Welcome to the Prehistoric Challenge.
The aim of this badge is to take you and your girls through what it takes to be a palaeontologist. The pack is set out in an order that follows the different stages of Palaeontology. You can do as many of the activities as you want dependant on your girls, and how many weeks, and how much time, you are wanting this challenge to take.
Part One is looking at what a Palaeontologist is and what we mean when we say Fossils.
Part Two is an exploration into how they uncover and excavate fossils.
Part Three is looking at examining fossils and trying to work out what they have found and deducing what part of the creature it might be.
Part Four is looking deeper into the creatures themselves, as well as the time that they were alive.
Part One
Introduction
Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers
What is a Palaeontologist?
A Palaeontologist is a scientist who looks at the remains of creatures who lived millions of years ago. These remains are called Fossils.
What is a fossil?
The remains of an organism (a living thing) that died millions of years ago.
An example of a creature that lived millions of years ago is an ammonite. Below is what a fossilised ammonite looks like versus what palaeontologists believe an ammonite looked like.
The squishy bit has disappeared, and the hard parts (shell and bone) is what has become a fossil.
Does anyone know a famous Palaeontologist?
Mary Anning is a famous Palaeontologist who lived in England in the 1800’s. She is responsible for many famous fossils that were found along the Jurassic Coast.
Show the girls the map of the Jurassic Coast and where we are in comparison. Show them examples of dinosaurs that have been found on the Jurassic Coast.
The Jurassic Coast is a 95-mile-long stretch of the UK coastline.
Extra Challenge: Can your group collectively walk 95miles in a week? (i.e., 10 girls all walk 9.5 miles)
Books for children about Mary Anning.
- Little people big dream books
- The girl and the dinosaur
- The fossil hunter by Kate Winter
- Lightning Mary (older girls)
Puzzle Game
Rainbows Brownies, Guides and Rangers
An important part of being a Palaeontologist is being able to complete and solve puzzles. Sometimes the fossils have been displaced or are mixed in with other fossils. It is important for the Palaeontologist to work out which parts go with which creature (without always knowing straight away which creature it is).
In groups form lines down one end of the hall.
Take it in turns to run the dice.
When a 6 is rolled that person runs to the other end of the hall and grabs a puzzle piece.
Keep going until you have all the pieces and see if you can complete the puzzle to find the fossil.
Extension:
Have pictures of the ‘real’ creature and get the girls to match the completed fossil to the dinosaur. Can they work out who the bones belong to?
Scavenger hunt
Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers
Part of the struggle of being a Palaeontologist is finding the fossils in the first place. Part of this is looking at different types of rocks. For instance, almost all fossils are found in sedimentary rock.
Hold a scavenger hunt and send the girls out to find the different dinosaurs. This can be done in your meeting place, at a park or around your local village. You could hide dinosaurs, fossils, facts, clues anything you like.
Fossil Painting
Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers
Dinosaur fossils are usually created from the bones of the creature. Once the dinosaur dies minerals will fill in the space in layers, in the exact shape of the bones. Under lots of pressure the new minerals harden into rocks creating a fossil.
Give each girl a dinosaur shape made of salt dough and get them to look at the puzzle they have completed if you have done the puzzle game, if not just give them some pictures of fossilised dinosaurs.
Get them to paint the bones in white onto the dinosaur.
RA: Girls will be using paint which can get on their uniform. Get the girls to come in non-uniform and have some bin bags/aprons for those girls to wear who forget/ come in uniform. It is also worth putting something on the tables such as a tablecloth or newspaper.
Salt dough recipe
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-make-salt-dough-recipe
- 250g plain flour
- 125g table salt
- 125ml water
1. Preheat the oven to 50C or its lowest setting and line a baking sheet with baking parchment.
2. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the water and stir until it comes together into a ball. You can finish bringing it together with your hands if needed.
3. Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and shape into your chosen model. You can roll it out and cut out shapes, numbers or letters using biscuit cutters, or make any kind of model you can think of.
