Dive into the Jurassic

This page of learning resources accompanies the Dive into the Jurassic touring exhibition at Bahrain National Museum for ages 6+.

You'll find activity ideas, and background information for before, during and after your visit.

Find resources to download, notes for educators and short films to supplement learning experiences around your visit to the exhibition.

A Dive into the Jurassic broadcast from the Natural History Museum is also now available. See the link below.

Dive into the Jurassic

The Dive into the Jurassic exhibition will take you on a journey beneath the waves to discover the fascinating creatures that inhabited the world's Jurassic seas when dinosaurs ruled the land. You will come face-to-face with some of the most ferocious creatures ever to rule the seas through immersive state-of-the-art CGI films.

With more than nine million specimens, the Natural History Museum's fossil collection is the largest in the world. Displayed together for the first time, the remarkable specimens in Dive into the Jurassic tell a compelling story of a prehistoric underwater environment radically different from our seas today.

Jurassic Seas Adventure Guide

Are you ready to travel 200 million years back in time and get close to some of the most ferocious and fascinating sea creatures ever to have existed?

The Jurassic Sea Adventure Guide is the main educational resource that accompanies the exhibition.

Designed for children aged 6+, their families, school groups, and anyone else with a playful nature, it is full of information and activities to accompany and enhance in the exhibition.

Jurassic Seas Adventure Guide

Take a trip beneath the waves with our Jurassic Sea Adventure Guide.

Jurassic Seas Adventure Guide (Arabic)

Take a trip beneath the waves with our Jurassic Sea Adventure Guide.

Exhibition educator notes

These notes directly accompany the Jurassic Seas Adventure Guide. They are designed to help educators or accompanying adults make the most out of their children's visit.

These notes provide detailed information, additional activities and questions for each section of the exhibition guide to help educators stimulate their students' further learning. We recommend each educator downloads and prints a copy of these notes.

It is not expected that all the content will be used, but we would recommend that educators read the 'Introduction to the exhibition' and are familiar with the 'Jurassic Sea Adventure Guide' in advance of their visit.

Introduction to exhibition and background information

This introduction outlines the themes, messages and subjects covered in the exhibition. It also provides some background information on the Jurassic period and the animals that feature in the exhibition and Jurassic Seas Adventure Guide.

Dive into the Jurassic broadcast

Dive into the Jurassic Ocean

Go behind the scenes at the Natural History Museum in London and learn even more about ancient oceans.

This video covers how fosils are formed, the importance of balance in ocean food chains and the similarities between jurassic animals and those that exist today.

Videos

How do dinosaur fossils form?

Watch our animation to find out how fossils form and why dinosaur fossils are rare compared to those of marine animals.

How do tiny fossils help us learn about past climates? (12+)

Even the smallest fossil shells can hold clues about what past climates were like. Dr Lyndsey Fox explains what scientists can learn about the past and present from ancient microorganisms.

How to reconstruct a dinosaur

Find out how palaeoartist Robert Nicholls produced his highly accurate reconstructions of the Museum's Stegosaurus specimen.

What animal lays an egg like this?

Eggs come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colours. But what lays ones that are spiral-shaped? Emma Bernard, a fossil fish expert at the Museum, reveals the identity of the animals responsible for these oddly shaped egg cases.

What is a coprolite?

Fossil collector Mary Anning lived in Lyme Regis, Dorset, in the early 1800s. In the video Heather Middleton, a local fossil hunter, explores the less glamorous side of the legendary collector's career: fossilised poo.

When whales walked on four legs

Early ancestors of the ocean's biggest animals once walked on land. Follow their extraordinary journey from shore to sea.

Shark tales of the past and present

Emma Bernard, Curator of Fossil Fish, shows off some of the Museum's shark specimens, and answers questions from our live audience about the sharks of the past and present.

360° videos

Rhomaleosaurus Sea Dragon: Back to life in 360 VR

Teleport to the Natural History Museum in London and encounter the prehistoric 'sea dragon' Rhomaleosaurus, as it comes back to life before your eyes. Watch as this marine reptile roams the gallery over 180 million years after it died.

360° fossil-hunting adventure

Join a fossil hunt on the Jurassic Coast in Dorset, UK. As you explore a stretch of beach between Charmouth and Lyme Regis, get tips on what fossils to look out for.

These are best enjoyed with virtual reality goggles.