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Fossil Finds

Fossil Finds

Students will step into history to explore fossils and then create a replica of one.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Natural Materials
  • Recycled Materials

Steps

  • Step 1

    A fossil is evidence of life that is at least 10,000 years old. Paleontologists are scientists that study life that existed long long ago. Have students think of examples of fossils that have been been found. These could include dinosaurs, which lived between 65 million and 225 million years ago. Paleontologists have also found fossilized remains of a 10,000-year-old wooly rhino, a 40,000-year-old baby mammoth, and a 22,000-year-old prehistoric bear. Explain that fossils help paleontologists learn about life during these times.

  • Step 2

    Have students gather some recycled or natural items. These could include leaves, sea shells, or even a miniature toy dinosaur. Ask them to create "rocks" by making a ball of Air-Dry clay and then pressing an object into it. Remove the object carefully to create a fossil print. Students can now paint the fossil using earth tones.

  • Step 3

    Have students present their fossils and talk about some facts they learned about ancient plants and animals and the scientists who study them.

Standards

SCI: Convey designs through sketches, detailed drawings, or physical models to communicate ideas and solutions.

SCI: Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago.

Adaptations

Students may have seen amber jewelry, which is usually a brownish yellow. Amber is actually the fossilized resins of extinct tree trunks. Have students learn about this resin. What was the resin's function in the tree? How does it become amber? How long does it take to become amber?

The word fossil comes from the Latin word "fossilis," which means "dug up." Have students investigate some of the strange and interesting finds that paleontologists have dug up such as "Beelzebufo," a giant frog that lived about 68 million years ago and ate small dinosaurs, and a large ant the size of a hummingbird that lived around 50 million years ago and was found in the region that is now Wyoming.