Building Together is DINO-Mite!

Meet Mary "Cera" Sparkles! Mary Cera, derived from "Triceratops," is the newest addition to the Early Childhood Center and was entirely engineered (and named!) by our "dino-mite" Senior Kindergarteners.

​Led by St. Mary’s SK-1st Grade Science Teacher and North Campus STEAM Coordinator Carrie Ruhland, this dino-building project originated several years ago when her students indicated an interest in learning more about female scientists.

“One of the first paleontologists was an English woman named Mary Anning. She made so many paleontology discoveries in the 19th century but didn’t get credit for them back then,” said Mrs. Ruhland. “I shared Mary’s story with the students, which sparked their interest in learning about more women in science.”

Over the past few weeks, Mrs. Ruhland has led the girls in a kinesthetic project to help them understand how paleontologists work in real life, from unearthing fossils to creating a full-scale exhibit.

“To start the project, I made fake fossils out of Plaster of Paris. The girls went outside with chisels, hammers, and dry paintbrushes and carefully unearthed the fossils,” said Mrs. Ruhland.

Once the dinosaur bones were “excavated,” Mrs. Ruhland led discussions about how skeletons are the framework for our bodies, just like they were for the dinosaurs. 

“I projected a skeleton on a screen in the GLR, and the students talked about what they saw. I asked questions such as, ‘Why do you think the dinosaur was built that way?’ and ‘How do you think it moved?’” said Mrs. Ruhland. “After we brainstormed, I showed them pictures of how we think the dinosaurs really looked, with fat, muscles, and skin.” 

From there, the students worked together to begin the process of designing and planning how to build the dinosaur. Research shows that building fosters students’ cognitive development by enhancing their problem-solving abilities, spatial awareness, and mathematical thinking. Through trial and error, children learn to envision, plan, and execute their ideas, developing critical thinking skills that are essential for success academically as well as in life.

“There are times when we were building when I made them all stop, put everything down, and look at what they had built. This gave them the opportunity to step back and process what might need to be fixed,” said Mrs. Ruhland.

Collaborative building projects foster social and emotional development and encourage teamwork, communication, and negotiation skills.