Dinosaurs! Big Feet, Big Teeth

2 min Magic Box hook

Shake the box. It is heavy today — struggle with it. Hold it to your ear. Whole class chants:

Peek in. Jump back. Growl at the box. Peek again. Then lift out the big dinosaur with two hands.

Everyone opens their arms as wide as they go. “Big!” Bigs: “It is a big dinosaur.”

4 min Teach · Big and small

Big dinosaur in one hand. Then — surprise — the tiny one out of your pocket. Chant it, three times each, getting faster:

Littles do the action and say the one word — “Big!” Bigs say the frame: “It is a big dinosaur.”

Teacher fails: hold up the tiny dinosaur and say “Look! It is BIG!” Wait. Let them shout you down twice — correcting the teacher is free English.

3 min Song · Dinosaur Stomp — chorus + Monday verse

The one song of the week — same chorus at every circle, one new verse each morning. Chords and the full sheet are on the Song tab. Sing it twice.

3 min Game · Big dinosaur, small dinosaur

“One, two, three — eyes on me!” You hold up one dinosaur. They move to match it.

Everyone stands tall and stomps around the circle. “Big! Big! Big!”

Everyone crouches and tiptoes with tiny steps. “Small…”

Six or seven swaps, faster and faster, then a surprise long freeze. Last round a Big is the caller.

This is the stop-and-go control game hiding inside a dinosaur game. Both toys go straight onto the shelf after circle as Tray 1.

1 min Close

Everyone crouches down small, then grows all the way up — whisper → normal → shout:

Got 3 spare minutes? Dear Dinosaur (Chae Strathie) — or any dinosaur picture book. Don't read every word: point, name, roar, turn the page.

2 min Magic Box hook

One quick notice before the box: 六一儿童节 — Children's Day — is next Tuesday, and we will celebrate it then. Now the box chant.

Pull out the giant tooth. Hold it beside your own smile.

Pass the mirror around fast — everyone finds their own teeth. “Teeth!”

4 min Teach · Sharp teeth, flat teeth

Two hands, two kinds of teeth. Show them on your own fingers:

Littles just chomp and shout “Teeth!” Bigs use the frame: “It has sharp teeth.”

Teacher fails: put on your sharp T-rex teeth and try to munch the leaf — chomp, chomp, spit it out, look baffled. They will tell you exactly what is wrong.

3 min Song · Dinosaur Stomp — chorus + Tuesday verse

Yesterday's verse first if they shout for it. Then sing it a third time, faster, and let them stomp.

3 min Game · Count the teeth, then sort

“One, two, three — eyes on me!” First, count together: hold up the giant tooth and add paper teeth to your grin one at a time — one, two, three, four, five! Everyone counts, then counts their own teeth with a finger and a lot of laughing.

Now the sorting run. Two signs on the floor: Leaf Eater! and Meat Eater! Give each child one dinosaur card (page 14).

They run to their sign and hold the card up. “Leaf eater!” Bigs: “It has flat teeth. It eats leaves.”

Swap cards and run it three times. The cards and the two signs become Tray 3 on the shelf this afternoon — same work, sitting down.

1 min Close

Big toothy smiles, hands like fangs — whisper → normal → shout:

Got 3 spare minutes? How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food? (Jane Yolen) — do the naughty bits, then the good bits.

2 min Magic Box hook

The box is heavy and it rustles. Box chant, then lift out the tub of sand — nothing to see. Hand a Little the spoon.

Brush the sand away. The egg appears. Gasp.

“Egg!” Bigs: “The dinosaur has an egg.”

4 min Teach · In the nest

Egg in two cupped hands, passed slowly round the circle — very, very carefully.

Then count the nests: one, two, three, four, five eggs. Littles say “Egg!” and make the ball with their hands; Bigs count and say “Five eggs in the nest.”

Teacher fails: count the five eggs as “one, two, three, five!” Wait for the outrage.

3 min Song · Dinosaur Stomp — chorus + Wednesday verse

Sing the verse twice: once curled up tiny and quiet, once hatched and enormous. Same words, opposite bodies — that contrast is what makes it stick.

3 min Game · Crack the egg

“One, two, three — eyes on me!” The egg goes behind your back. Inside is something — nobody has seen it yet.

