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Dinosaur Dig
DIY Paleontology Kit: How to Make Dinosaur Eggs and Fossils
You can create your own paleontology kit to use with these fossil rocks. Here are some suggestions:
Or buy a Paleontologist Kit or a kit with dinosaur eggs and tools
How do you make your own dinosaur fossil rocks?
1/2 cup of brewed coffee (room temperature or cold) (You can use food coloring in water instead.)
1 cup of used coffee grounds (or substitute with sand.(
1 cup of flour
1/2 cup of salt
Step 1: Add the coffee grounds, flour, salt and about half of the brewed coffee to a bowl and mix together. Add the rest of the brewed coffee in slowly, as needed, to form a slightly sticky dough
Step 2: Form the dough around your dinosaur and shape it to look like a rock. To make it look realistic, give it an uneven, or rough texture. You can also leave a part of the dinosaur sticking out if you’d like.
Step 3: Place your "fossils" out in the sun to dry.
Step 4: After the fossils have dried, let kids break them open with a rock or a small hammer.
Dinosaur Eggs (without coffee)
Make your own "crack-open" dinosaur eggs or rocks, hiding small toys inside for a backyard dig.
Ingredients:
4 cups play sand
2 cups cornstarch
1 and 1/2 cups water (add liquid food coloring for color, if desired. Purple and orange mixed together makes brown.)
Instructions:
Mix: Combine the sand and cornstarch in a large mixing bowl.
Combine: Slowly stir in the water until you reach a crumbly but packable consistency (similar to wet sand).
Hide the Dino: Take a handful of the mixture, place a small plastic dinosaur or toy inside, and mold the mixture into a compact egg or rock shape. Ensure it’s packed tightly with no cracks.
Dry: Let it air dry in a sunny spot for 2 to 3 days, or speed up the process by baking in the oven on the lowest heat setting.
Salt Dough To Make Fossils:
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup salt
1 cup water
Instructions:
Mix: Combine the flour and salt in a bowl.
Knead: Gradually add the water and mix until a dough forms. Knead the dough for about 5 minutes until it’s smooth.
Create Rocks: Roll the dough out to roughly 1/3 -inch thickness, and use a cup to cut out circle shapes.
Stamp: Create fossil impressions by pressing dinosaur feet, bones, or toy figurines firmly into the dough, and then carefully removing the item.
Dry or Bake: Let the dough air dry for 24-48 hours, or bake in a low temperature oven at 200° F (93° C) for 2 or 3 hours.
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