Dinosaur Fossils

We wrapped up our two weeks of dinosaur research by reading and learning about fossils. The kiddos learned that fossils do not always have to be dinosaur bones. SHOCKING! You should have seen my kiddos faces when they learned that fact.

After completing our What Are Fossils? anchor chart we decided to make trace fossils. The kiddos mixed salt, flour, coffee grounds, and coffee to make a dirt like dough. We then took little plastic dinosaurs, sticks, and leaves to make trace imprints. Once I baked them in my oven here's how they turned out...

We also discussed how amber was made. I could not believe how many of my kiddos shouted, "Ms. White! That orange stuff is from Jurassic Park. That is how they made dinosaurs." Oh, kiddos. They crack me up. We also made our own amber by melting glycerin soap bars in a crock pot and adding a little bit of orange food coloring (it made our room smell like a hospital). We then placed some butterfly beads into a little dinosaur ice cube tray I found at Dollar Tree and poured the soap into the tray. Here is what our "amber" looked like when it hardened...

My kiddos will use these as one area of our museum that we will set up on Friday. The other second grade classrooms and our first graders will come and visit our Prehistoric Journey room.