The Bristol Dinosaur Project is primarily an educational outreach group, offering interactive workshops on palaeontology, geology, and biology to schools in the South West area.
All children and adults alike love dinosaurs, making them the perfect mascots for science as a whole. Ideas on the National Curriculum which may initially seem dull or tedious, can be brought to life with ease when presented through the medium of these famous ancient beasts.
The BDP is in the unique position of being able to bring the resources of one of the world’s best palaeontology research centres directly to your classroom. Teams of volunteer students and scientists from the University of Bristol are on hand to talk about the science they love, passing that enthusiasm on to the pupils, and giving them a chance to ask all their trickiest questions to real scientists in the field.
Key Stages 1 & 2
For Primary School the BDP most commonly offers a fifty-minute workshop where pupils are given the opportunity to see and handle real fossils from dinosaurs and other extinct animals and plants from the UK and beyond. They are also given the opportunity to design their very own dinosaurs, with an eye to thinking of the complex workings of adaptation and evolution over time.
Key Stage 3
In Secondary Schools we offer a range of interactive talks focusing on ideas of skeletal anatomy, evolution and deep time. Our interactive game ‘The Evo-Arcade’, based around making evolutionary choices while playing as real extinct creatures, was specifically made for this age group.
GCSE
For the older students we regularly run an hour-long interactive talk activity on the concept of Biostratigraphy we call ‘How to Read Rocks’. This introduces the pupils to some more advanced concepts of working with fossils and geological processes, as well as linking in with their curriculum ideas of geography, geometry, evolution, and analytical thinking.
Sixth Form
The BDP teaches right up to a Sixth Form level. Here we focus specifically on students who are looking to go on to pursue science degrees at university, our students passing on their stories and experiences, giving invaluable advice for their future pathways. We also offer taster lectures from ideas across Earth Sciences, from palaeontology to volcanology and beyond.
Booking
All our workshop packages are free and open to all schools. However, if your school is located a significant distance from the University of Bristol main site, we may ask that transport costs be covered. Typically workshops are staffed by our Education Officer (DBS Certified) and two current students studying in Earth Sciences at the University.
For more information or to make a booking please contact:
Rhys Charles Education Officer