Life Cycle Fossils

Adult supervision: choking hazards, liquids not for drinking, dough not for eating

 Please read the procedure before beginning! After reading, please watch the video. Some activities require more time and cleanup than others. You also have the choice of performing these activities in a way that suits your needs.

Not for children under 3 years. Adult supervision required. Follow approved procedures.

Materials

  • Measuring Cup
  • Plastic Container
  • Tongue Depressor
  • Life Cycle Toys
  • 2 Sheets of Wax Paper
  • Flour
  • Salt
  • Coffee Grounds
  • Warm Water (Not Included)

Procedure

  1. Using the measuring cup, add 1/2 cup of flour to the plastic container.
  2. Add all of the salt and coffee grounds to the plastic container.
  3. Stir using the tongue depressor.
  4. Add 1/4 cup of warm water to the cup.
  5. Slowly add the warm water to the plastic container while stirring with the tongue depressor until a moldable dough forms that does not stick to your hands.
  6. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll into balls.
  7. Place a ball on one of the sheets of wax paper. Place the other sheet on top, and flatten into a thick circle using the lid for the plastic container.
  8. Coat the top of the circle with flour. Make an impression with one of the life cycle toys, and set aside to harden.
  9. Repeat steps 7-8 with the other 3 toys.
  10. Place the fossils in order of the life cycle of the living thing that is represented by the toys. What else could scientists learn about this animal from looking at these fossils?
  11. Fossils take 24-48 hours to fully cure and harden.

 

Science Behind it!

   Fossils are preserved physical traces of living things from the past, such as shells, bones, leaves, imprints, eggs, etc. Paleontologists study fossils to learn about life over Earth’s history. They make inferences about living things based on evidence provided by fossils. How do the Life Cycle Fossils look different from the living things they were imprinted from? What could a paleontologist who has never seen these animals infer about them based on the fossils?

   Life Cycles include all of the stages and changes that living things go through in order to survive and reproduce in their environments. Different types of living things have different life cycles. What is the purpose of each stage in your living thing’s life cycle? Many animals move to different environments through different stages of their life cycles. What environments did your animal live in? How can you tell? What resources did it get from these environments throughout the stages?

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