Run a Classroom Dinosaur Dig

If you're planning a dino dig then you'll need to arrange both the material for the dig and the educational resources for teaching kids about dinosaurs. 

For the dig you'll need

• dinosaur bones - it's best to get a kit designed for this purpose so the bones fit together into a skeleton. 
• trowels or shovels for digging
• brushes for cleaning the fossils
• stakes and tape for marking out the excavation site 

Then you'll need lesson plans and worksheets. 

Now you need to decide how long the big will run for. You can have a short dig that all takes place in one day, or you can have a longer dig that takes place over several days, building up the excitement and giving the children a chance to absorb the experience. 

You need to think about how you will control the dig itself. You should only allow a small number of children on to the site at any time (with the others doing learning activities) and they should be supervised by an adult. Encourage the children to play the role of real paleontologists and get them excited about their finds. You can set up some roleplay so they pretend they are the first people to discover this dinosaur. 

Ideally you will set the dino dig site up outside in a large sandbox, the above kit recommends 3 yards by 2 yards. Dig a hole in the center of the sandbox (an area of dirt is a messier alternative). 

Use the stakes and tape to divide the grid into squares (for older children you can label the stakes and get them to record the location of each bone). 

Arrange the bones on the sand and cover them with more sand. You may wish to add a layer of modern objects and then more sand. 

The kit recommends that you save one dinosaur bone to leave sticking out of the dig site. 

If you can't have the dig outdoors then you can create an indoor dig site using a large wading pool. You could still use sand indoors (some clean up will be required!), alternatives include sawdust, packing peanuts or shredded paper. 

Allow groups of around 4 children at a time at the dig site. As they find a fossil they should record its grid location and attempt to indentify it. What sort of dinosaur bone is it? Where is the body do they think it comes from. 

Easy child should be limited to one fossil find (or more for smaller groups). The children should use a brush to clean up their fossil ready to be assembled into a skeleton.