TriceraTOTs Preschool Program
TriceraTOTs
This popular Pre-K/Kindergarten program is offered twice monthly at the Martin G. Lockley Discovery Center near Red Rocks Entrance 1
Pricing is $5 for participating children. No charge for accompanying children under age 2 if they won’t be participating in the craft. No charge for adults. Questions? Education@dinoridge.org
Upcoming TriceraTOTs Sessions
Join us on the 2nd Thursday and/or Saturday of each month at the Martin G. Lockley Discovery Center for fun 30-minute craft and story time sessions! Advance online registration is required as attendance is capped at 20 children. Two sessions are available at 9a.m. and 10 a.m. for each Thursday and Saturday event.
Registration: $5/participating child
TriceraTOTs Class Location (Feb-May, August-December)
17681 W Alameda Parkway
Golden, CO 80401
Red Rocks Entrance #1 on the west entrance of Dinosaur Ridge.
*No sessions in January or July
NOTE: The June Program (Thursday and Saturday) will take place at the Main Dinosaur Ridge Visitor Center: 16831 W. Alameda Parkway, Morrison, CO 80465 (near C-470 & Alameda).
All other programs are held at the Martin G. Lockley Discovery Center just inside Entrance 1 to Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre:
17681 W. Alameda Parkway, Golden, CO
2025 TriceraTOTs Schedule
Protect Today’s Dinosaurs!
Thursday, May 8
Saturday, May 10
Did you know today’s birds are actually dinosaurs?! They’re a special kind of meat-eating dinosaur. This spring and summer, many kinds of birds migrate from one place to another. Today we will help dinosaur descendants by creating fun, dinosaur-themed window sticky decals to show migrating birds that a window is pretty to look through, but not to fly into! Come check it out!
Making Art with Nature!
Thursday, June 12
Saturday, June 14
The natural world has so many beautiful colors, shapes, and patterns. Can you create an art piece with just what you find outside? Let’s do it! Today, we’re going to make a “Nature Picture” using just the things that we find right around our outdoor picnic area*.
*This event will take place NOT at the Discovery Center, but at the Main Dinosaur Ridge Visitor Center on the covered patio behind the gift shop building. We’ll be outside for the full activity, under a shady, covered awning with picnic tables for our craft and story time.
Meteorites from Space!
Saturday, August 9
Thursday, August 14
Meteors fly through space until they meet our beautiful planet. Once they fall to Earth, they become meteorites, and there are so many different kinds of meteorites! Today, we’ll make our own space rocks! Come check it out!
Layers Rock!
Thursday, September 11
Saturday, September 13
The area on and around Dinosaur Ridge is covered in plants. If you were able to see past them, you would see an amazing tilted stack of rock layers, like pancakes of so many colors! Sedimentary rock layers begin as sand and dirt. Minerals can create amazing colors in rock including red, yellow, even pink! Today, we’re going to get hands-on with local rocks and create sand art so we can take the idea of those rocks home with us. Come check it out!
Spider Silk!
Thursday, October 9
Saturday, October 11
Spiders are amazing creatures that have lived on Earth more than 300 million years! Spiders coexisted with dinosaurs! Today, we’re going to learn about spider fossils and how some modern-day spiders have found ways to catch food – using amazing spider silk webs!
Stegosaurus Salad – the Amazing Fern!
Saturday, November 8
Thursday, November 13
Did you know ferns are amazing plants that have been around almost 400 million years? Here in Colorado 150 million years ago, our Colorado State Fossil, the Stegosaurus, LOVED to munch on ferns! We’ll make some fossil fern impressions and create a Jurassic fossil site replica with dough and props! Come check it out!
Melting Snow Dinosaurs!
Saturday, December 11
Thursday, December 13
We won’t be using the weather to melt our snow dinosaurs, we’ll be using a little bit of chemistry! Before we can melt them, however, we’ll decorate them. A heart of a dinosaur on the inside, a little nose here, some claws there, and then we’ll introduce baking soda “snow dinos” to a little bit of vinegar and watch them melt while learning about the chemical reaction and how it works! Come check it out!
TriceraTOTs Videos
Check out the Facebook TriceraTOTs video library for fun activities you can do at home. Templates and instructions for specific projects are listed below.
Activity: Shadow Dinosaurs
Supplies: Butcher paper, markers, dinosaurs
Activity: Making Mary Anning
Supplies: Clay or Playdough, stencil, butter knife
Activity: Dinosaur Eggs
Supplies: Plastic eggs, baking soda, vinegar
Activity: Dino in a Jar
Supplies: Small dinos, environment props, jar
Activity: Shadow Art
Supplies: Butcher paper, markers, dinosaurs
Activity: Polar Dinosaurs
Supplies: Polar dinosaurs, “Snow”, water and container, rocks, little trees, grass, ponds
Activity: Pinecone Stegosaurus
Supplies: Pine cones, salt dough (Salt Dough Fossils), markers
Salt Dough Fossils
Supplies: Small plastic dinosaurs, flour, salt, warm water, measuring cups, and spoons
Dinosaur Ornament
Supplies: Construction paper, White glue, Glue sticks, Glitter glue, Popsicle Sticks, Cotton balls, Feathers, Kids’ scissors, Pencils, Crayons, Pom poms, Buttons
Dinosaur Wreath
Time to craft a dinosaur wreath for the door of your choosing!
Template: Dinosaur Wreath Template
Supplies: Paper plates, scissors, crayons, and glue,
Turkey-dactyl
Is your Thanksgiving turkey a living dinosaur?
Supplies: Construction paper, White glue, Glue sticks, Glitter glue, Popsicle Sticks, Cotton balls, Feathers, Kids’ scissors, Pencils, Crayons, Pom poms, Buttons
Shape-a-saurus
Learn your shapes while having fun crafting a geometric dinosaur!
Template: Shape-a-saurus Template pg. 1 | Shape-a-saurus Template pg. 2
Supplies: Printer paper, pencil, glue, scissors, googly eyes (optional: crayons, markers, feathers, stickers, tissue paper, paint, glitter, pom-poms)