In Praise of the Schleich Brachiosaurus Dinosaur Model

It’s big and chunky and great for creative, imaginative play.  Furthermore, the new for 2017 Schleich Brachiosaurus has some beautifully created, giant scales on its body, neck and limbs which make this dinosaur model ideal for exploring the texture of different materials with Foundation Stage children.

The Schleich Brachiosaurus Dinosaur Model

Schleich Brachiosaurus (2017).

The new for 2017 Schleich Brachiosaurus dinosaur model.  Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Recognising the Differences and Similarities Between Materials

Dinosaur models and toys fascinate young boys and girls alike and team members at Everything Dinosaur use various dinosaur models and replicas in their outreach work with children, particularly those children in Foundation Stages one and two or lower Key Stage one.  The tactile quality of the Schleich Brachiosaurus is a particular favourite as the children feel the model’s rough scales and smooth skin.  We also use the model to help children learn and remember the names for different parts of the body.

Great to Touch – Exploring Properties of Materials

The Schleich Brachiosaurus dinosaur model.

The tactile quality of a Schleich Brachiosaurus dinosaur model. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Schleich Brachiosaurus Dinosaur Model

The dinosaur model is accurate enough to keep budding palaeontologists happy in the classroom and some of the very youngest children who have participated in our dinosaur themed workshops, enjoy feeling the different textures on the dinosaur model.  The Schleich Brachiosaurus is very well crafted and the scales really stand out, this makes it a very effective item to use in sensory play.  The figure measures around thirty-five centimetres in length and it has a “chunky” feel to it but it can be handled easily by even young children with poor motor skills and hand to eye co-ordination.

A Close-Up View of the Finely Detailed Scales on the Schleich Brachiosaurus Dinosaur Model

The texture on the neck and shoulders of the Schleich Brachiosaurus dinosaur model.

The beautiful texture of the Schleich Brachiosaurus is ideal for creative play. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The contrasting surfaces of the hand-painted, plastic figure prove useful when exploring the properties of materials and the feel of different textures.  As it is a dinosaur, there is no problem maintaining focus and attention.

To view the Schleich Brachiosaurus and other Schleich prehistoric animal models available from Everything Dinosaur: Schleich Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Animal Figures.

The Classroom Dinosaur

As an extension exercise we encourage the teaching team to go on a food hunt for their plant-eating dinosaur.  Taking children out into the playground or into the school vegetable patch to pick daisies and grass so that the classroom dinosaur can have a good feed.  In addition, we have written simple lesson plan exercises, extensions of creative play in which the children think about which materials would make a good bed for a dinosaur to sleep on.  Once again, this is a great way to introduce basic adjectives such as “rough” or “smooth”, “hard” or “soft”.

At Home in the Classroom (Schleich Brachiosaurus)

Schleich Brachiosaurus model.

Schleich Brachiosaurus dinosaur model.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Schleich Brachiosaurus dinosaur model with its superb textured skin makes it ideal for sensory play in the classroom or nursery.

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Everything Dinosaur.

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