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Showing results for tags 'KIDS'.
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First time back at the beach in a month or two.... was a little foggy. I've never seen a crab on the "turtleshell" rocks before, man I wish I could drag these back and put them in the garden. Help wanted - this bugger is HUGE... if you want it, I think we need a chopper or boat to extract it. Anytime out with the family is great! Pretty sure I've seen these in someone's youtube before!!
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The little man and I went to the C&D canal. His first and my second visit. Nice adventure out with success.. Happy Hunting
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Do You Have Any Pictures, of Collections for your Kids to take to School?
Rock Hound posted a topic in Member Collections
Have you helped your kids or grandkids put together a Fossil Collection for School? Do you have any pictures? Please share!!! -
Some of you may remember my struggles with the COVID lockdowns and having to shutdown my event rental business. Sad times. Well… my wife is at it again! She recently started another business venture (about 8 months ago. I think…) This time it’s an imaginative indoor play area specifically for kids in the age range of 0-8 years old. It’s been well received by our community and she is doing great! Why does The Fossil Forum care? I’m glad you asked! Today my wife had her first Fossil Event for the kids. A private event with a limited number of tickets. The event consisted of kids getting to dig open a “dinosaur egg” which contained a plastic dinosaur toy that was hidden inside. A grab bag full of goodies, snacks, special fossil themed play areas, and open play to the entire facility. She also had a local fossil expert on hand to show real fossils to the kids. That’s me! All of the children were 5 years old or less. I spoke to each of them in turn since they had to come to me to get an identification for the dinosaur they just found in their egg. It was a joy to watch their face light up when I showed them the Megalodon tooth or petrified wood. I equally enjoyed their nose wrinkling in disgust when I handed them fossil poo**. The insect could go either way. I also gave each kid a real fossil to take home in their goodie bag. My meager fossil setup is shown below. It’s not much, but was enough for the 5 year olds (and younger). Showing them things they could understand and relate to was key. A big tooth, wood, a bug, poo. I also threw in a few local specimens that they may find in their own backyards. It was a fun time and I thoroughly enjoyed spreading a bit of my fossil enthusiasm to the younger generation. I will certainly do it again in the future. **I know that the “fossil poo” I brought is not likely a coprolite, and may even be strictly geological, but to a 5 year old, if it’s the shape and color of poo, then it must be poo!
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Hello hello all. My kids have come of age when it comes to being able to understand things and have become hooked on fossils. It's pretty tough to find places where I'm from theres limited information on sites / locations. We dont really have any fossil clubs or official sites etc, everything we've ever found are shells. Fossils online seem to all be prepared. Can anyone point me in the direction of unprepared fossils that the kids can work on, they don't have to be anything fancy. Thanks in advance!
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If this is too unrelated to the forum please let me know but I'm hoping to create a 'dinosaur' themed area of the garden for my son or any other kids who visit. Planning on installed more dinosaur nests with eggs (rounded chalk cobbles) and also some dinosaur footprints. It's the creation of the footprints I'm looking some advice on. I'm hoping to create a series of small paving slabs with a Dino footprint on each one. Wondering the best way to go about it. Perhaps a postcrete or a concrete mix into a mould of some type? It would have to withstand the elements but doesn't need to last forever. Any other suggestion for a Dino garden welcome :-) Ps I'm in the UK for product advice
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My kids found these at the beach posting for kidos. Feel free to reply so I can share with them. They named them drumstick, hand or mitten and chicken foot
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Hello new TFF friends, I moved to the Bay Area of Northern California just under 3 years ago. I lived in Utah my entire life before that. I’ve done lots of rural wandering in Utah, and the beautiful geology there led me to start getting interested in rockhounding. Then work and life got in the way and I haven’t done anything for about 9 years. And now I’m in California and have twin 8 year olds and would like to introduce them to fossil hunting since one of the twins really loves dinosaurs. Obviously we don’t need to find dinosaur bones, or anything vertebrate for that matter, but I’m wondering if you can help us find a few sites that would be appropriate for a virgin fossil hunter like me. I found the TFF site via Google, and like the info in the Fossils for Kids section, but it looks like those posts are from 2010 so I’m wondering if they’re still valid, in terms of land access. Can anyone confirm or suggest a few sites? One other note: I also have a special-needs teenager with limited mobility, so I’m looking for sites that don’t require a hike to get to. The easiest of the easy. Thanks very much in advance for your help!