4. Put your finished items on the lined baking sheet and bake for 3 hours or until hard. Alternatively: we left ours on the side in the sun to dry for a few days.
Alternative Fossil Painting (Food)
Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers
Dinosaur fossils are usually created from the bones of the creature. Once the dinosaur dies minerals will fill in the space in layers, in the exact shape of the bones. Under lots of pressure the new minerals harden into rocks creating a fossil.
Give each girl a chocolate biscuit in the shape of a dinosaur and get them to look at the puzzles they have completed in the puzzle game. Can they find the correct fossil puzzle for the type of dinosaur the cookie is?
Get them to decorate the biscuits with white icing to create the bones/fossil on them.
RA: Girls will be touching food. Get the girls to wash their hands before hand.
Girls will be using icing which can get on their uniform. Get the girls to come in non-uniform and have some bin bags/aprons for those girls who forget/come in uniform.
Fossil Casting
Rainbows, Brownies
An impression fossil is the remains of a creature that has created an indent in rock.
These can be things such as footprints.
In Oxfordshire they have found impression fossils of dinosaur footprints believed to have been made by a Megalosaurus.
Give the girls playdough and some dinosaur toys.
Get the girls to have a go at pressing the toys into the playdough and then removing them to create an impression fossil.
RA: girls will be using play dough which means they must be always supervised and told that they cannot eat the playdough.
Extension:
Aside from footprints what other impression fossils can you make.
Have a look at the impression fossils already made. Can you match them to the dinosaur that made them?
Pasta Fossil Casting
Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers
An impression fossil is the remains of a creature that has created an indent in rock.
These can be things such as footprints and the in print of bones or shells.
Get the girls to have a go at creating their own fossilised shapes out of different types of Pasta. You can use Playdough as the base or air-dry clay/salt dough if you want the fossils to last.
RA: girls will be using play dough which means they must be always supervised and told that they cannot eat the playdough.
Girls will be always supervised and told not to eat the pasta as it is uncooked and will be in the casting materials.
Fossil Casting
Brownies, Guides and Rangers
When looking at fossils Palaeontologists will create forms of the fossil to take a closer look at the fossil and analyse what it is. This is to help them protect the real fossil. It is important not to damage a fossil that could be at least 65-million-years-old.
Give each child a salt dough impression fossil and get them to make a cast of the fossil out of playdough.
This is done by pushing the playdough into the fossil and then taking it out to reveal an imprint of the fossil.
RA: girls will be using play dough which means they must be always supervised and told that they cannot eat the playdough.
Extension:
Most fossils that we find are incomplete. Palaeontologists must take educated guesses at what they think the rest of it might have looked like. Have a go at creating more of the creature having a guess and what it might have looked like.
Part Two
Fossil Sand Pit
Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers
Uncovering a fossil is a process which takes a lot of time. We need to be careful when excavating it to make sure that we do not damage the fossil that is hidden.
What tools do you think a Palaeontologist might use?
What are they used for?
- Hammer
- Chisel
- Paintbrush
In these boxes/on these trays are fossils that we need you to carefully excavate as a team. You are going to need to use a paintbrush to carefully remove the sand from the fossil.
RA: ensure children are being sensible when uncovering the fossil and ensure that they are not brushing the sand off and its flying in the air and going in the girls’ eyes.
To protect the carpet It would be advisable to put some kind of cover down, large sheet of plastic, old bed cover, newspaper etc.
Fossil Dig
Guides and Rangers
Uncovering a fossil is a process which takes a lot of time. We need to be careful when excavating it to make sure that we do not damage the fossil that is hidden. Therefore, a palaeontologists most important tool is a brush.
Have some example tools out that the Palaeontologists might use for the children to hold and maybe have a go with.
Make plaster of Paris blocks with toy dinosaurs in (beforehand) and get the kids to have a go at excavating using the tools. Make sure they are supervised when using the tools and wearing protective gear (goggles).
RA: Make sure the girls are fully briefed on how to properly use the tools (Hammer and chisels) and ensure that they are being sensible when using them.
Make sure girls are sat down when using them.
