Dinosaur Fossil Dig

A dinosaur fossil dig is a hands-on way to find out how scientists uncover the past. Using brushes and small tools, you dig carefully through sand or soil to reveal fossils, then look closely at your finds and work out what they are. It's a taste of what palaeontologists, the scientists who study fossils, do in the field.

A fossil is the preserved remains or traces of a living thing from long ago. Many form when a plant or animal is buried by mud or sand, and over millions of years the layers slowly turn to rock. Body fossils include bones, teeth, shells and leaves. Trace fossils are signs an animal left behind, like footprints, nests and even fossilised poo. Dinosaurs died out around 66 million years ago, so almost everything we know about them comes from fossils.

Fossil hunting is slow, careful work. Palaeontologists use trowels, small picks and soft brushes to clear away rock and soil a little at a time, so nothing gets broken. Sieves catch tiny teeth and fragments. Every find is photographed, measured and labelled before it's lifted out, because where a fossil was found tells its own story. Back in the lab, experts clean the fossils and compare them to work out which creature they came from.

Your Activity Leader shows you how to use the tools and how to dig gently, brushing sand away rather than hacking at it. Then everyone gets stuck in. When something appears, you slowly uncover it, look at it closely and try to work out what it is, sometimes with the help of a magnifying glass or microscope. Some sessions include lifelike baby dinosaur puppets too, for an extra bit of prehistoric fun.

It's perfect for curious little ones who love dinosaurs, digging or both. The gentle pace suits younger children, and grown-ups can dig right alongside them. Children practise patience, careful hands and asking good questions, and they pick up plenty of dinosaur facts along the way. That moment of brushing away the sand to reveal a find is pure excitement, whatever your age.

You might also like Infant Dino Dig!, Space Science and Sand Pit.

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