"Pointy teeth=carnivores" I couldn't say it better myself.

This is truly my favorite time of the year to teach.  I love introducing my kinders to all the wonderful characteristics of the different kinds of dinosaurs.  I am always amazed at how much they know and what they retain.  It's mind boggling.  As I started getting my supplies around for this years dino fun, my just four year old, MaGill, told me in no uncertain terms that "pointy teeth equals carnivores Mom!"  Seriously?  I couldn't have said it better myself.  So of course, when I mixed up my salt dough for this weeks activities, my own boys had to participate in making dino teeth necklaces too.

Here he is . . . " See the pointy Mom?"  Yep, it's pointy.

It's a blast making these simple little necklaces each year for my kinders and they love it. It will be especially appealling for your students with spatial and naturalist intelligences.  And lets just face it . . . they all think it's pretty cool to be sporting a dino tooth necklace.

You'll need a simple salt dough recipe.  You can either opt for the kind you can bake or just use the air dry method which is what I use.  It's simple and the neckace usually dries in 3-4 days.

Here's one that I've used:

• 1 cup salt
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup luke warm water

Mix your dry items together in a bowl.  Little by little add the water until it becomes a dough like consistency.  I knead it until it's nice an smooth.  If it feels to sticky add a little more flour . . . too stiff a little more water.  I then roll the dough into little one inch balls, stick them in the refrigerator and use them as I need them in my learning centers over the next week or so.  Simple.

I talk to my kiddos alot about the shape of dinosaurs teeth if they are carnivores or herbivores (triangles with a point vs. flat square teeth).  I always let them choose which one to make but I've never had any other them choose a tooth other than a pointy carnivore's.  So I demonstrate how to roll it in a ball then flatten in out and kind of pinch to make the pointed end of the triangle.  When they're happy with it, I put in on a discarded piece of laminate  or tin foil and poke a hole through the end for a string. It will be hard in about 3-4 days and ready to wear once it has a string.

And remember . . ." pointy teeth equals carnivores!"