Insects are animals belonging to the class known as Insecta.

Nanogirl visits Te Papa and finds out whether we could bring dinosaurs back to life... And whether we would actually want to.

Squawkzilla is a giant parrot that lived in New Zealand 19 million years ago. Its bones were dug up in 2008, but it was not correctly identified for another ten years. This article tells the story of Squawkzilla’s discovery. It demonstrates how scientists work and how it is possible to make educated guesses about what life used to look like millions of years ago. It shows that scientific “discoveries” often take time and require careful observation and teamwork.

We can dish the real dirt about dinosaurs, thanks to fossils – traces of theses astonishing animals.
Link for video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XjqxgfZwqI&list=PLC1A0KOYvlM4Xqyn3GdQqjVm2-THJY-ZH&index=3

Although dinosaurs may not rule the planet anymore, they are still a fascinating topic to discuss and also offer plenty of opportunities for fun games and activities.

My, what big teeth you have… Find out how the physical features of dinosaurs and other animals help them meet their basic survival needs. Use this new understanding to design a defence against a dinosaur attack!

Bill Nye is starting an evolution revolution.

Here’s hoping you’ll dig Bill Nye the Science Guy in the “Fossils” episode.

Link for video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0d-cXkkPecE

This book provides the opportunity for children to investigate fossils and how they are made (the process of fossilisation). By doing so, children gain further evidence that life on Earth was different in the past and have the opportunity to develop their concept of things changing over time.

Aotearoa is home to 110 named species of endemic lizards, yet we don’t hear about them nearly as much as our 170 species of endemic birds. Our endemic lizard species are divided into geckos and skinks (tuatara aren’t lizards). Let’s have some fun learning all about Aotearoa’s lizards and tuatara this week!

Creating your own fossil is a fun project that will show you how scientists use them to research extinct species such as dinosaurs.

Have fun as you make a fossil and learn about the science behind them. Fossils are one of the reasons scientists know so much about animals such as the dinosaurs which lived on earth millions of years ago.

Make your own pretend dinosaur fossils at home, all you need is some clay, plaster of paris and of course a dinosaur!

E kīia ana te āta tirotiro i ngā pepeke ko te mātai pepeke, arā, he entomology ki te reo Pākehā.