In Your ClassroomPrehistoric Arts Contest

2011/2012 Prehistoric Arts Contest Categories

Kindergarten: A Dinosaur’s Pet
If a dinosaur could choose a pet, what would it be? Many types of ancient creatures lived at the same time as dinosaurs. Would a dinosaur choose a small mammal, a fish, a marine reptile, or an insect for a pet? Or a creature we have never seen before? Would different kinds of dinosaurs keep different pets? Would they keep their pets in cages or take them for walks? Draw one type of dinosaur and its favourite pet(s)!

Grades 1–2: Ankylosaur Superheroes
In March 2011, Royal Tyrrell Museum scientists were called to a mine near Fort McMurray, Alberta. There they collected the oldest ankylosaur fossils known from the province. All ankylosaurs were well protected with bony armour all over their bodies— even on their eyelids! Some had a tail club they might have used as a weapon if they were attacked. What if an ankylosaur's armour and tail club weren’t only for its own defence, but also to protect other ancient creatures? They would be the armoured superheroes of the Cretaceous! Create and name your own ankylosaur superhero, then draw it defending other Cretaceous creatures from predators!

Grades 3–4: Mosasaur’s World
While dinosaurs dominated the land, marine reptiles ruled the seas. In the Late Cretaceous, a group of giant, carnivorous reptiles with flippers, known as mosasaurs, were among the top predators. Related to snakes and lizards, they were powerful swimmers. A number of excellent mosasaurs have been found in Alberta, including Prognathodon on display in the Royal Tyrrell Museum and Latoplatecarpus, newly named by one of the Museum’s scientists. What did these creatures look like? What colour were they What did they feed on? Draw an underwater scene from the Late Cretaceous showing a mosasaur(s) in its environment.

Grades 5– 6: Permian Party
Before dinosaurs ruled the Earth, a very different group of reptiles ran the show during the Permian Period (300 – 251 million years ago). Dimetrodon, the top predator, was a mammal-like reptile that lived alongside other strange reptiles, fishes, amphibians, and insects on the single supercontinent Pangaea. What would happen if all these creatures met in the centre of the continent to have party? Who would be invited? What decorations would there be? Draw a scene showing all the Permian animals that were invited to the party and what they did while they were there. Don’t forget to include the snacks!

Grades 7–9 and Grades 10–12: Open Category
Let your imagination go wild! Using whatever artistic medium you like, create a masterpiece of prehistoric life. Paint, draw, sculpt, carve, or build however you wish, as long as it has a theme related to palaeontology. Make sure it can be shipped easily, because if you win, we’ll put it on display in the Prehistoric Arts Gallery for the world to see!