If you have a budding paleontologist at home, make your own dinosaur dig with plaster of Paris. This project is inexpensive and simple to assemble, and you can put it together with easily-found household materials. Not only can the kids assist in making the kit, but once it is finished, it will keep their little hands busy for hours.
Things You'll Need
8 cups play sand
1 cup powder plaster
1 cup water
Large mixing bowl
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Make the Rock
Step 1
In the large mixing bowl, mix 8 cups of sand with 1 cup of plaster.
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Step 2
Stir in 1 cup of water.
Step 3
Mix well by hand until all of the materials are well-incorporated.
Tip
Feel free to adjust the consistency to suit younger children. Reducing the amount of plaster and water to 1/2 cup each makes the rock easier to dig through, which might work well for younger children.
Choose the Dinosaur Fossils to Bury
You have a few different options for what kind of fossils to bury. Choose something that is appropriate for the age level and interests of the children who are playing with the kit.
- Older children might enjoy finding small pieces of a complex 3-D puzzle to assemble.
- Younger children might want to find whole plastic dinosaurs or dinosaur eggs.
- Include isolated items such as clean chicken bones, small shells and colorful rocks.
Assemble the Kit
Things You'll Need
Rectangular plastic food storage container, 3.5-cup
Plastic toy dinosaurs
Toy dinosaur eggs
3-D dinosaur puzzles
Shells
Colorful rocks
Step 1
Fill the plastic food container half way with the plaster mixture.
Step 2
Set the plastic dinosaurs, bones, puzzle pieces and any other materials into the plaster mixture.
Step 3
Fill up the rest of the container with the remaining plaster mixture. Make sure that all of the things you buried are completely covered.
Step 4
Set the container to dry in the sun for several hours.
Digging Up the Dinosaurs
Things You'll Need
Plastic spoon and knife
Paint brushes
Toy magnifying glass
Once the plaster mixture has completely dried, the kids can begin excavating the buried treasures. Give them plastic utensils such as a spoon and knife for chipping away large chunks. As they get closer to the items that are buried, encourage them to use a paint brush to carefully brush away the rock and sand. Explain that real paleontologists use brushes on a dig to protect fragile bones and fossils from any damage. Have them use the magnifying glass to examine the pieces as they find them.
Giving a Dinosaur Dig Kit as a Gift
You can creatively wrap up one of these kits to give as a gift, or make several and give them out as favors at a party.
Things You'll Need
Ribbon, jute or twine
Rubber bands
Small pieces of paper for tags, 3-inch-by-five-inch
Step 1
Once the plaster mixture has completely dried, put the lid on the container securely.
Step 2
Wrap a piece of ribbon, jute or twine around the container and tie it like a bow.
Step 3
Gather the plastic utensils, paint brushes and magnifying glass together with a rubber band. Slip them under the bow.
Step 4
Attach a tag with information about what will be found in the kit, such as a picture of the dinosaur or its skeleton.