How To Make An Easy Diy Dinosaur Dig Kit

Many kids love dinosaurs and Cub Scouts share that passion. This is what makes Digging in the Past The Wolf optional adventure so fascinating. While they're learning about how fossils form, Scouts get to do fun dinosaur activities like this dino dig.

Wolf Elective Adventure Digging in the Past 3B. Make a dinosaur dig. As a paleontologist, dig through a dinosaur dig that was created by a different member of your family. Explain how a paleontologist conducts digs.

The Wolf handbook calls for using Plaster of Paris for the Gemstone Dig Kit, but most people don't have that all around the house. I did some research to determine what else I could do.

Corn starch

You can create a dino-dig using corn starch and water. Most likely, you already have it within your kitchen.

Mix the corn starch with water to make the oobleck.

I didn't have enough but it was simpler to go to the dollar store or grocery store to buy corn starch instead of heading to the craft shop or Home Depot for Plaster of Paris. It's also cheaper.

Materials to DIY Dinosaur Diving Activities

Corn starch

Water

Mixing Dish

Toys for dinosaurs and fossil Skeletons

Container

The amount of cornstarch you'll require will depend on the size of your container. I purchased two 16-oz. I used half of the boxes to make the deep pie plate.

I went to Walgreen's as well as Dollar General when I needed to purchase excavation kit things. Both stores didn't carry any dinosaur toys, nor did they have dinosaur Skeletons. I was searching for something like these.

It was the night the day after Halloween that Walgreen's had these skeleton-themed garlands on sale for up to 80% off. They're not dinosaurs, but they're skeletons! Scouts are considered to be Thrifty.

Therefore, I actually have a human skeleton dig rather than a dinosaur dig.

Steps to Make the Dinosaur Dig

Don't forget that Cub Scouts will be expected to dig the site.

If you're able, take the Cub Scouts outside to mix up the Oobleck. Otherwise, you'll be cleaning the floor of corn starch for days! Not that I had any personal experience with that.

Mix the corn starch and water together in a large bowl to make oobleck. To achieve the best texture, you'll have to add two times the amount of cornstarch water.

For instance, add 3 cups of cornstarch to 1 1/2 cups of water. You can add more cornstarch in case the mixture gets too watery.

Pour the oobleck in your container. Bury the dinosaurs in the oobleck so that you aren't able to see them.

You may need to push your bones back into the mix as they do not wish to be buried. It's OK if a couple of them are poking out of the mix, ensure that all of them are totally submerged in the oobleck.

Allow your container to dry outside for at least a day. You'll need the container to be taken inside in the event that it rains.

You'll know when the oobleck has hardened enough that you begin to see cracks appear in it.

It is important to take all the containers home if you are conducting this as a group activity. That way, you can ensure that they all come back to for the next gathering. A large shallow box would make transporting them easy.

Scouts are required to dig the dig of another member in the den. To make sure that everyone gets their own dig, the Scouts must mark their names on masking tape and put it into the container. It is also possible to randomly distribute the digs.

Digging for Dinosaur Bones

Find some dinosaur-themed digging equipment. Allow your children to use their imaginations. However, household items like old paintbrushes, toothbrushes, toothpicks and a light hammer can work just fine. Your Cub Scouts may bring their own digging tools.

We've had this hammer for several years. One of my boys received it when they attended one of the Lowe's workshops for children. Lowe's seems to have ended the program.

It's going to become messy. There will be dust made of corn starch everywhere. I highly recommend that you take this exercise outdoors. If you've got a place with picnic tables, they are excellent to use.

Bring something to the Scouts. I used a pan but newspaper would work just as well. Lay the newspaper on the table.

Flip the container upside down onto the surface. Take the container off, and your dig should fall right off.

It is possible that your dig will break in a small amount, and that's perfectly normal. If it isn't however, your Cub Scout can use the hammer and gently tap on it to start breaking it into pieces.

Let your Scouts brush and dig their way through the dried oobleck. They should remind themselves that if they find a bone they should take a gentle swath and then clean up any corn starch residue using a brush.

Soon, they'll find their dinosaur bones!