Fossils
Background Information & Activities

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Learning about fossils is a terrific way for children to explore Earth’s past. Most children have probably looked at fossils in natural history museums or have read about them in books. Nearly every child has learned about dinosaurs and prehistoric animals. Encourage children to view fossils as clues to Earth’s history, clues that help us understand how life has changed on our planet. Remind children that a fossil is a preserved clue left from a plant or animal that lived long ago. It is important for your children to understand that fossils do not have to be bones or parts of plants, but they can be a variety of remnants of life, such as nests, footprints, and droppings. Fossils can form in many ways and your children should understand that the process takes millions of years.

Many fossils are preserved remains of living things that are extinct. Remind your children that when a living thing is extinct, it is no longer living and none of its kind is left on Earth. Your class may want to screen the Extinct and Endangered Species movie, so children understand more about extinction. Some living things die out due to natural causes, such as dinosaurs, while others die out because of human interference, such as the dodo. People have found fossils of leaves, seeds, and cones of plants that lived millions of years ago, as well as fossil bones, shells, claws, teeth, and even whole skeletons. People have also discovered fossil footprints, eggs, nests, and droppings, which give insight into how living things moved or behaved.

Fossils can form in different ways, but some fossils form when a living thing dies and gets buried. Over time, the soft parts get eaten by bacteria or other organisms. The soft parts decompose, or break down, and the hard parts, such as shells, teeth, bones, or claws, are left behind. Over millions of years, layers of sediment pile on top of these remnants, creating pressure, which helps turn the lower layers into rock. Water can seep into the area and bring in minerals. Minerals slowly replace the hard parts and create a slow chemical change that turns the hard parts into a fossil of the same shape. Slowly, erosion causes the top layers to recede and wear away and the fossil can be found. Many fossils are found in riverbeds or on cliff sides, where water has eroded an area for thousands of years.

Sometimes a living thing dies and gets buried under sediment. It decomposes, but its outline remains in the sediment. Over millions of years the sediment turns to rock, but an imprint of the living thing is still left behind. Your children have probably seen fossil imprints of plants and shells and may have made imprints on their own using clay and different objects.

People have also found living things trapped in ice, such as woolly mammoths. The ice preserves the living thing and prevents it from fully decomposing. Woolly mammoths discovered in caves and river banks were found with tusks, fur, and even whiskers intact. Some species of trees release a resin, which is similar to tree sap. Insects and small animals can get trapped in the resin and over time it hardens into amber with the animal inside preserved. While these resin fossils and are not considered true fossils, they still provide valuable clues to Earth’s history and sometimes even contain small fragments of an organism’s DNA.

Scientists use fossils to learn about Earth’s history. We recommend watching the Earth movie together as a review. Remind your children that a paleontologist is a scientist who studies fossils and the remains of all life forms. You may want to explain that an archaeologist is slightly different; an archaeologist studies the remains of human life and culture. Explain to children that each fossil tells a story. For example, fossil footprints tell scientists about whether an animal walked on two or four legs, its length of stride, and its stalking behavior. A fossil bone can give clues about the size of an animal, its shape, and (due to carbon dating) when it lived. Scientists often compare living animals with fossil bones to draw conclusions. For example, today’s carnivorous animals often have sharp teeth for tearing meat, while herbivorous animals often have flat teeth for grinding and chewing. Scientists can draw comparisons with fossil teeth to today’s animals to infer what a living thing ate millions of years ago. Fossils of animals' nests reveal a lot about their behavior and their habitat, and fossil droppings can also give clues about what an animal ate. Some fossil droppings show traces of plant materials or bones of other animals.

Encourage your children to learn about Earth’s history. Your children will probably have many questions about fossils, so encourage them to look up information on the Internet or in the library to learn more. This will help develop their research skills and support their natural curiosity about our world.

See more lesson plans and resources: BrainPOP Educators.

Fossils Teacher Activities

© 1999-2012 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

Prints

Remind your students that scientists use clues from fossils to identify the plant or animal and learn about how it lived. Bring in clay or putty to your class and have them make a footprint or a handprint. Then mix the prints together and have students figure out who made each print. What clues can they use to figure out the answer? For example, if students are examining a footprint, what kind of shoe might have made it, a sneaker or a loafer? If there is a ring-mark on a handprint, which student is wearing a matching ring? Students can narrow down the possible answers by examining their classmates. Encourage students to share their ideas and theories with the whole class.

Natural History Museum

If possible, take your students on a trip to a natural history museum. Have your students bring sketchpads and notebooks to draw fossils that interest them and write their thoughts on how the fossil came to be or how it was found. Have them note any fascinating facts. Many museums offer tours or have experts available to talk to classes. Make sure your students come prepared with questions to ask. After the trip, discuss what your students have learned. Have them share their drawings and notes and talk about their favorite fossils.

State Fossil

Nearly every state has a state fossil. Research your state’s fossil together and learn more by visiting the library, looking up information in the Internet, or asking an expert. Where in the state can the fossil be found? How and when was it selected? Have students gather information and share what they learned. Then have each student pick a state and study the state’s fossil. Students can draw a picture of it and write facts about the fossil. Together, create a map of the United States using pictures of the fossils.

Fossils Family Activities

© 1999-2012 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

Fossils at Home

Go fossil hunting with your child! Fossils can be found everywhere, even in your own backyard or in your own town. Find local areas where fossils have been found. Many communities have fossil enthusiasts who know the best places to find fossil plants and animals. Riverbeds and creeks are great places to find fossils because water erodes the sediment and the earth is soft enough to expose fossils.

Make Your own Fossil

Help your child collect a few items to "fossilize" like leaves, feathers, pine needles, shells, even chicken bones. Then make a bowl shape out of aluminum foil. Fill the bowl half way with plaster of Paris and press your items into the wet plaster. Wait 20-30 minutes until the plaster is mostly dry and remove your objects carefully. As your child to imagine what paleontologists of the future might learn from this fossil about plants and animals of our time.