Find an interesting object and put it on the stone, leaving the impression of living in the form of a fossil.
Have fun making your own fossils and learning how scientists use them to unlock the secrets of the past, including those that provide a remarkable insight into life in the era of the dinosaurs.
Make Your Own Fossil
Have fun making your own fossils and learning how scientists use them to unlock the secrets of the past, including those that provide a remarkable insight into life in the era of the dinosaurs.
Make Your Own Fossil
What you'll need:
- Plasticine
- 2 paper cups
- An object that you would like to use as the fossilized impression
- Plaster of paris
- Water
Instructions:
- Flatten a ball of plasticine until it is about 2 cm thick while making sure the top is smooth.
- Put the plasticine inside a paper cup with the smooth side facing up. Carefully press the object you want to fossilize into the plasticine until it is partially buried.
- Carefully remove the object from the plasticine. An impression of the object should be left behind.
- Pour half a cup of plaster of paris into the other paper cup. Add a quarter cup of water to the plaster and stir until the mixture is smooth. Leave it for around two minutes.
- When the mixture has thickened pour it on top of the plasticine in the other cup. Leave the mixture until the plaster has dried.
- When the plaster has fully dried, tear away the sides of the paper cup and take out the plasticine and plaster. Keep it in a warm dry place and enjoy your very own fossil.
The fossils are records of great value in the past. In the event that left an impression of an object, but the fossils found by scientists around the world can be traced to the time of the dinosaurs. These fossils allow paleontologists (the name of scientists who study these fossils) to study what life could have been millions of years ago. The fossils, as he did may leave delicate patterns and a surprising amount of detail.
