Fun Fossil Day Puzzle Craft for Kids
Become a paleontologist with this Fun Fossil Day Puzzle Craft for Kids! Let kids learn all about fossils, how they are formed, and much more!
“Fossils have richer stories to tell….. than we have been willing to listen to.” ~ Robert T. Bakker
Isn’t it amazing that we can find out all about an animal we’ve never seen – simply through its fossils? No one has ever seen a live dinosaur, but we know for sure that they existed, and there were many kinds of dinosaurs and we also know what they had for dinner!
It’s not surprising then, that there is a day dedicated to fossils, called National Fossil Day, on 12th October. It was started in 2010 as a way to encourage more study of fossils – and to celebrate how awesome they are! National Fossil Day is a part of Earth Science Week, an annual event held every October.
Many events are held to celebrate National Fossil Day all across the United States, including an Art Contest for kids. While the contest is closed now, we can still have our own Fossil Day celebration – with a fun Fossil Day Puzzle Craft!
This craft uses the printable from our shop, available for free for all our Club ArtsyCraftsy members.
Fun Fossil Day Puzzle Craft for Kids
Supplies required:
- Laminating sheets and Laminator
- Large tray
- Raw rice or sand
- Scissors
How to make the Fossil Day Puzzle Craft:
1. Download the printable from our shop for the Fossil Day puzzle craft. The template contains two pages – the first one has the puzzle pieces while the second page is the guide.
2. Print out both pages of the template. Laminate the first page for added durability.
3. Cut out the puzzle pieces, following the lines. If your kids are older, you can cut along the bones to make it more of a challenge for them.
4. Once your fossil day puzzle craft pieces are cut, scramble to mix them all up!
5. It’s time to set up the dig site! For this, take a large tray or bin and fill it with either raw rice or sand. If you have them, add some dinosaur toys.
6. Keep a brush and a magnifying lens so that you can bring in the feel of being a real paleontologist. Keep the guide nearby for reference.
7. Now, bury the bones in the rice/sand. That’s it, your fossil day puzzle craft setup is ready and now your little paleontologist can start digging for dinosaur bones! Tell them fossils are delicate, and they need to use a brush to get rid of any sand/rice on the pieces. Use the guide as a reference to put the pieces together and find out how the original dinosaur looked!
This dinosaur fossil day puzzle craft is perfect for any dinosaur fan or anyone interested in natural sciences. It’s sure to open up many conversations about dinosaurs, extinction, and paleontology. It also shows kids there are many other career opportunities in the world, that they may not have thought of earlier. Who knows, you may just find you have a little dinosaur fan at home!
If you’re wondering how to get the template, all you need to do is join Club ArtsyCraftsy and you’ll get it for free, along with many other fun printables. Kids will also enjoy checking out some books about fossils, like Dinosaur Lady and Curious about Fossils. For more activities to do this National Fossil Day, check these out:
- Printable Dinosaur Pom Pom Match
- 20 Ideas for a Dinosaur Theme Party
- Dinosaur Memory Game
- Printable Dinosaur Sequencing Puzzle
- Printable Dinosaur Egg Match Game
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