Take guesses first: “A dinosaur!” “A bird!” “A baby!” Every guess gets a nod. Then crack it open in slow motion — the tiny dinosaur is born. Everyone hatches with it: curled up on the floor, then POP up and roar.

Hatch three more times, because they will demand it.

Then the sand tub, the spoon and the brush go on the shelf as Tray 4 with five eggs and five nest hollows — today's circle, sitting down, all week.

1 min Close

Everyone curled up as an egg, growing bigger on each repeat — whisper → normal → shout:

Got 3 spare minutes? Ten Little Dinosaurs or any counting dinosaur book — count on fingers, don't read the story.

2 min Magic Box hook

Box chant. Pull out the giant footprint and lay it on the floor without a word. Look at it. Look worried.

Every child gets to stand in it, both feet, one at a time — the whole class counts them in.

“ROAR!”

4 min Teach · Loud roar, quiet roar

Your hand is the volume dial: hand low = tiny roar, hand high = enormous roar. Practise the dial:

Littles just roar and stop. Bigs say the frame first: “I can roar!” then do it.

Teacher fails: put your hand in the sky and roar like a mouse. They will lift your arm for you.

3 min Song · Dinosaur Stomp — chorus + Thursday verse

The volume dial works in the song too — sing the whole verse tiny once, then huge. Finish sitting, so they land quiet.

3 min Game · Roar and freeze

“One, two, three — eyes on me!” Everyone stomps around the footprint roaring while your hand is up. Hand behind your back — FREEZE, silent statues. Three seconds. Hand up again — roar.

Four or five rounds, longer freezes each time. Then swap in the basket:

A child draws an action card, does it, and the class copies and says it: “I can stomp!” “I can dig!” “I can swish my tail!” Littles just do the action and shout the verb.

Every child draws one card. The basket goes on the shelf beside Tray 1 afterwards — the same game, alone or in twos.

1 min Close

Crouch, then rise, then jump — whisper → normal → shout:

Got 3 spare minutes? Never Tickle a T. Rex! or any roaring book — one roar per page, and let the littlest child be the roar-master.

2 min Magic Box hook

Box chant. This time the box is full — pull the props out one at a time, fast, and let them shout the word before you can say it.

“Teeth!” — then the egg “Egg!” — the footprint “Big!” — the dinosaur “Dinosaur! ROAR!”

Last out of the box: the ball of string. Nobody knows what it is for. Say nothing. Smile.

4 min Teach · Quick-fire review

All five words, one prop each, three rounds, faster every round. Littles shout the word and do the gesture; Bigs answer in the frame.

Teacher fails: hold up the egg and say “Teeth!” One last time — this is your assessment, and you'll hear instantly who has the five words.

3 min Song · Dinosaur Stomp — the whole song

They have never “learned” this song and they know five verses. The finale is the week's review — sing it for the parents at pick-up if you can.

3 min Game · Measure a dinosaur

“One, two, three — eyes on me!” Tape one end of the string to the classroom door. Now unroll it down the corridor — keep going — keep going — while the class chants “Big! Big! BIG!”

The whole class walks the length of the string, counting steps out loud. Then lie down head-to-toe along it and count how many children long a T-rex is.

“Big! Big dinosaur!” Bigs: “The dinosaur is very big. I am small.”

Leave the string taped down the corridor all afternoon. Every parent at pick-up will ask about it, and every child will answer in English.

1 min Close

Back in the circle, awards in hand. Crouch small, grow enormous — whisper → normal → shout:

Hand each child their “You are a BIG dinosaur!” award (page 17) with their egg drawing (page 16) to take home.

The four chords

Tempo: heavy marching pace — this is a stomping song, so let it be slow and thumping rather than fast. Am is one finger, same finger as F's first shape; if it beats you today, play F instead and nothing breaks. Chant it without the uke first; add chords once they know the words.

Chorus — sing it every single day

Sing the chorus twice each time. On the last “whale!” everyone stretches as wide as they can and holds it.

One verse a day — verses use only C and G7

The build: each day sing chorus → today's verse → chorus. By Friday they know five verses without ever “learning” the song — Friday's finale is the whole thing top to bottom, and it doubles as your review of the entire week.

If you're brand new to ukulele

Practice this loop for five minutes tonight: C (4 strums) → F (4 strums) → C → G7 → C. That's nearly the whole song — the only new shape is Am, which is one finger on the G string, second fret. C is one finger too, and the verses are just C and G7.