Ok do NOT ask how old this is (even though the date is right there… baaaad Lisa). I have decided to push through and post these crazily old posts now before I never get them up!! Hopefully our collection of links are helpful… and still active!!

For Emanuel’s (and now Trinity’s) first dinosaur of the 2013-2014 school year we actually went reptile… giant reptile with the Archelon turtle. This late Cretaceous period reptile was believed to be slow moving and only dove deep to hibernate. A Potential omnivore it spent its entire life in the ocean except to lay eggs. It is thought to be the predecessor to our current turtles.

What I found interesting was that it was soft shelled AND around during the END of the dinosaurs. And HUGE!!!

We watched a short independently made video about our reptile on youTube by Sarcosuchus7 titled Archelon The Biggest Turtle. 

And now for our link list:

• BBC has some images and a blurb HERE
• KidsDinos.com has their article HERE
• EnchantedLearning has their information HERE
• Animal a Day has a great fossil image HERE
• Las Ecomujeres has a great article HERE
• Euro Turtle has another great image HERE
• Wiki as ever has their say HERE
• And of course our colouring page from Super Coloring HERE

I hope these links are helpful!! Enjoy our turtle learning!

…And we are back to the dinosaurs while I sort out pictures for blog posts and proof others. Company, end of summer and back to full day school have slowed me a bit… but I promise to continue catching up! 

#3 on the Dinosaurs.about.com’s list of the top 10 weirdest dinosaurs is the VERY long necked dinosaur Tanystropheus. In fact, scientist believe that its neck is as long as it could be without the dinosaur completely defying physics!!! While not technically a dinosaur this archosaur was found in the Triassic period in Europe and the Middle East. It is actually thought that it would have used its head and neck much like a fishing line.

Our videos! First… Dinosaur Safari (Late Triassic) Clip #11: Tanystropheus by Kyle Hartman.

And the second, Tribute to Tanystropheus by ArchosaurKing.

And now our links:

• Dinosaurs.about.com HERE
• Jurassic Park Wikia HERE
• ReptileEvolution.com HERE
• BBC HERE
• The Big Zoo HERE
• The Pterosaur Heresies HERE
• Prehistoric Wildlife HERE
• Wiki HERE
• And our colouring page… it is off of deviantArt HERE thanks to the artist HyphenatedSuperHero HERE.

RAWR DINOSAURS!!! Monsoon season hit and I soaked myself hopefully saving our tomatoes… and now have to make the difficult decision as to whether or not we walk to the YMCA tomorrow… so in the wake of all the “drama” I have for you… a dinosaur!!!! 

Back into the ocean with our dinosaurs and a rather unique flightless bird… the Hesperornis. This Cretaceous period find had feathers and teeth in its “beak”… The remains of this intimidating swimmer have been found in many areas in Canada. With its diet of fish and squid it swims quickly and it has to… predators rule the oceans at this point in history.

Now for our videos. There is a couple episodes in Dinosaur Train that include our bird. But the only one I could get my hands on through the Prime account in the house for free was Episode 6 of Season 1. You can find the link HERE. Our second video is the last in a series that I do believe Gavin now wants to watch from the start. Sea Monsters – The Most Deadly Sea.

Links in a list:

• National Geographic HERE
• Dinosaurs.about.com HERE
• KidsDinos.com HERE
• BBC HERE
• Britannica HERE
• Oceans of Kansas HERE
• Primeval Wiki HERE
• Wiki HERE
• Our colouring page is found on the Dinosaur of the Week page HERE