T-rex Finger Puppet

My recent posts seem to be centering on the British Geological Survey web site and videos which will continue today with a focus one of their paper puppet activities. It is interesting how looking at one thing can lead you to new knowledge from a slightly different direction. The path that lead me to this puppet was initiated after reading the blog post entitled A Story of the Season on Fossils and Other Living Things web site. It was about story about a Christmas message created with foraminiferas on microscope slide by Arthur Earland in 1912. While searching the Internet for images of this slide I came across the videos and images of the British Geological Survey.

The PDF templates and directions can be found at their web site here: http://www.bgs.ac.uk/discoveringGeology/time/puppets/tRex.html

When I created the puppet I had to resize the image from A4 paper to 8.5"x11" paper. Doing this seems to converted the hand puppet into a finger puppet. The tools I used were:

• Color printer
• Cardstock paper
• Scissors
• Scotch Tape
• Drywall screw holder (could not find paper fasteners)

The drywall plastic pieces make this puppet look like a FrankenRex monster. I found the activity interesting and something I will share with my plethora of small nephews. Need to be patient when cutting out the teeth on the jaw sections though.

This YouTube video lasting about 6 minutes shows how to assemble the Tyrannosaurus rex hand puppet.

Viewing 3-D Fossil Images

Back in October 2012, the British Geological Survey has posted an experimental video on YouTube with 3-D fossil images using red/blue colors. The video lasts over 3 minutes and features over 10 fossils.
In order to look at the video one needs some 3-D glasses. You can make a pair using a PDF template found at NASA's STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) web site.

I created a pair using the following materials

• card stock paper with printer to print out template
• clear transparency (I used transparent plastic sheet protectors)
• blue Sharpie marker
• red Sharpie marker
• scissors
• pen knife (optional to cut out eye holes instead of using scissors)
• Scotch tape

Some changes made to the original was to cut out a rectangular area next to the arm pieces to allow it to be taped together better. I drew dashed lines are on the template if you look close at the image.

The Geosciences Collection at the British Geological Survey also have a 3D image of trilobite on their blog site: http://gb3dtypefossils.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/oers-open-educational-resources_31.html

3D Laser Scanned Fossil Images

The British Geological Survey has posted on YouTube a nice video showing some of the fossils from their collection of around three million specimens. Fossils contained in the collection range from time from the Neoproterozoic to modern times. At 51 seconds into the video the Precambrian Charnia masoni is shown which is Britain's oldest animal. Learn more about it this Wikipedia page.