How to Make a Fossil Model

Making fossil models is a fairly simple project that will help your students or children understand the fossilization process. Impression fossils occur when the exterior of a plant or animal is preserved in stone after being buried beneath earth and sediment. Although the fossilization process normally takes many years when it occurs in nature, by following a few easy steps you'll be able to demonstrate how fossils are made in just a few short hours.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Plaster of Paris
• Mixing bowl
• Water
• Plastic container
• Aluminum pie tin
• Leaf
• Shell
• Feather
• Vaseline
• Mineral oil

1. Place the plaster of Paris into a mixing bowl and slowly add water. Stop when the plaster of Paris is creamy and thick. If you are working with young children, you may want to complete this step by yourself in order to avoid a mess or mixtures that are too runny.

2. Pour the plaster of Paris into an old plastic container or aluminum pie tin. The plaster of Paris should not fill the container completely but should at least reach the halfway point of the container.

3. Coat a leaf, shell or feather with Vaseline and place it firmly and gently into the plaster of Paris. Be sure to place the side of the object that has the most detail face down in the container.

4. Set the container aside for several hours. During this time, the fossil will cure and harden.

5. Carefully peel the leaf, shell or feather from the plaster of Paris. You should see an impression of the object in the plaster of Paris.

6. Remove the container or pie tin from the plaster of Paris. Display the various fossils and invite the children to compare fossils and note the details found in each fossil.

Tips & Warnings

• Place the items in the plaster of Paris when it just starts to set. Plaster of Paris dries quickly and you will need to be careful that you don't wait to long to place your item or the plaster of Paris may already be too hard to accept it. Mineral oil can also be used to lubricate the items before they are placed in the plaster of Paris. Unlubricated items will be very difficult to remove from plaster of Paris. You may want to create a worksheet about the fossil making experience. Ask the children how the fossils that they created are different from real fossils and how they are similar. Ask how fossils can help present day students learn about the world and its wildlife in the past. If the children use journals, ask them to write about making fossils in their journals.

Resources

• Teacher's Domain tips
• Lesson Planet fossil information
• Dinosaur Dig information on fossils

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