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Make Your Own Fossils
Dateline: 1/21/98
Fossils are imprints of plants and animals that died long ago and were preserved in the earth. This activity provides a hands-on method of discovering a little about how real fossils are made. Remember it is always best to share a science activity with an adult!
Things you will need
- soil
- water
- wax paper
- cookie sheet
- containers (to mix soil and water)
- spoon (for stirring)
- objects to stir into soil (small sea shells, pieces of wood, leaves, rocks, nuts in shells)
What to do
1. Fill a container half full of soil. Mix water with soil, stirring until you have a thick consistency - mud that can be molded or shaped by hand. Stir the object or objects into the mixture.
NOTE: This activity works best with soil that has a high clay content. Very rich soil, like potting soil, will crumble too easily.
2. Pour out onto wax paper placed on a cokkie sheet. Now form a mudpie, making sure that the stirred-in objects are totally concealed in the mud.
3. Place the mudpies on a window sill or outside so the sun can aid in the drying process. Let sit for a full day and overnight. Check after 24 hours to see if it is dried throughout. If the weather is very humid, you might want to have an adult place the mudpies in an oven on low heat to finish drying.
4. When thoroughly dry, take a mudpie and carefully break it open with your hands.
5. What do the fossils look like? Your fossils were made in a day or two. Real fossils took millions of years to form.
Want to do more?
Take a walk along a dry creek bed. See if you can find some real fossils. Do rubbings of fossils. Read about dinosaurs and fossils. Think about places you might be able to find fossils.
This fossil project is from the book More Mudpies to Magnets. Publishers Gryphon House, Inc. were nice enough to let me share their articles with you. Please visit their website. They have some great books for kids!
Online Resources to Explore
Dinosaurs
Dinosaurs for Kids
Learn about dinosaurs from guide Wanda Farris.
T-Rex Surfs the Web - Dinosaurs at the Museum of Victoria, Australia.
Dinofest 1998 - Celebrating dinosaurs in Philadelphia. There is a lot to learn at this site!
Fossils
About Fossils - The Fossil Company has pictures and information about different types of fossils, a geological timeline and an online store where you can purchase your own real fossils.
The Fossil Photo Gallery - A close-up look at fossils.
Berkeley Museum of Palentology - Exhibition of fossil life.
Great Canadian Fossil Trail - The Great Canadian Fossil Trail provides you with an opportunity to plan a trip to some of the world's greatest and most interesting palaeontological sites.
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