”
y
a
l
P
o
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“Pal
Try
— by Tiffany Doerr Guerzon
K
for Summer Fun!
eep kids engaged and learn-
ing this summer with these
dinosaur crafts and activi-
ties. Make your own fossils from clay,
create an erupting volcano, excavate di-
nos like a real paleontologist, and even
hatch a dino egg in a cool science ex-
periment!
DIY DINOSAUR
FOSSILS
Supplies:
• Air dry clay
• Brown or black ink pad
• Small plastic dinosaurs or plastic
dinosaur skeletons
• Optional: makeup sponge
Instructions:
Roll a ball of clay slightly larger
than the dinosaur. Flatten the clay with
your hand to about a half-inch thickness.
Leave the edges and surface uneven;
this adds to the look of old rock. Next,
press the dino into the clay to make an
impression. Remove the dino and allow
the clay to dry. When the clay is dry, use
your fingers or a makeup sponge to rub
ink lightly over the surface (not inside
the imprint) of the “fossil.” This makes
the imprint stand out as well as giving it
an aged look.
Try this technique with other toys
as well. You can make footprint fossils
with a larger dino toy, or make fossils
from other animals, shells, and plants.
HATCHING
DINOSAUR
EGGS
Ingredients (per egg):
• ½ cup baking soda
• 2 Tablespoons food grade pow-
dered citric acid. This can be found
in grocery stores near the canning
supplies
• 1-2 teaspoons oil
• Small plastic toy dinos
• Liquid food coloring
• Large bowl to “hatch” eggs in
• Small bowl to mix eggs in
Instructions:
Make the dough:
1. Put baking soda in a bowl and add
food color if using. Mix and knead
the color in with your fingers until
the color is distributed. This will
color your fingers, but it washes off.
2. Add citric acid and mix in with
spoon.
3. Add 1 teaspoon oil and work it into
the dough with your fingers.
At this point the dough
will be dry and crumbly,
similar in texture to the prod-
uct “Moon Sand.” You will
know when it is ready when
you can squeeze the dough
in your hand and it holds to-
gether. Add more oil, one tea-
spoon at a time, until it holds
together and can be molded
into a ball.
12 WNY Family August 2019
Put the dinos in the eggs:
Scoop half of the dough in the palm
of one hand and then press a dino into
it. Cover dino with the rest of the dough
and squeeze the dough in both hands
until it sticks together. Notice that the
dough is cold to the touch. The baking
soda and citric acid react in an endother-
mic reaction, absorbing heat from the
surrounding environment. Now you can
hatch your egg immediately!
To hatch:
Fill a large bowl with water. Drop
in egg and watch the fizzing begin! All
of the dough will dissolve, leaving the
dino.
DIY DINO
EXCAVATION
Supplies:
• Toy dino skeletons or dinos
• Cornstarch, at least 1 cup
• Water, about 2 cups
• Container large enough to “bury”
the dino in
Instructions:
Choose a container that is just big
enough to contain the dino, with enough
space around it to bury the dino in. A
small bowl or a 3-cup storage container
works well.