Kinetosaurs: Colors: What Colors Were Dinosaurs?

What Colors Were Dinosaurs?
Nobody knows what color dinosaurs were. But we can look at modern animals to guess how dinosaurs might have looked. Get out your crayons and put on your thinking caps to help these dinosaurs survive!

You will need:

print-out of habitats
print-out of dinosaur coloring outlines (below)
print-outs of "Dinosaur Data" sheets (below)
print-outs of modern animal "Color Clues" sheets
crayons, markers, paints or colored pencils
scissors
(for extra fun: cardboard, popsicle sticks and glue)

1. Color the habitat with the colors you think you would find in nature. Look at rainforest pictures for ideas (photos of tropical grasslands and forests). Blend your colors to make lots of different colors!

2. Read "Color Clues" sheets to learn how colors and patterns help modern animals survive. Which of these might help you decide how dinosaurs looked?

3. Read ³Dinosaur Data² sheets (below). Think about how and where these dinosaurs lived:

Were they plant or meat eaters?
How did they protect themselves?
Did they want to blend in or be noticed?
What colors and patterns found where they lived?
What colors would best help them blend in or stand out?

4. Create colors and patterns for each dinosaur that will help them survive in its habitat. Remember: there are no right or wrong answers-just educated guesses! Read Dinosaur Data sheets (below) for ideas.

5. Cut out each dinosaur and place in its habitat. How does it look? Will its colors and patterns help it survive?

6. Submit your artwork to our online Dinosaur Art Gallery!

For extra fun: Use the habitat for a backdrop in a puppet theater made from cardboard. Glue the dinosaurs to popsicle sticks to use as puppets. Act out their lives and tell dinosaur stories!

Dinosaur coloring outlines:
Allosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Apatosaurus,Camarasaurus, Camptosaurus, Centrosaurus, Chasmosaurus, Compsognathus, Hadrosaurid,Lambeosaurus, Nodosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Pachycephalosaurus, Plateosaurus, Protoceratops, Scutellosaurus, Stegosaurus, Struthiomimus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus rex

Dinosaur Data Sheets:
Allosaurus, Ankylosaurus, Apatosaurus, Camarasaurus, Camptosaurus, Centrosaurus, Chasmosaurus, Compsognathus, Hadrosaurid, Iguandoon, Lambeosaurus, Nodosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Pachycephalosaurus, Plateosaurus, Protoceratops, Pteranodon, Scutellosaurus, Stegosaurus, Struthiomimus, Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus rex, Velociraptor.

Fossil Forms Nature's Balance Movement Evolving Theories

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