Digging up the past
Equipment? Check! Note pad? Check! Dig site? Check! Become a palaeontologist and discover mysterious fossils from the past. What clues could they provide about life on Earth millions of years ago?
You will need
- 2 x shallow Gratnells trays (or for extra challenge, 1 deep Gratnells tray and 1 shallow Gratnells tray)
- Fossils (real or cast)
- Paint brushes
- Play sand
- Fossil reference books
- Ruler
- Paper and pencils
- Hand lenses
- String and tape (optional)
- Camera (optional)
Preparation
- The dig should be prepared by filling a Gratnells tray with play sand.
- Fossils should be placed so that the sand covers them.
- The second tray will be used to clean and examine the finds.
What to do
- Discuss what a palaeontologist is. What do they look for? What equipment might they need to do their job?
- Start searching! Use the small paint brushes to move the sand very carefully, until a fossil is uncovered.
- Carefully place the uncovered fossil in the second tray to be further cleaned with a brush. Examine it with a hand lens. Is it a whole animal or part of one? Remember that it’s the hard parts of animals which are most likely to become fossils – teeth, bones and shells.
- Record details about the fossil. This could include measurements, sketches or photographs.
- Use a reference book to provide some further information about your fossil.
- Place the fossil to one side and repeat until all of the fossils have been found.
Other things to try
- Take it further – use string and tape to create a grid over the tray. Pupils can then record where each fossil was found by drawing its position in the appropriate square.
- To explore how different layers of soil and rock provide a timeline of life on Earth, try using 4-5 trays to represent different layers. The top layer could contain modern day bones (e/g cleaned chicken bones), pottery fragments, seeds, etc. and would represent the recent past. Other trays could contain fossils or models of creatures from different geological time periods. Stack the trays to demonstrate how scientists piece together how life on earth has changed over time.
At the end of this activity, pupils should be able to
- Identify and name some common fossils
- Describe the role of a palaeontologist and how these scientists might record what they find
Curriculum Links
Lower Key Stage 2
- Rocks – describe in simple terms how fossils are formed when things that have lived are trapped within rock
Upper Key Stage 2
- Evolution and inheritance – recognise that living things have changed over time and that fossils provide information about living things that inhabited Earth millions of years ago
Health and Safety
As with all Gratnells Learning Rooms What’s In My Tray Activities. You should carry out your own risk assessment prior to undertaking any of the activities or demonstrations.