Making the Fossils

• Roll clay into small balls and flatten them slightly. Make sure that the top surface of the clay is somewhat flat. Help the children use small objects around the house and yard to make imprints in the clay (action figures, leaves and coins). Let the clay dry, and then add one layer of shoe polish and another of acrylic sealer to protect the fossils.
  
  

Preparing the Dig

• Fill a sandbox, small swimming pool or under-the-bed plastic storage container with sand. Bury the fossils in the sand. If possible, alternate pouring sand and placing fossils to distribute the materials more effectively. You may want to place your dig in the shade, because sand exposed to the sun can get very hot.
  
  

Challenging the Kids

• Challenge your children to find the fossils in the sand and identify them. This can become a neighborhood event. Supply the children with shovels to dig up the fossils and paintbrushes to remove the sand like real paleontologists.