In our Homeschool we have been studying dinosaurs and careers that relate to dinosaurs. My oldest has now decided that she wants to be an archaeologist!
To let them have a small glimpse of how much work it is to uncover dinosaur bones and fossils, I went ahead and ordered them each a Dinosaur Adventure Excavation Kit from Usborne.
I got my oldest daughter the Triceratops Kit and the younger one got the Stegosaurus Kit. They had a great time breaking apart the clay and finding all the different pieces. Every time they would find a new piece they would let out a squeal of excitement!
Just to be forewarned, you will want to have newspaper covering the work area as it does get extremely messy. And if your kids are anything like mine, they will continue to smash the clay even after they had found all the pieces.
The kit comes with the lump of clay that has the "dinosaur fossil" hidden within, goggles for eye safety, a small hammer that also has a screwdriver in the handle, and a small brush to brush off all the dust and small pieces of dirt.
Also, depending on how old your kids are you might have to help them snap all the pieces together. My girls did require some help in snapping the pieces together, but we did get them together.
I highly recommend this to anyone who has a child that has expressed any kind of interest in dinosaurs. It is a great way to supplement their learning of dinosaurs! Make sure that you child is old enough to use a hammer without hurting themselves, the recommended age is 6 and up. Though I used it with my youngest who is 5, use you judgment about whether your child is mature enough to do this activity.
***The triceratops kit is no longer available through Usborne.
***The triceratops kit is no longer available through Usborne.