Choose Learning Type ▼

Design a Prehistoric Habitat

Activity

Imagine Life in the Rio Grande Valley Millions of Years Ago!

Create a prehistoric habitat using craft supplies and things found in nature, like rocks, twigs, leaves, and soil! Imagine what types of dinosaurs, ancient plants, and other prehistoric creatures lived in the Rio Grande Valley throughout different geological periods (Triassic, Jurassic, or Cretaceous). How would the plants and animals of your ecosystem survive together, and what changes might have happened over millions of years to shape life on Earth?

Science Seed

During the Cretaceous period, the Rio Grande Valley was partly covered by a warm, shallow sea filled with marine life. Ammonites, spiral-shelled creatures related to squid, swam through the waters, hunting small fish and plankton. On land, large herbivorous hadrosaurs, like the duck-billed Edmontosaurus, fed on plants like ferns and conifer trees, which were abundant in the wetland areas. These areas were also home to flying reptiles called pterosaurs, such as Pteranodon, which had long wings and soared over the coastlines. Alongside them, crocodiles and turtles lived in the rivers and swamps. As the landscape changed, sand dunes and dry, desert-like conditions began to take over, bringing about new challenges for animals like small, meat-eating dinosaurs (like Dromaeosaurs, close relatives of modern birds) that adapted to the harsher environment.

move to the next activity

earn Badges

Badges can be earned through hands-on experiences within each of the 16 branches of science, or “Science Slices.” You can earn a badge in each branch of science by doing four activities in these categories. We also encourage participants to keep a Nature Journal to record their memories, and to express themselves creatively through writing or drawing after each activity. We recommend that each child (and parent if they’d like) write or draw in a journal after each activity, with expectations of your children that match their age (the goal is self-expression, not perfection).

Explore Geraldine Palmer Elementary

join Families in Nature

It is our vision to inspire all families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists. Becoming a member of Families in Nature will give your family the opportunity to have adventures in nature, experience field science, develop as youth conservation leaders, and make memories that will last a lifetime. Memberships are free for everyone.

Who are we?

Families in Nature works to create opportunities for nature connection with the purpose of sparking a deep love and desire to protect, conserve and restore the environment. Our mission is to connect children and their families to nature and to each other through time spent learning, playing, and volunteering outdoors. It is our vision to inspire ALL families to fall in love with nature and foster the next generation of conservationists.

This project was made possible by HEB.