The Prehistoric Earth: April School Holiday Programme

By Stephen

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the discovery of dinosaur bones in Aotearoa by diving into nearly 50 fun, hands-on and free events at your local library over the holidays!

Kids featured Kids Feature
A composite image of several dinosaurs, including two brachiosauruses, a parasaurolophus and a baby T-rex, looking at the sky. Next to them is a road hazard sign with an image of falling rocks.

50 years ago, in 1975, pioneering New Zealand palaeontologist Joan Wiffen made an astonishing discovery -- a tailbone vertebra of an as-yet unidentified therapod dinosaur. Though it would take four long years before the fossilised bone was confirmed in 1979 to have belonged to a dinosaur, this momentous discovery totally revolutionised palaeontologists' understanding of the geology and fauna of prehistoric Aotearoa.

50 years later, in 2025, we are celebrating Joan's discoveries by bringing the dinosaurs to you at your local library. Learn about ancient landforms and the creatures that roamed them! Use Greek or Latin to design your own dinosaur, be a palaeontologist for a day with GNS Science | Te Pū Ao, travel back in time to search for specimens, try out a fun new craft activity, and much more!

You can visit our event calendar below to see the full schedule of events over the holidays, or read on to check out the list of events below and join us to create wonderful memories with your friends and whānau.

Visit our Event Calendar
Two people in inflatable T-rex costumes are standing behind the main issues desk at Kilbirnie Library. They are helping a customer issue her books.

The dinosaurs are taking over at Te Awa-a-Taia | Kilbirnie Library!

Events with GNS Science | Te Pū Ao

Become an earth scientist for a day with help from some of Aotearoa's foremost experts in geology and palaeontology.

We are incredibly grateful to the team at GNS Science | Te Pū Ao for generously donating their time and expertise to bring the geology and animals of ancient Aotearoa to life in our libraries. Join us for these free events where you'll get some hands-on experience in one of four earth science disciplines: geology, volcanology, seismology, or palaeontology.

Geologist for a Day: Sediment Cores and the Secrets of Life Underground

Discover the secrets of life that only rocks can reveal! Sample a sediment core, search its contents for pollen grains, DNA strands, and other signs of life, and find out how real palaeontologists are using this kind of science to uncover what life may have looked like in the lakes of early Aotearoa.

For ages 10+ with their caregivers.

Paleontologist for a Day: Dinosaur Fossil Dig

Uncover the stories that fossils can tell us about our world! Explore a selection of real micro- and macro-fossils from the National Paleontological Collection, learn how to work your way around a microscope like a pro, and participate in a fossil dig experience right here in the library.

For ages 8-12 with their caregivers. Registrations are required.

Seismologist for a Day: Earthquakes and Disasters

Start decoding the mysteries of how and why the earth moves! Discover how to locate earthquakes using a seismometer, simulate seismic waves in our 'wave game,' and become seismic engineers as you design and build structures that can survive the most severe earthquakes on our shake table.

For ages 8+ with their caregivers. Registrations are required.

Volcanologist for a Day: Volcanoes and Natural Hazards

Learn about the inner workings and ancient origins of volcanoes and other natural hazards in our environment! Get up close and personal with volcanic rocks, discover how eruptions and earthquakes occur, and even create your own volcano in the field outside the library - how high will your eruption go?

For ages 8-12 with their caregivers.

A person in an inflatable dinosaur costume is pretending to eat a male librarian's head. The librarian appears unbothered by this.

The dinosaurs have even broken into Tūhura | The HIVE at Johnsonville Library! Here you can see a juvenile T-rex making friends with one of our librarians.

Events with your librarians

Baby Roar and Rhyme

A fun and educational programme for parents and carers to interact with their babies through songs and stories. Rhyme, rhythm, repetition and music are the building blocks of language for pēpi. At these dinosaur-themed sessions, we will be enjoying tunes about our prehistoric friends. Kuhu mai, join us!

Recommended for tamariki aged 0 – 2 years with their caregivers.

