We spent a day learning about fossils and paleontologists, then followed it up with a "Dino Dig". I got out early and buried a variety of bones in our sandbox. We encouraged the kids to dig and unearth a bone, brush it off with the paintbrush, then match it to the bone graph we had on a nearby table.
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| I drew the outline of the bones on a section of banner paper. |
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| The first child out found the largest bone. He was convinced that it was a dinosaur skull. |
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| The excitement was contagious as each child discovered a bone and began unearthing it. |
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| After digging up their bone each child used some brushes to clear off all the sand. |
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| After the bone was cleaned, they made their way over to the table and began matching it to the paper drawing. |
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| They did a great job with the matching. |
What a great activity, what type of bones were used?
ReplyDeleteI believe they were cow bones. My supervisor obtained them a long time ago and we were able to borrow them.
DeleteI love this idea! Where did you source the bones from Barbara, and how did you clean them up for use? I have an image of you wrestling bones from the families pet dog! Hee hee! :) Karen (FlightsofWhimsy-ece.com)
ReplyDeleteNo dog wrestling involved, though if it had been I'm sure the dog would have thought it was a fun game. lol They currently reside at the local college lab school where I got my degree. They let me borrow them when I do my dinosaur unit. However, the story goes that when my supervisor was a teacher at the lab school a long time ago, her and her hubby were traveling somewhere down the road out of the state and saw them on the side of the road. She didn't go into detail about the apprehension, other than her husband couldn't believe she wanted him to turn around to go back to get them. She thinks they are cow bones. I really don't know how they went about cleaning them or if they were in that condition when they found them. It's quite the mystery....just like the dinosaur extinction. There's lots of speculation, but no hard evidence. lol
DeleteAwesome! :)
DeleteWhat a fun activity, I could see why the kids loved it! Thanks for linking to the outdoor play party!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jen Farr. The kids totally had a blast doing it. The photos can only show part of the story. Their squeals of delight as they discovered a new bone were priceless!
DeleteThey do look like cow bones the very large one is a pelvic bone.
ReplyDeleteI think they're cow bones, but I kind of line not knowing exactly, kind of like the dinosaurs. lol
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