Dinosaurs (junior)
Where can I find information about dinosaurs?
(Years 1-4)
Image: Styracosaurus dinosaur by LadyofHats on Wikimedia Commons.
Entry last updated: 21/01/25
Introduction
Dinosaurs were reptiles that lived on the earth millions of years ago. They could be small or very large. Most kinds of dinosaurs lived on the land, but some kind could swim and some kinds could fly. Dinosaurs are now extinct but we know about them from fossils.
Popular Dinosaurs
There were many kinds of dinosaurs. Here are some of the popular ones.
Tyrannosaurus Rex: a giant dinosaur that walked on its back legs and hunted other dinosaurs.
Triceratops: this dinosaur was protected by its large spikes and armour.
Pterodactyl: this dinosaur had wings and could fly. It could grow to be the size of a small plane!
Diplodocus: a very large dinosaur that ate only trees. It could be as long as three buses.
General Websites
These websites have great information about what dinosaurs are as well as different types of dinosaurs.
This is one of the EPIC databases — a collection of databases that covers lots of different topics. It is put together especially for New Zealand school students and helps to answer questions like this.
First, log into the website.
Then enter the keywords 'dinosaur' into the search box at the top of the page.
Next, choose the page dinosaur (extinct reptile) to read about the different kinds of dinosaurs, how they lived, and how they became extinct.
Tips: To get to the EPIC resources you will need a password from your school librarian first. Or you can chat with one of our AnyQuestions librarians between 1 and 6pm Monday to Friday and they will help you online. Some EPIC databases may also be available through your public library.
This is another EPIC database for primary school students on a range of topics like animals, geography, history, science, technology and more.
Use the search box to enter the search word 'dinosaur'.
This will bring up a page on dinosaurs that has lots of news, books and magazine articles.
Take a look at one of the book articles on dinosaurs to read about how we learnt about dinosaurs and fossils.
Tips: Search words, or keywords, are the most important words in our question. Usually it’s better to leave out small words like ‘the’, ‘a’ and ‘of’ and just choose the main ones, eg dinosaur. We can always change our keywords or add more if we need to.
This education site is easy to read and interesting.
Look down the page for heading Science and choose Animals.
Choose Dinosaurs for some information and quick facts.
Or choose a type of dinosaur to find out about eg Tyrannosaurus Rex
Books
You will find lots of books on dinosaurs in your school library or public library. Here are some titles to help begin your search:
What's where on Earth? : dinosaur atlas : the prehistoric world as you've never seen it before by Chris Barker and Darren Naish
Dinosaurs by M. J. York
Dinosaur questions & answers! by the Natural History Museum
SCIS no. 5402374
