Digging Up Bones - Paleontologists

We are back on the subject of Dinosaurs this week. We discuss the possible theories of how the dinosaurs died. We will learn that Paleontologists study the fossils of the dinosaurs in order to better understand how the creatures lived. Ms. Ginger will display and explain her fossilized prehistoric Ammonite shell from Madagascar to provide a look at how a real fossil is created over time in the earth.
At our dig-site (the sand pit) our young scientists will dig up their own bone and bring it into the classroom. The children will learn first-hand how to cast a bone in the field before shipping it back to the museum. Scientists did this because the millinia-old bone fossils could break or crumble in route, but the cast would duplicate the details of the fossil so the scientists could study it without danger of harming the original bone. The children's "fossil" casts should be ready to bring home next week. We also discuss how Paleontologists love a good puzzle and love to piece the fossils together to discover the animal's characteristics. We encourage the children to play with puzzles to discover this skill.

For our snack, we will dig up and eat dinosaurs buried deep in brownies we bake in class.

Next week we will begin a 2-week study of Geology. The children may bring in a rock for show and tell to the class. We suggest it come in a zip-lock bag with their name on it.