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Fossils are one of the most important ways we know about dinosaurs. Fossils are the remains or impressions of ancient plants, animals, and/or an animal's actvities. Most often they are formed when rock-like minerals seep into a buried plant or animal slowly and replace its soft tissues.
Fossils have been found on every continent on Earth. The main thing to remember is not all dinosaurs became fossils. Very special conditions have to exist in order for something to be fossilized, and more often than not, dead dinosaurs would have been eaten or simply decayed. In fact, scientists believe only a small number - maybe 10% - of all the types of dinosaurs that ever lived have been found.
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What You'll Need:
- clay or Playdough
- plaster
- bowl
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- Vaseline
- small objects, like shells, toys, or bones
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How You Do It:
- Work clay until soft, shape into ball, and press into the bowl.
- Coat top of clay with a small amount of Vaseline (it helps keep the clay from sticking to the object you're using).
- Press your object firmly into the clay, making a clean impression. Make sure your object doesn't go all the way to the bottom!
- Remove your object.
- Mix your plaster until it thickens. Pour it into your mold and let it dry for at least 1/2-hour.
- For a second fossil, take your mold fossil, cover it with Vaseline, and place it into the bowl. Then mix more plaster and pour it over the top. When the plaster dries remove your first fossil and you should now have an impression of it, too!
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