Welcome & Dinosaur Detective Mission: Children meet Professor Fossil, discover that dinosaurs lived millions of years ago and learn that a Brontosaurus egg needs rescuing. What it teaches: Listening, curiosity, imaginative engagement and an early understanding of the past.
• "Dino Danger" & Fitness Tests: Children freeze like fossils at the "Dino Danger!" signal before stomping, stretching, flapping and charging their way through a dinosaur-themed warm-up. What it teaches: Listening, self-regulation, gross motor skills and coordination.
• Dino Character Command Game: Children transform into different dinosaurs, from a roaring T-Rex and swishing Stegosaurus to a tiny baby dinosaur curled inside its egg. What it teaches: Dinosaur vocabulary, memory, expressive movement and imaginative play.
• Time Travel to the Jurassic: Dinosaur Detectives pack imaginary rucksacks and climb aboard Professor Fossil's Time Travel Machine, using their imaginations to journey millions of years into the past. What it teaches: Speaking and listening, sequencing, shared storytelling and understanding past and present.
• The Great Dinosaur Egg Rescue: Children sneak into Terry Dactyl's cave and freeze like sparkling cave crystals while working together to rescue the egg. They finish by gently welcoming the baby dinosaur before returning it to its family. What it teaches: Concentration, cooperation, empathy and calm transitions.

Curriculum Focus:

• Understanding the World: Explore the natural world and begin to understand the past through dinosaurs, fossils and imaginative time travel
• Communication & Language: Develop listening, vocabulary and spoken responses through storytelling, questioning and role-play
• Physical Development: Develop gross motor skills, balance, coordination and body control through dinosaur movement and freeze games

Book suggestions:

Meet the Dinosaurs by Caryl Hart (illustrated by Bethan Woollvin), Dig, Dig, Dinosaur by Professor Anjali Goswami (illustrated by Maggie Li), The Stompysaurus by Rachel Bright (illustrated by Chris Chatterton), Never Show a T-Rex a Book by Rashmi Sirdeshpande (illustrated by Diane Ewen), 1, 2, 3, Do the Dinosaur by Michelle Robinson (illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw)

Year 1

Children become Dinosaur Detectives and train for an extraordinary expedition before travelling back to the Jurassic Period, navigating a prehistoric landscape and rescuing a Brontosaurus egg from Fiery Mountain.

Activities Include:

• Professor Fossil's Welcome & Dinosaur Detective Mission: Children discover what a palaeontologist does, learn about the Age of Dinosaurs and investigate why Professor Fossil needs their help. What it teaches: Speaking and listening, scientific vocabulary, curiosity and understanding the distant past.
• "Dino Danger" & Fitness Tests: Detectives respond to a "T-Rex Alert!" before completing physical challenges inspired by T-Rexes, Pterodactyls, Diplodocuses, Triceratops and other prehistoric creatures. What it teaches: Concentration, coordination, physical control and knowledge of dinosaur characteristics.
• Dino Character Training: Children investigate dinosaurs of different sizes, speeds and characteristics, using their bodies and voices to bring each one to life. What it teaches: Memory, comparison, scientific vocabulary and expressive movement.
• Time Travel & Prehistoric Investigation: After travelling back to the Jurassic Period, Dinosaur Detectives follow clues through a rushing river, prehistoric forest and sticky swamp to track down Fiery Mountain. What it teaches: Sequencing, problem-solving, environmental vocabulary and imaginative storytelling.
• Terry Dactyl's Cave & Egg Rescue: Children sneak into the cave, freezing like crystals whenever Terry Dactyl appears, before successfully recovering the missing egg and returning it to its family. What it teaches: Focus, teamwork, dramatic tension, empathy and collaborative problem-solving.

