Children love playing in the sandbox! It is one place they are allowed to get dirty. Why not send your kids out to the sand to hunt for dinosaur bones? This activity will keep your kids engaged in the sand for hours of exploration and play!

Making the Bones

Where are you going to find dinosaur bones? You create your own, of course! Clean chicken or turkey bones thoroughly by boiling them in water. Then scrub them in hot soapy water and lay them over paper towels to dry. Once your bones are ready, take them out to the sandbox. Scatter and bury them under the sand.

Digging It Up

Tell your kids that today they get to be paleontologists. A paleontologist is someone who searches for fossils or traces of extinct life (like dinosaurs). Explain that paleontologists need special equipment to search for these fossils. Pass out buckets, small spades, and plastic magnifying glasses for each child to use in their search. Head outside to the sandbox and let the fun begin!

After the kids have found all the bones, let them share their discoveries with one another. Have them try to guess what animal bones they found and on what part of the body the bones may be from. Kids will love searching through the sand and finding real bones in their own backyard! Playing in the sandbox doesn’t get better than this!

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