Build-A-Dinosaur

Enter the mind of an enterprising palaeontologist as you 'discover,' name and create a brand-new dinosaur species!

Play a cue-card game to select the Greek and Latin terms that will describe your dinosaur – will they be spiny-nosed or an ocean-dweller? – then use craft materials to bring your dinosaur to life!

Recommended for tamariki aged 8+ with their caregivers.

CRAFTosaurus

Whether it's the towering Brontosaurus or the fearsome Tyrannosaurus rex, these prehistoric giants ignite our imaginations and our creativity. Help us bring some prehistoric fun into the library with an afternoon of fun, simple dinosaur crafts for the whole whānau to enjoy.

Recommended for tamariki aged 5+ with their caregivers.

Paper Plate Dinosaurs

Skeleton Art

Paper Plate Dinosaurs AND Skeleton Art

Dinochorus

Terrible roars, shrieking squawks, noble trumpeting and playful chirps! How do you think dinosaurs really sounded?

At these fun, hands-on workshops, tamariki will engage creatively with theories of dinosaur vocalisation before recording their own collaborative soundscape! All audio equipment will be provided.

Recommended for rangatahi aged 8+. Those under 14 must be accompanied by a caregiver. Please note that registrations are essential for this programme as spaces are limited.

Dinosaur Egg Bath Bombs

The last dinosaur hatched from its egg millions of years ago... until now! Come along to the library to make your own bath bomb egg that will hatch a dinosaur!

Recommended for tamariki aged 6+ with their caregivers.

Dinosaur Dress-up Storytime

Join us at your local whare pukapuka for an uproarious storytime of dinosaur tales! Make sure to wear your coolest dinosaur-themed clothes or even a dino costume if you're lucky enough to have one!

For tamariki of all ages with their caregivers.

Expedition Chicxulub*

Step into the shoes of a time-travelling scientist and solve puzzles to find the three dino specimens hidden around the library – all before the asteroid strikes!

This is a self-directed activity for tamariki aged 7+ with their caregivers.

This activity will be taking place at all libraries except Te Awe and Wadestown throughout the holidays – just turn up any time and let the expedition begin!

*Chicxulub is the name given to the asteroid that collided with Earth 66 million years ago which led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Fossil Footprint Workshop

Calling all tamariki who love all things dinosaur! Join us at the library to learn about how fossils are formed and have a go at creating your own fossil footprint. Form dinosaur prints in clay and compare them to your pets and even your own footprints!

Recommended for tamariki aged 5+ with their caregivers.

LEGO®saurus

Let's build – let's explore – let's create! Come along to the library to create your LEGO® dinosaur masterpiece. You can use our books to choose a dinosaur to create, or design your own, brand-new prehistoric creature.

Recommended for tamariki aged 5+ with their caregivers.

Parasaurolophus Nest Eggs

Visiting the library over the holidays? Decorate your own dinosaur egg and add it to the Parasaurolophus nest in the children's area. What special designs will your egg have?

This activity will be taking place at all libraries except Island Bay Library throughout the holidays – just come along any time and join in on the fun!

Pter-riffic Whānau Film

Bring your dino-loving whānau together for a free family movie! Movies chosen will have a G or PG rating and are suitable for families with young children.

Contact the library directly to find out which movie is screening. Whichever film is chosen, it's certain to be pter-riffic!

These family-friendly events are suitable for children of all ages accompanied by their caregivers.

Stop-Motion Workshop: Dinosaur Edition

Join us at the library for a crash course in how to create a stop motion movie. Use a library device to create a dinosaur-inspired clip using LEGO®, a few dinosaurs, Stop Motion Studio, and maybe even a comet or two!

Recommended for rangatahi aged 8+ with their caregivers. Please note that registrations are essential for this event as spaces are limited.

Two people in inflatable T-rex suits standing next to the cat statue outside Miramar Library. One appears to be trying to eat the statue.

Congratulations for making it to the end of this post! As a reward, here is a photo of two T-rexes carefully looking after a fellow fossil outside Motu-kairangi | Miramar Library.