Asking questions, discovering answers to these curiosities, and understanding new information can lead to hours of explorative and imaginative play and foster lifelong learning. You can nurture their curiosity with this simple hands on activity that’s both fun and educational.
Join Supernow’s Lead Curator at the Super Musee, Justine Julien, and create your own dinosaur fossils for the Super Musee or your own exhibit. This easy craft engages fine motor skills and is a great activity for kids ages 9 and up. It can be done independently, without the help of a parent, within 30 minutes to an hour. Kids can imagine what life was like on the Earth when dinosaurs roamed the land and when the fossil was created. If your child is fascinated by prehistoric creatures, they’re sure to love this craft as they become paleontologists for the day.
Designed to use common items found around your home, all you need to kick off this paleontology-inspired play are a few simple materials and our printed fossil template. You can follow along with Justine’s instructions in this video.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 5 Pipe Cleaners
- 2 Twist Ties
- 1 Toothpick
- Glue Stick
- Scissors
- Scotch Tape
- White Gel Pens (optional)
- Construction Paper (optional)
Instructions:
Step 1.) Cut out the fossil template
Using your scissors, carefully cut out the linked fossil template. Get creative and draw a template of your own showcasing your favorite dinosaur. You can draw your dino bone template on black paper using a white gel pen or any other color drawing utensil and paper. Consider a dinosaur with wings like a quetzalcoatlus or another prehistoric creature like a megalodon.
Step 2.) Create your own fossil.
Cut off about ⅓ of one of the pipe cleaners. Put the larger piece aside. Fold the small piece and twist it to make the head. Take two full pipe cleaners and attach them together by twisting them at the top a few times. Connect that to the head. This is the spine. Bend it to match the shape of the spine of the fossil. TIP: You might need to cut off the end if it’s too long.
Grab the larger piece from your first cut and fold it over the spine. Twist it together to create the arms. Fold another pipe cleaner over the lower part of the spine to create the legs. Take your last pipe cleaner, cut it, and twist it around the bottom of the legs to create the feet.
Remember, this is your fossil so get inspired to add whatever unique details you’d like. Look closely at your dinosaur’s anatomy and If you are doing a different creature than the template, explore different lengths of pipe cleaner and angles for twisting them. Include body parts like a rib cage, individual vertebrae, or claws to make your fossil truly DINOmite.
Step 3.) Make it SUPER!
Attach the fossil to the template. Using the toothpick, poke holes at the neck and tail. Take a twist tie and poke the ends through the holes to fix your pipe cleaner fossil in place on the template at both the neck and tail. This final step ensures your fossil is fastened to the background. If you have some, you can add more twist ties to other spots you feel your dinosaur needs securing. Now you get to make your creation special by adding your final details.
If you have cardboard or construction paper, you can glue your template and fossil onto it using tape. If you have a white gel pen, you can use it to name the anatomy of your fossil, make notes about it, or to make other designs and finishing details. Grab whatever additional crafting materials you’d like to use to customize your dinosaur fossil! Consider adding dirt or small rocks and other natural objects to give it a real fossil-like appearance.
Enjoy exploring the anatomy of this dinosaur and consider creating more of your own templates of other dinosaurs and prehistoric creatures to add to your exhibit. Justine Julien and the whole Super Musee crew thank you!
We love to see your work! Be sure to take a photo of your creation and send it in to us at [email protected]!
Watch the tutorial here: https://www.supernow.com/projects/dinosaurs/create-fossil
