What happens when classroom dinosaurs come to life overnight? It became the starting point for an extraordinary journey of imagination, discovery and child-led learning in Pre-Prep.

The Challenge

We wanted to create an engaging Early Years learning experience that would spark curiosity, encourage independent thinking and bring the Characteristics of Effective Learning (EYFS) to life. Rather than relying on traditional, adult-directed activities, we set out to create an evolving adventure that would put children’s ideas, questions and discoveries at the heart of the learning process.

The Project

Our solution was Dinovember: a week-long, low-cost creative learning experience involving all four Pre-Prep classes – Robins, Nursery, Transition and Form 1.

The concept was simple: each morning, children arrived to discover that their classroom dinosaurs had been up to mischief overnight. From midnight marshmallow feasts and mysterious disappearances to dinosaur escapes, muddy adventures and unexpected visits around the school, each new discovery presented a fresh opportunity to investigate, imagine and problem-solve.

Crucially, there was no fixed programme of activities. Instead, teachers followed the children’s interests, allowing their theories and suggestions to shape what happened next.

The youngest children explored friendship, kindness and collaborative play, while older children designed increasingly sophisticated dinosaur traps, created maps, followed clues, made missing posters and used information books to investigate dinosaur characteristics.

The adventure naturally incorporated literacy, mathematics, science, creative arts, physical development and understanding the world. Children counted dinosaur eggs, explored animal diets, constructed enclosures, wrote speech bubbles and even approached their local librarian as part of their search.

The Results

Dinovember successfully engaged all the Pre-Prep children, generating sustained enthusiasm, excitement and genuine ownership of learning.

Most importantly, it demonstrated all three Characteristics of Effective Learning:

• Playing and Exploring: Children investigated, asked questions, made predictions and followed their curiosity.
• Active Learning: They developed resilience, concentration and determination, repeatedly testing and improving their ideas when solutions didn’t work.
• Creating and Thinking Critically: They collaborated, made connections, developed theories and approached challenges with imagination and independent thinking.

The project also strengthened communication, teamwork, confidence and problem-solving skills. Perhaps most significantly, children began to see themselves as active participants in their learning rather than simply completing activities planned by adults.

The Impact

Using resources already available within the school, Dinovember demonstrated that exceptional learning experiences don’t need expensive equipment or elaborate planning.

By combining imagination, familiar resources and the freedom to follow children’s ideas, ordinary classroom spaces became extraordinary environments for exploration.

The adventure extended beyond the classroom, spilling into the playground and continuing at home through conversations with parents.

Our Biggest Takeaway

Dinovember showed us that sometimes the most powerful learning experiences begin with a little imagination and a big question.

When children are given the freedom to explore, experiment and lead their own learning, even a classroom full of mischievous dinosaurs can create extraordinary educational opportunities.