There is so much to learn about dinosaurs—it’s incredible how much we still uncover today! Teaching and learning about these amazing creatures has always fascinated me. I bet if we met in person, I’d find a way to sneak in at least one random dinosaur fact into our conversation. Here’s one for you now: Did you know that when dinosaurs first roamed the Earth, there was one giant landmass, a supercontinent? It is called Pangaea! Imagine all the dinosaurs living on one enormous piece of land!
If your kids are anything like mine, I’m sure they also share a love for dinosaurs. This is why I created my Dinosaur Unit Study—to allow curious young minds to explore the world of dinosaurs in a hands-on and engaging way. There’s so much to discover, and I’m thrilled to share one of the activities from the unit with you today!
Free Printable Pangaea Puzzle
We are going to make our own Pangaea Puzzle, a fun way to learn about Earth’s ancient supercontinent and how it contributed to the dinosaur age. Your little learners will have fun piecing together the puzzle of Pangaea and discovering how this supercontinent gradually broke apart into the continents we recognize today.
Just before we get into the activity, you’ll want to grab this Free Sample from the Dinosaur Unit Study—including the Pangaea Printable we use for this activity. After you enter your email address below, you’ll be emailed the FREE Printable Pangaea Pages. You will also be redirected to my shop, where you can take a peek at a sample from the Dinosaur Unit Study:
Let’s get started with this educational hands-on activity!
Dinosaur Unit Study: Pangaea Puzzle Activity
Okay, we are going to go back in time, let’s say about 200 million years ago. This is when this supercontinent began to break apart, shaping the world as we know it today. This puzzle will help you see how the world was formed before plate tectonics caused Pangaea to shift and break apart.
For this activity, you will need the following:
- Scissors
- Paper
- Glue
- Blue construction paper
You will want to start by cutting out the pieces from the Pangaea Puzzle. This is a great time to give your child a quick geography lesson and review the continents! What are some of the significant differences? Of course, for the little ones, I always love practicing those cutting skills. It is great for fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
Let’s re-create Pangaea! Have your child fit the pieces together to create the supercontinent! Imagine all the various types of dinosaurs roaming around this giant land mass. Do you know any of the areas where your favorite dinosaur bones were discovered? Can you also assemble the puzzle pieces to form the two supercontinents, Laurasia and Gondwana?
Have your child glue your completed puzzle down on some blue construction paper (the ocean). Take a look at this giant land mass where the earth’s continents were once joined together and the one big ocean around it. Display it while you learn more about dinosaurs to reference back to the different areas.
And that’s Pangaea for you! This incredible supercontinent existed long before the Mesozoic era, eventually breaking apart to form the continents we recognize today.
Here’s an extra fun tidbit for you: the process of Pangaea’s split is still happening today, continuing in places like the Great Rift Valley in East Africa and Arabia!
I hope you enjoyed learning about Pangaea and creating this unique dinosaur unit study activity. This unit study is part of the Animal Enthusiast Bundle, the ultimate bundle for animal lovers! Explore the lives of mammals and reptiles, plunge into the depths of the ocean, venture into lush rainforests, and learn all about prehistoric life with dinosaurs.
Visit my shop for samples and photos and to get your copy today!
Dinosaur Family Unit Study
https://shop.howweelearn.com/products/family-unit-study-dinosaurs
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Thank you so much for reading, sweet friend!
xo
Sarah
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