Find the Dino Bones!

What You Need:

• Old newspaper
• Clay or cardboard
• Soil
• Large pail
• Spoon
• Paper (several sheets)
• Ruler
• Pencil

What You Do:

1. Cover your work space with old newspaper to keep the area clean.
2. Remove the clay from its container or packaging and divide the material into several smaller pieces.
3. Form each of the pieces of clay into bone shapes of varying lengths then allow them to dry until the material is hard. Check the instructions on the packaging for the optimal drying time.
4. If you do not have clay you can use cardboard instead. Use a pencil to draw out several bones in varying lengths on the cardboard. Carefully cut the shapes out using the scissors. 
5. Complete this step without your child watching: Spoon your soil into the large pail, burying each of the bones as you fill the container. Ensure that all of the bones are completely hidden.  
6. Have your child use the spoon (or his bare hands!) to dig through the soil to find each of the hidden bones.
7. As each bone is removed, have your child place it carefully on a sheet of paper just like an anthropologist would.
8. Once all of the bones have been found and placed on the paper, have your child measure each of them and then record the results on a separate piece of paper.
9. Finally, have him place all of the bones in order from largest to smallest. 
10. Be sure to take pictures as you go so you have a record of the "dig." Show them to your child once the activity is complete.