Prehistory Lesson 1: Universe, History/Prehistory, Archaeology, Fossils
I think I will separate this topic into two – how the universe/earth formed and prehistory/archaeology.
Main Readings
- Usborne Internet Linked Encyclopedia of World History (UILE) – pg 12-27 (great coverage of prehistory)
- Story of the World: Volume 1 Ancient Times - Introduction
- A Little History of the World (LHW) – Chapter 1 (on CD too)
- Usborne First Encyclopedia of Space – pg 46-47
- Charlie’s Playhouse Giant Timeline (a must have for prehistory!)
Book Go-alongs
Universe/Big Bang/Earth/Space
- Born with a Bang: The Universe Tells Our Cosmic Story, by Jennifer Morgan, 2002 (first of a colorful 3-book series, these books can cover big concepts (elements, eukaryote, mitocondria and such) and probably should belong in a 7-10 age range, but I’m going to read them and see how it goes)
- Big Bang! The Tongue-Tickling Tale of a Speck that Became Spectacular, by Carolyn Cinami Decristofano, 2005
- The Story of Everything: From the Big Bang Until Now, by Neal Layton, 2006 (pop-up book)
- The Birth of the Earth (Cartoon History), by Jacqui Bailey, 2002 (also first part of a series of cartoon history books)
Archaeology/Paleontology/Fossils
- Archaeologists Dig for Clues (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2), by Kate Duke, 1996
- Fossils Tell of Long Ago (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 2), by Aliki, 1990
- The Fossil Factory: A Kid’s Guide to Digging Up Dinosaurs, Exploring Evolution, and Finding Fossils, by Niles Eldredge, 2002 (more of a *wonderful* book for parents or older children, many activities to do!)
- Mary Anning: Fossil Hunter, by Sally Walker, 2007 (young girl who discovered many fossils)
- I Can Read About Fossils, by John Howard, 2004
- Fossils (Rock Stars), by Chris Pellant, 2008
- Fossil (DK Eyewitness Books) , by Paul Taylor, 2004 (we used as a reference book to identify our fossils)
Movie/DVD
Sample Internet Links
- Universe in One Year
- How Fossils Form
- Conditions for Fossils to Form
- Fossil Puzzles
- Examine Fossil Skeletons
- Amber from 30 million year forest
- Finding Fossils and Dino Dig
Activities (will link to our blog posts as we do these)
- Archaeology Dig (video)
- Dig Real Fossils Kit (video)
- Archaeology Hike
- Sediment Layer Activity
- Collecting and Examining Real Fossils
- Coloring page on Fossils
- Fossil Casts
- Archaeology Puzzles (we did not do this, but simply take a National Geographic page of a fossil or ancient artifact, cut in pieces and have child put together)
- Universe Wall Timeline
Brain Pop Jr.
Field Trips around Boulder/Denver, CO
- Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
- Triceratops Trail – Golden, CO
- Colorado Museum of Nature & Science – focus on the Prehistoric Journey Exhibition
Colorado State Fossil (substitute yours)
Stegosaurus (learn why)
Vocabulary
- Archaeology
- Fossil
- Extinct
- History
- Historian
- Paleontologist
- Archaeologist
- Universe
- Sediment
Our Prehistory Lesson 1 blog posts – includes our activities, thoughts, and daily progress (not linked yet, need to update)
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