Make sure that girls are wearing protective goggles.
Part Three
Fact File
Brownies, Guides and Rangers
Once you have uncovered a fossil as a palaeontologist it is important to properly examine it. They do this by taking detailed sketches of the specimens as well as dimensions. Below is a famous example of a Megalosaurus Jaw that was found in Stonesfield in Oxford, that was drawn by Mary Buckland (originally Mary Morland). The fossil was found by William Buckland in 1824. Megalosaurus was believed to be the first dinosaur ever found.
Draw a diagram of the fossil, Label the dimensions, measure the fossil. What could it be? What might the creature have used it for? What creature might it have come from?
Extension:
Get the girls to have a go at drawing more of the fossil. Can they have a go at drawing what the fossil might connect to. You can have example pictures of real fossils.
RA: The girls may need to use tape measures for some larger replicas/ pictures of fossils. Make sure they are aware that it can suddenly come back and to watch their fingers.
Top Trumps
Brownies, Guides and Rangers
Do you have a favourite species of Dinosaur?
Is it the most powerful Dinosaur?
Have a go at making your own dinosaur top trumps.
Look up dinosaur facts and get the girls to pick their favourites to create their own Top Trump cards and have a go at drawing a picture of the dinosaur.
Have a look for facts online or in books
Extension:
Have a go at playing a game of top trumps by putting all the different cards together and see which dinosaur is the strongest, biggest, toughest etc.
Part Four
How do clubbed tails work?
Rainbows and Brownies
Lots of dinosaurs such as the Ankylosaurus had clubbed tails, but why? Part of being a palaeontologist is trying to answer questions like these to work out how the creature might have behaved and lived. They do this by conducting small experiments.
Create a structure to knock down. Get the girls to make a ‘standard’ tail out of a straw or some paper and then try and knock it down.
Then get the girls to create a clubbed tail and have a go at knocking it down. They can do this by adding scrunched up paper cello taped to the standard tail, or something such as playdough or blue tac.
What do the girls notice when trying to knock the tower down?
Stegosaurus Plates
Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers
Stegosaurus had two rows of plates going along its back, these are believed to have been used by the creatures to attract mates and warn off predators. They would rush blood into the plates to get them to change into bright colours.
Have a go at creating/ decorating your own stegosaurus plate to try and scare away predators.
Compare Foot Sizes
Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers
When looking at some of these fossils it is tricky to work out the scale of them. Dinosaurs are often shown next to a human to show the scale and size comparison between them and us.
Have a go at comparing your feet to the feet of a dinosaur?
Have you ever wondered how big a dinosaur footprint is in comparison to yours?
Get the girls to draw around their feet and cut them out.
How many feet does it take to fill the footprint?
An example… a TREX footprint is 34 inches by 34 inches.
The Ice Age
Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers
An Ice Age is where sheets of ice permanently cover the whole or part of the earth, like the polar Ice caps of today. That’s right we are still living in an ice age. The coldest part of this Ice age was 21,000 years ago. 21,000 years ago, there were prehistoric creatures such as the Woolly Mammoth and the Elasmotherium. Both animals had adapted to survive the ice age by having thick woolly coats.
![Elasmotherium by RGibson -- Fur Affinity [dot] net](https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfLpVMLZmJuXU57kWW96xCL8GGvatx6ErlHk-tQdfWt25DHnwjQMcgH8yiydTwUVARG-cq7-cuhQINKmxqv_CIimOZ1srS2gg0cnU2Zki7mTFYLrZIK4aNuRfluMZt7-v12FGybPIfI7OPY=s650?key=WU_-_ORwOu8ULkqkk5A_gB0p)
Look at winter coats and cold weather clothing and have a go at creating your own that would help you survive the Ice age.
Dinosaur Eggs (Food)
Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers
As far as Palaeontogists know all Dinosaurs were reptiles which means that they all reproduced by laying eggs. These eggs were always under threat by many differernt dinosaurs. The most famous of these is the Oviraptort whos name means ‘egg theives’.
Have a go at making some rice crispy treat eggs.