Curriculum Focus:

• Science: Identify and compare living things and begin to explore how environments and living things can differ from those of the past
• English (Spoken Language): Listen and respond appropriately, ask and answer questions, build subject-specific vocabulary and participate in role-play
• Physical Education: Develop balance, agility and coordination through travelling, jumping, controlled movement and physical characterisation

Book suggestions:

Maisie Jones and the Dinosaur Bones by Lily Murray (illustrated by Jenny Løvlie), Tyrannosaurus Drip by Julia Donaldson (illustrated by David Roberts), The Dinosaur Department Store by Lily Murray (illustrated by Richard Merritt), The Super Swooper Dinosaur by Martin Waddell (illustrated by Leonie Lord), A First Book of Dinosaurs by Simon Mole (illustrated by Matt Hunt)

Year 2

Children become expert Dinosaur Detectives, using their knowledge of the Mesozoic Era, teamwork and investigative skills to travel through prehistoric environments and solve Professor Fossil's dinosaur mystery.

Activities Include:

• Professor Fossil's Welcome & Palaeontologist Mission: Children explore the role of a palaeontologist and discover that the Mesozoic Era was divided into the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. What it teaches: Scientific vocabulary, chronological understanding, questioning and listening.
• "Dino Danger" & Advanced Character Training: Detectives respond to a "T-Rex Alert!" before investigating dinosaurs of contrasting size, speed and characteristics through physical characterisation. What it teaches: Comparison, concentration, dinosaur knowledge and expressive characterisation.
• Mesozoic Freeze Frames: Working in groups, children create dramatic still images of the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, representing dinosaurs, plants and changing prehistoric landscapes. What it teaches: Chronology, teamwork, scientific understanding and storytelling through still images.
• Time Travel & Prehistoric Investigation: Dinosaur Detectives travel back to the Jurassic Period and solve clues as they cross a river, explore a prehistoric forest and squelch through a swamp on their journey to Fiery Mountain. What it teaches: Problem-solving, sequencing, spatial awareness and understanding different environments.
• Terry Dactyl's Cave & The Great Egg Rescue: Pupils use stillness, timing and teamwork to outsmart Terry Dactyl, recover the stolen Brontosaurus egg and reunite it with its family. What it teaches: Concentration, collaboration, empathy and applying knowledge through imaginative drama.

Curriculum Focus:

• Science: Explore living things and their habitats, recognise that environments can change and use observation and comparison to consider prehistoric plants and animals
• English (Spoken Language): Ask relevant questions, build subject-specific vocabulary, participate in discussion and use role-play and performance to communicate ideas
• History: Develop an awareness of the past and chronological language by exploring the enormous timescales of the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods
• Physical Education: Apply balance, agility, coordination and spatial awareness through increasingly controlled movement and physical characterisation

Book suggestions:

Stone Girl Bone Girl: The Story of Mary Anning of Lyme Regis by Laurence Anholt (illustrated by Sheila Moxley), Gigantosaurus by Jonny Duddle, The Dinosaur Awards by Barbara Taylor (illustrated by Stephen Collins), BANG! The Story of How Life on Earth Began by Katherine Halligan (illustrated by Amy Grimes), The Girl and the Dinosaur by Hollie Hughes (illustrated by Sarah Massini)

Why You'll Love These Workshops:

• Brings prehistoric learning to life - Dinosaur facts, fossils and the Jurassic world are explored through immersive drama and imaginative play
• Turns pupils into investigators - Children follow clues, solve problems and use their knowledge to complete an exciting Dinosaur Detective mission
• Supports classroom learning - A fun springboard for topics on dinosaurs, fossils, living things, habitats and the past
• Builds essential skills - Encourages confidence, communication, teamwork, observation and problem-solving
• Tailored to younger audiences - Carefully differentiated for Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2, with clear progression across the age groups

Book Your Free Session Now!

Thanks to our Drama4ALL initiative, these workshops are completely free of charge for schools. They are in high demand and are booked on a first-come, first-served basis.

To book your school's drama workshop, simply email [email protected] or call 0207 255 9134 for more information.

Don't miss out! Grab your magnifying glass, climb aboard the Time Travel Machine and get ready for a roaring Dinosaur Detectives adventure!