School ProgramsPrehistoric Arts Contest

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL POSTER CATEGORIES

KINDERGARTEN

What colour was Albertosaurus?
Palaeontologists sometimes use their imagination to understand what a whole dinosaur looked like from only bones and teeth. Artists then help to bring those ideas to life. Recently, palaeontologists have discovered the colour of some small, feathered dinosaurs from fossil feathers, but most dinosaurs’ colours are still a mystery. What about Albertosaurus? Was it brown or green to blend in with its surroundings? Was it brightly coloured to show it was a dangerous meat-eater? Did it have stripes, spots or feathers? Draw an Albertosaurus in living colour!

GRADES 1 – 2

Albertosaurus family
Some animals protect, feed, and teach their young after they are born (like birds) and some leave their young to grow up by themselves (like turtles). Palaeontologists have debated for years whether meat-eating dinosaurs like Albertosaurus lived in family groups, or by themselves. Did babies stay with their mothers to learn to hunt? Maybe their big brothers and sisters would be around to set a good example. Or do you agree with some palaeontologists who believe Albertosaurus lived alone for most of its life? Draw a family of Albertosaurus (big or small) and make sure to show how the baby dinosaurs were different from the adults.

GRADES 3 – 4

Albertosaurus: Big head, long legs…and tiny arms?
Albertosaurus was a carnivorous dinosaur that used its large head, steak knife teeth, and strong bite to bring down its prey. Albertosaurus had strong, long legs to propel it forward towards any unlucky dinosaur it wanted to eat! Albertosaurus was the king of its time, 70 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous, but what about those tiny little arms? What were they used for? Were they for gripping prey, for balance, pushing itself up from the ground, or interpretive dance? Do some research and then draw how Albertosaurus might have used its arms.

GRADES 5 – 6

Reading the Rocks
Rocks are important to palaeontology, not just because they contain fossils, but because they also tell us how old the fossils are, and what environments the animals lived and died in. One of our research scientists has spent years studying the sedimentary rocks of the Red Deer River valley to reconstruct the ancient environment from the Age of Dinosaurs. The Albertosaurus specimen comes from a package of rocks called the Horseshoe Canyon Formation. See what you can dig up about the sandstones, mudstones, and coal layers of this formation and then draw Albertosaurus in its native habitat.

SECONDARY SCHOOL OPEN CATEGORIES

GRADES 7 – 9 & 10 – 12

OPEN Category
Let your imagination go wild! Use whatever artistic medium you like to create a masterpiece inspired by the Albertosaurus specimen. Reconstruct muscles, draw a specimen illustration, or even create an abstract painting – anything you want! Create your own unique, wall-mounted artwork. Make sure it can be shipped safely to the Museum for judging.