Change the dramatic play centers into a Dinosaur Dig Site! Students will love digging for dinosaur bones and fossils! Using their imaginations, they will construct dinosaur skeletons and explore the bones at the fossil research station. I bet your brain is already thinking of all the ways you can sneak STEM, science, math, and literacy into their play!
Here is the Dinosaur Dig Site up close! Now, this is what it looked like at the end of our unit. I always start with some of the shelves empty so I can add a few new things each week. This way it isn’t overwhelming for students, and it keeps them excited and engaged!
This shelf was for the paleontologist tools, reports, and supplies. It’s always fun to add a keyboard because students LOVE typing on it, and it’s packed with letters! And spotlighting dino books gets them even more excited!
Check out these little paleontologists digging for fossils and bones! It’s just a plastic tub with sand. Place paint brushes out for students to use to gently brush the sand off the bones. This action strengthens their pencil grasp. The little signs are there so students can mark the spots they found the bones. There is a mat on the floor for students to sort what they find. If you want less mess, you can use kinetic sand instead of regular dry sand.
When students play together, they are building social skills, problem-solving skills, and tons of oral language!
Just another close-up of a student digging for fossils. Look at that strong pencil grasp!
This paleontologist is weighing the fossils using the scale and comparing to see which one weighs more and less. Balance scales are a fun way to sneak in measurement into the dramatic play center.
Dig site maps! Make mini dig site maps as a fun pre-writing activity. Students can trace lines on a map to mark where the bones might be!
The volcano and dig site #2! The volcano I made with brown paper and crepe paper. During a different school year, students painted the lava on it and that looked really cool too. The brown paper on the floor is a visual to show students where to construct the dinosaur skeletons so the bones aren’t everywhere. I made the bones and I have a recipe for you later in this post.
There are dinosaur sketch pages and dinosaur posters with facts for students (and teachers) to use as well.
Creating skeletons and drawing sketches of them is a great STEM challenge for students. They have to put the bones together like a puzzle to create a dinosaur.
Fossil Research Station! These are two IKEA lack tables with velcro to keep them from wiggling everywhere. Students can measure, sort, count, and examine the bones and fossils. The plant and dinosaur models on the top shelf are for students to compare to the fossils.
This paleontologist is comparing the dinosaur foot to the footprint fossils. I used these dinosaurs and plants to make the fossils so they match exactly!
The long bones are perfect for measuring and lining up by height. These dino egg rulers are a fun way to measure using non-standard measurement tools.
DIY Fossils! Make your own fossils with salt dough and have students help. It really does turn into a fun and engaging fine motor activity.
Salt Dough Recipe: Mix 4 cups flour, 1 cup salt, and 1.5 cups warm water. If your dough is too dry, add a bit more water. Make into bones, place on a cookie tray, and cook in the oven at 200 degrees for 2 hours (3 hours for the super thick pieces). Let dry overnight. Spray with a clear finish or use Mod Podge (optional).
How to Make Fossils:
Mix the dough. I added a few drops of brown gel food coloring to the dough.
Make the fossil by rolling a piece of the dough into a ball and pressing a dinosaur foot, whole mini dinosaur, or leaf into the dough using the bottom of a cup.
Place on an oiled cookie tray.
Bake.
Let dry overnight.
Coat with a clear sealer or use Mod Podge (optional).
How to Make Dinosaur Bones:
Option One: Roll long pieces just like a snake and mold with your hands to make it look like a bone. Bake in the oven and let dry overnight.
Option Two: Use these molds to make the bones. These are kinda tricky but they turn out so cool!
Coat the mold with flour.
Press the mold into the dough.
Remove the mold.
Cut around the edge with a knife.
Pinch any pointy edges with your fingers.
Place on an oiled cookie tray.
Bake.
Let dry overnight.
Coat with a clear sealer or use Mod Podge (optional).
