Dinosaur Fossil Excavation Sensory Activity with Edible Dirt

I am so excited to share with you our last activity as part of Dinosaur Week on Love, Play, Learn. It had been fun, I hope you have enjoyed it. This is my favorite one so far and it was my daughter’s favorite thing we have ever done. She was so excited about it and played with it forever! In preparation for this activity we made dinosaur fossils and went to the Natural History Museum. This is great for toddlers who put everything in their mouth since the dirt is edible!

For this activity you’ll need:

• Dinosaur fossils
• “Dirt”- I used a box of chocolate cake mix, crushed oreos, and whole wheat flour
• Plastic container (I bought mine at Target)
• Brush (I bought a makeup brush at the dollar store)
• Plastic shovel
• Rocks (optional)

This activity:

• Promotes exploration using the 5 senses
• Great tactile experience
• Builds fine motor development
• Teaches observation and other scientific principles
• Teaching opportunity for learning about fossils, excavation, and dinosaurs
• Builds vocabulary

First put your fossils in the bottom of your container and then fill with your fake “dirt”. I used cake mix, crushed oreos, and whole wheat flour but you could use just one of these materials if you wanted. I loved the different texture each provided and the realistic dirt look that the combination of the 3 had. Then add your rocks (I washed them before adding).

Then bring in your little Paleontologist and get to excavating!

When she found a fossil she knew exactly what to do and got her brush to dust it off. When she would find another one, she would very excitedly shout “There’s another one!”.

She cleaned them off like a pro. A future Paleontologist perhaps?

We talked about each fossil that she uncovered and we made observations about them.

This was such a cool and educational activity. I was really pleased with how well it went over with my daughter and I loved how real the dirt looked and I didn’t need to worry about her putting it in her mouth. We will definitely be doing this one again.

TIP: For the mess use a “mess mat” for easy cleanup. I just use a plastic shower curtain liner. This would also be a great outdoor activity. 

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