Ultimate Science Facts
Enrichment Activities
Children are naturally curious about their world.
They love to explore and ask questions. How far
away is the sun? What are clouds made of? How
do birds fly? All of these questions help children
learn about the world and make sense of what
they see. The Ultimate Science Facts series builds
upon children’s fascination with the world around
them. The books feature topics that engage young
minds and appeal to children’s love of exploration
Dinosaurs
Paper Plate Dinosaur
This dinosaur is super-easy to make. You
and your child can make several to create
your own “dinosaur zoo”!
Materials
• Paper plate
• Paint
• 2 Clothespins
• Glue
• Markers
• Colored paper (optional)
Making the Dinosaur
1. Cut the paper plate in half. Use one
half for the body. Use the other half to
cut out a head and tail.
2. Paint the pieces. (If desired, paint both
the front and back.) Let dry.
3. Glue the head and tail to the body.
4. Use markers to draw an eye and mouth
on the head.
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and discovery. This tip sheet is designed to provide
activities to supplement your child’s learning
experience with the science books in this set. Young
children thrive in an environment where learning
and play go hand in hand. The following hands-on
activities will spark your children’s enthusiasm for
learning and get them excited about reading and
making discoveries!
5. If desired, draw or glue on additional features,
such as spots, stripes, or triangular spikes.
6. Clip two clothespins onto the body for legs.
A Pet Dinosaur
Ask your child to imagine what it would be like to
have a dinosaur as a pet. Use the following questions
to spark creativity. Write each answer on a sheet of
paper, and have your child illustrate the responses.
Staple the sheets to make a booklet titled “If I Had
a Pet Dinosaur.”
• What would your dinosaur look like?
• What would you feed your dinosaur?
• What would you and your dinosaur do for fun?
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 Ultimate Science Facts 2
Enrichment Activities

Dinosaurs

Fossil Footprints Matching Game

Develop observation skills with this activity.
First, prepare some “fossil footprints” ahead of
time without your child’s knowledge. Mold small
balls of modeling dough or clay into flat, oval
shapes. Make tracks across the ovals using toy
dinosaurs that have distinctly shaped feet. Use
only one dinosaur per oval.
Discuss what fossils are with your child (the
hardened remains of things that lived long
ago). Tell your child that dinosaur fossils
included footprints. Then show the fossil
footprints to your child. Challenge your little Who’s Hatching?
“paleontologist” to study the tracks and match
Here’s a fun way to review dinosaur facts.
the dinosaurs to the correct set of footprints.
Remind your child that dinosaurs laid eggs and
that when the eggs hatched, the babies looked
like their parents. Then let your child make a
paper egg that hides a baby dinosaur. Provide
two same-sized ovals—one cut from paper and
the other cut from colored construction paper.
On the colored oval, help your child write two
clues about the dinosaur, such as “I eat plants.
I have three horns.” (Let your child use facts
from the Hot Dots® Jr. Dinosaurs book or other
resource.) Your child may draw jagged lines to
look like cracks. Next, have your child draw the
baby dinosaur on the white oval and write “I’m
a ______” (fill in the dinosaur name) under the
picture. Place the oval with the clues on top of
the oval with the picture, and staple together.

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 Ultimate Science Facts 3
Enrichment Activities

Space
Solar System Suncatchers Stars-and-Planets
Use bowls or plastic lids to trace three circles—a large circle Sandwiches
for the sun, a medium circle for Earth, and a small circle Let your child help you make
for the moon—onto white copy paper. Cut out the circles. yummy sandwiches that are “out
(If desired, cut out more circles to make the other planets.) of this world”! Use cookie cutters
Prepare a glue mixture of three parts white glue and one to cut out stars and planets (circles)
part water, and have your child use a paintbrush to dab the from slices of bread. Then add your
glue onto a circle. Have your child cover the circle with child’s favorite sandwich fillings
1½“ squares of colored tissue paper (for example, red, (such as peanut butter and jelly,
yellow, and orange squares for the sun), and then brush ham and cheese, or cream cheese
the glue over the squares to smooth them out. Repeat the and sliced cucumbers) for a treat
process for the other circles. When dry, trim off the excess that’s “out of this world”!
tissue paper. Tape a loop of ribbon onto the back of each
circle. Tape in front of a sunlit window for a dazzling display!
Space Tourist
At the end of the Space book, the
reader is challenged to think about
what space travel in the future
might look like. Ask your child to
imagine taking a family vacation in
space. Use the following questions
to encourage discussion, and write
your child’s responses on a sheet
of paper.
• Where would you go, and
why?
• What might it be like there?
• What would you take in your
suitcase?
Afterwards, give your child an
index card to create a postcard of
the place your family “visited.”

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 Ultimate Science Facts 4
Enrichment Activities

Sharks
Friendly Shark
Help your child make a friendly shark to review 4. Have your child paint the shark. Let it dry.
some of the facts presented in the Sharks book.
5. Cut out triangles from white paper for the
Materials teeth. Help your child glue the teeth to the
• Toilet paper roll inside of the shark’s mouth.
• Adult scissors
6. Let your child draw
• Gray tempera or acrylic paint
three lines on each
• White paper
side for gills and glue
• Glue
on two googly eyes to
• Tape
complete the shark.
• Black marker
• Googly eyes Have your child insert two fingers into the roll
and press against them with his or her thumb
Making the Shark to hold up the shark. Your child can use the
1. Cut out two triangles at one end shark as a puppet or a prop to “teach” you
of the roll for the mouth. (The some fascinating shark facts.
triangles should face each other.)
Taper the remaining edge
of the roll to form a snout.
2. Cut a fin from one of the
triangles. Trim the base to
form a tab.
3. Carefully cut a thin slot at
the top of the roll. The slot
should be slightly longer
than the fin’s tab. Insert the
fin into the slot, and tape
the tab to the inside of the roll.

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 Ultimate Science Facts 5
Enrichment Activities

Sharks
Rough Fish, Smooth Fish
Page 10 of the Sharks book shows a close-up look
at a shark’s skin. Tell your child that many fish have
rounded scales and smooth skin. Sharks, however,
have tiny tooth-shaped scales and rough skin.
Illustrate the difference this way. Place a smooth
drinking glass into warm, soapy water. Have your
child pick up the glass and feel its surface. Then
have your child feel a piece of coarse sandpaper.
Ask your child to describe how the two objects feel.
(The glass is wet and slippery. The sandpaper is
very rough.) Explain that certain fish like goldfish
have smooth, slippery skin while sharks have very
rough skin.

Feed the Shark

Make a shark from a toy pail or other round
container. Cut out teeth from white paper, and
have your child tape them around the inner rim of
the pail. Tape paper eyes to one side of the pail.
Get some beanbags or rolled-up socks for “bait.”
Now it’s feeding time! Your child stands several
feet away and tries to feed the shark by tossing
the bait into its mouth.

Shark-in-the-Sea Treat
Celebrate your child’s learning with this cool
treat. Place 1 cup of vanilla ice cream in a
bowl. Put 1–2 drops of blue food coloring on
the ice cream, and let your child mix thoroughly
until the ice cream is blue. Put the ice cream
in a serving dish. Crumble a cookie or graham
cracker on one side of the dish to form a
“beach.” Then add a gummy shark in the
“deep blue sea,” and enjoy!

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