Mix rice crispys, melted white chocolate and melted marshmallows into a bowl together. Optional extra, add different coloured food colouring to create colourful eggs. Get the girls to form the shape of an egg out of the mixture to form egg shapes. Alternatively you can use plastic eggs that you get around easter time to act as a mold.
RA: Girls will be touching food. Get the girls to wash their hands before hand.
The chocolate and marshmallows need melting either in the microwave or over a bowl of boiling water. Ensure that girls are briefed on being safe in the kitchen and are always supervised.
Girls will be using melted chocolate and marshmallows which can get on their uniform. Get the girls to come in non-uniform and have some bin bags/aprons for those girls who forget/come in uniform.
Volcanoes
Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers
During the reign of the dinosaurs the earth looked very different to today. Part of this was due to the increase in Volcanic activity throughout the Mesozoic (the period that the dinosaurs were alive), particularly during the Cretaceous period.
Have a go at creating your own fizzy Volcano using bicarbonate soda and vinegar. If you add food colouring to the vinegar, then you can change the colour of your lava.
Pterosaurs walking
Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers
Pterosaurs are a group of reptiles that were alive during the time of the dinosaurs (the Mesozoic period) but were not dinosaurs. Many of them are believed to of had the ability to fold their wings and walk on them as a way of getting around when they are not flying.
Have a go at crawling on your knees and elbows. Why not try and have a race?
Plesiosaurs necks
Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers
Plesiosaurs such as the Elasmosaurus had long necks that contained around 70 different bones, with the average neck spanning an incredible 7.1 meters. It is still debated by palaeontologists how much movement the creature had in its neck. Some believe that it would use its neck to quickly lunge at shoals of fish.
Have a go at creating a neck out of part of an egg box and string. Cut the different holders off the egg box out and put a hole in the bottom of each of them. Thread a length of string through the wholes and tie a knot at each end. How much can you get it to bend?
Dunkleosteus length
Guides and Rangers
previously Palaeontologists thought that the Dunkleosteus was a massive, armoured fish measuring around 30 feet in length. This was due to the only part of the creature to be fossilised was its armoured head, with scientists presuming the body to be made of cartilage like sharks. However, exciting new research has looked at the weight and size of the head and discovered that it is more likely to have been 13 feet in length. This new length meant that the heavy head was much more able to be supported.
Have a go at supporting a heavy object, get the girls to stand with their arms out to support a dumbbell of a certain weight. get them to move their arms further out away from their body. At which point was it hardest to keep the weight up?
Nothosaurus Webbed Feet
Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers
Unlike Plesiosaurs the Nothosaurus had webbed feet rather than flippers this meant that, unlike its later relatives, it was able to move on land and in the sea.
Get the girls to conduct an experiment as to why webbed feet were useful.
Get a pool of water and get the girls to push their hands through it with their fingers splayed open. You can put a ball at one of the pools and see if they can move it with just their hand open beneath the water.
Get the girls to place a plastic bag over their hand and secure with a loose rubber band. Ensure the opening of the bag doesn’t go in the water or it will fill up.
Now get the girls to retry this experiment and see the difference.
Museum Visit
Rainbows, Brownies, Guides and Rangers
What happens to fossils once they’ve been found and examined?
They end up in a museum.
Why not go on a museum visit and get the children to look at a real fossil. If you can’t go on a real visit, why not go on a virtual visit. Below is a link to the natural history museum in London.
https://www.nhm.ac.uk/events/dinosaur-activities-for-families.html
Research
Dunkleosteus body measurements by Engelman- https://www.livescience.com/360-million-year-old-alien-fish-wasnt-bus-size-but-barely-half-that-new-study-reveals
https://www.fossilguy.com/gallery/vert/placoderm/dunkleosteus/index.htm
Nothosaurus Webbed feet –
https://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/n/nothosaurus.html
Resources:
Fossil pictures to cut up for the puzzle game.
Mary Anning Colouring sheet
Stegosaurus Plate Design
Dinosaur Colouring sheet
