To prepare for the workshop, it would be very helpful if you could do all the following before the visit:

1. Fill in the two forms (see below) - one is to say which children will be painting which fossil, and the other is to say which children will be making which dinosaur picture. The tasks are listed according to difficulty level.

2. Arrange the tables around the outside of the classroom, on 3 sides, with a space for the children to sit on the carpet in the middle and a table at the front for me, under the whiteboard. There should still be enough space around the tables that the children can sit down to paint the fossils after morning break.

3. The tables should be cleared completely before I arrive, as I will need to set out the fossils for the name the fossil game, before I start the workshop. I will arrive about 9.00 am to set up, so I will need the children to be on the carpet (or out of the room if there is no floor space) until about 9.30, when I should be ready to start the workshop.

4. I will need your interactive whiteboard for my photos so please have it up and running.

5. Please make sure there is space on the side of the room, for storing or displaying the fossils which the children will paint, and also for me to set out the fossils which they can buy at lunch.

6. If possible, please have an extra adult or two to help children with the fossil game, the fossil painting, and the picture making. The younger the children the more important this is.

7. Please provide the following items in the morning for the fossil painting:

·         1 thick paintbrush per child

·         1 paint palette per 4 children (with space for 6 colours)

·         1 pot of water per 4 children

·         1 paper towel per child

·         Covers for the tables and art overalls. I will set out the painting materials over morning break and would like 2 or 3 children (or adults) to help.

I will provide paint and thin brushes for painting the detailed parts of the fossils.

8. At the end of the day, or over lunch, I will have fossils for sale, at low prices - mostly 10 or 20p, plus some higher quality fossils for 50p or £1.

9. For the dinosaur picture making in the afternoon please provide the following materials:

·         1 black broad felt tip/marker per child                

·         1 pair of scissors per child

·         about 8 Pritt sticks

The children will draw round templates on a large roll of brown paper and colour the dinosaurs. Later the children (or adults if this is too difficult) will cut them out. I will provide pictures and guidance to help with colours, details, and textures.

10. In the afternoon we will need the school hall, so please make sure it is reserved. If the hall is unavailable we will need 2 classrooms.

I look forward to working with you and your children.

Fossil painting - year 3-6      Please assign children to the following groups, according to their artistic ability.

Everyone can have their own fossil, except for the Compsognathus and Archaeopteryx which are larger and quite complicated. You can see pictures of all these fossils at www.timetrips.co.uk.

*for a large class assign up to 3 children to these fossils

Fossil painting - year 1-2

Please assign children to the following fossils, according to their artistic ability. If any fossils are too hard for children to paint the details, they can be painted all one colour, and the details will stand out.

Each child will have their own fossil. There are more than enough fossils here, so if some children finish they may be able to do another one, or help with the ones which take longer (these are starred).

Dinosaur Making   In order of difficulty

Before selecting, bear in mind the area you have available to display the dinosaurs. Length of each is given. There are more than enough for any class so you don't need to do all the animals.

Animal	Names of children (4 to 6 for each animal)
Easy
Plesiosaurus 3m*
Moderate
T rex head 1.5m
Coelophysis 3m
Tricatops head (2m high)
Pteranodon 3m*
Dimetrodon 3m*
Difficult
Deinonychus 3m
Huayangosaurus 4m

 *these are large reptiles, but not dinosaurs