Tuesday, July 02, 2013

Fossil Fun

The boys learned all about fossils and then made some.
 
They pretended they were paleontologists and brushed their discoveries with small paint brushes
 
 
to make this really cool project
 
you will need:
 
2 cups plaster of paris
1 cup water
sand
a pan or bowl (we used a disposable tin baking pan)
 
 
the directions:
 
fill the pan with sand, if needed sprinkle the sand with water to make it moist enough to work with
 
 
make an impression in the sand with small dinosaur toys or whatever you want your fossil to be
 
do not leave the toys in the sand....you are simply using the toys for your impression.  when you pull them up, you will see the impression that they leave behind.
 
 
mix the plaster or paris with one cup of water and stir it up well
 
pour the mixture into the holes (careful not to touch the sides of the pan with the mixture)
 

 
set a timer for 35-45 minutes and wait for it to harden
 
while we waited we read the book
 
Fossils by Allan Roberts
 
 
when the plaster is dry, remove the 'fossils' from the sand.
 
 
you could just wash your fossil off with water, but where's the fun in that?
I handed the boys paint brushes and told them they were just like paleontologists.

 
 
The boys also worked on their volcano....by painting it.
 
we mixed a few different shades of brown and a little bit of black together.
 
 


 
 
We also read the book
 
Max Spaniel - Dinosaur Hunt
by David Catrow

 
 
For more summer fun adventures, be sure to check out our
"Club Mom" page.


 

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