Paleontology and Archaeology Program

This year's Summer Library Program is in full swing, and today I kicked things off with my first school-age program of the summer.  This week's topic was paleontology and archaeology.  Just like last year I actually did this program twice, the first time with a group of 2nd and 3rd graders, and the second time with 4th-6th graders.  Each program lasted an hour and fifteen minutes.

First we took a couple of minutes to talk about paleontology and archeology and what these words mean.  We then segued into a discussion about how exactly fossils form.  We talked about different kinds of fossils:  Molds and casts, as well as petrified bones.  We then conducted our first activity:  Making our own fossils!

I don't know about you, but I recall doing this little project when I was in the first grade.  To make this cast-type fossil, all you need is a plastic cup, a small figure (we used plastic dinosaurs, but truthfully any shape will do), clay, and plaster or paris.  Simply press the clay into the bottom of the cup.  Then press your small figure into the clay, leaving behind an imprint.  It is important that you press very firmly on your figure so that you get a nice, deep imprint.  Then carefully pull the figure out, leaving behind the "mold" part of this fossil.  Mix a small amount of plaster of paris and pour the plaster into the cup.  The plaster will fill the mold and take on the shape left behind by the figure.  Then simply allow the plaster to firm up.  When it has hardened, cut open the cup and remove your fossil.  More detailed instructions for this project can be found here.

The plaster fossils were a great project.  The kids really needed lots of reminding that they needed good, deep imprints to get good fossils.  Making the imprints was really the kids' only job - my helpers and I mixed and distributed the plaster simply to make the process easier with 20 kids in the room.  Since the plaster took time to set, we had the kids write their names on their cups and take the fossils home still inside the cup.  This had the added benefit of preventing accidental breakage.  The plaster was dry by the time this program ended, so there was no risk of plaster spilling in transport.

While the younger group did not have the time needed for this next project, our older group was able to create dinosaur skeletons out of pasta: 

I found instructions for this project here.  However, I did not use the printout included here as I did not want to cut out and assemble the skeleton templates.  I found a different picture of a dinosaur skeleton online (sorry, I don't remember which image I used exactly, so I can't cite it) and it worked just as well.  I also decided in the name of ease to use pre-cut spaghetti instead of fettuccine for the ribs.  I was worried that this project would be a bit childish for the 4th-6th graders, but they were weirdly absorbed in completing this project.

The next activity  was actually a very simple project, but arguably one of the most fun activities of the day.  We did some cave painting! 

 We have big rolls of colored paper at the library, which generally get used to cover bulletin boards.  I took a long length of brown paper, crumpled it up to give it a little visual interest and dimension, and taped it to the wall.  The kids were each given a piece of chalk and they were allowed to make "cave paintings".  It turned out really cool!  I took the finished cave paintings and hung them in other areas of the library after the program ended.

The last activity of the day was definitely the most complicated and involved, but I think it was totally worth it.  I filled a kiddy swimming pool with sand and set up an archaeology dig. 

I was inspired by the project described here and basically ran with the idea.  Instead of using clay pots (which I was unable to locate at a cheap enough price), I purchased plastic vases at the dollar store.  These were painted and then broken into pieces using a vice and a sharp cutting tool.  I buried the pieces in the sand, and basically the kids got to dig them up and reassemble the vases.  I used this activity to also talk about what methods an archaeologist might use and how they might use the information gained from the objects they find to draw conclusions.



The kids seemed to have a really good time with the activities at this program.  In a perfect world I might have done two separate programs - one on archaeology and one on paleontology - but unfortunately circumstances forced me to merge the two topics.  Despite split focus, the kids still enjoyed the activities, and I think that most of them got a feel for what it means to "dig" into the past.