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Hello, We found something after walking thru TFF "The Farmers Field"... we have been working to identify trees and now we have move onto rocks. I have two boys 5 and 7 and they are very curious! We are working together to discover what is around us during this time of isolation. Looking hard for answers and discovering truths. Hoping that you can help us understand our findings. All the best, Jeremy
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Back in about 1992 or 93and for many years later and still to this day I took the whole family fossil hunting. I always made it a priority to take the family on a fossil vacation. I use to do 7 out of state trips for fossil hunting every year with one of those for the family and always in the last week of june or first week of July. Always had to wait for the kids to get out of school. Used to do trips that last up to 3 weeks. Ha! Now a 4 or 5 day trip is about all I can do. The misses doesn't go with me nowadays but I cant help it, I need to get out even if I cant do much because of this stroke. Ive gone on 2 fossil hunting trips already this year and still have 2 more to go. One to the Fox Hills Formation in South Dakota for more of those super nice and high quality ammonites and then my last one to Washington to get more crab concretions and to aquire more of those rare and most beautiful agitized Aturia!!! I used to keep everything but nowadays I only want quality and to grow the collection. Trimmin down some fish slabs Abssolutely LOVE this place!!! This creek changed paleo history!!! Was told that there would be a dusting of snow and a bit chilly. It got down to -12 degrees and got 4 inches of snow that buried everything!!! and yeah, we camped in that weather. I didnt see it then but now I can see that I was one of the tuffest dudes alive!!!! This was after the -12 degree night and I had to trim all the fish slabs. once in the truck with the heater on my fingers and toes were numb and then came that god awfull stinging when they thawed out. Lots of pain but came home with lots of fish! This is back when I thought split fish were cool. Not so anymore. Just too spoiled now but sure had a heck of alot of fun back in the day!
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Hi. This fall I will be teaching a paleontology class for 5th and 6th graders. We will meet once a week for 55 minutes. My plan is to teach up front for about ten minutes and then for the remainder of the class to be hands on activities. I have come up with some ideas, but would love some feedback on them and any other ideas that you all might have. The first session will be an introduction to paleontology, possibly including fieldwork methods, fossil prep, ichnology and trace fossils, adaptations, cladistics, plate tectonics, etc, while the second session will be more focused on the actual organisms that we find in the fossil record and how they changed through time. The second session will build a fossil kit as the session progresses to take home at the end. Here are the topics I have come up with so far: 1. What makes a dinosaur a dinosaur, addressing the dinosaur-bird connection 2. Cladistics- using either coins or candy or both 3. Fossils and sedimentary layers, layer cake stratigraphy (not sure about using food, depends on allergies) or could use colored sand and plastic cups with animal shaped beads to be the fossils 4. Dinosaurs and speed activity, have students learn to calculate their own speed over a given distance and apply that to dinosaur foot impressions 5. Plate tectonics and fossils, have the kids reconstruct the earth 220 million years ago based on fossils found on the different puzzle pieces that the land masses have been broken up into 6. Dinosaur teeth, learning the difference between meat-eaters and plant-eaters and discuss the size of dino teeth 7. Chocolate chip cookie excavation exercise, to teach how difficult fossils can be to extract from matrix and to prepare for study 8. Activity using a pant tray covered in dirt, rocks, and some sand. Sprinkle glitter (glitter= dead animal bones) over the dirt. Then gentle rain water out of a paper cup over your pretend hillside and watch the dirt absorb the water. There is a greater chance the glitter bones will be make it into the fossil record vs. the desert. Put plastic wrap over your hillside to simulate the desert. Sprinkle on your glitter and rain over it...glitter washes away into the arroyo, bones are separated, lost, broken, etc.... --> trying to develop into a way of showing how fossils end up getting in to the fossil record more easily in a forest environment vs. a desert environment. Still only just the beginning of an idea.
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Hi, I've just struck up a new interest in fossils (thanks Thermopolis, WY!) and I want to share it with my nephews (6 of them!). I know the fossil sorting kits you buy don't have the most exciting of specimens (Ammonite, brachiopod, clam, coprolite, coral, crinoid stem, crinoid star, dinosaur bone, gastropod, orthoceras, petrified wood, sea urchin, shark teeth, stingray teeth, and fish vertebrae), but I thought it would be a fun start if I bought a pack of them to make some DIY dig kits. The recipe I found for it is 1 part plaster of paris, 1 part water, 2 parts sand, though I'm open to other suggestions if someone knows a better mix! http://longlivelearning.com/2012/11/homemade-geology-dig-kit/#comment-164564 A few questions: Will the plaster mix damage the fossils? What is the best way to clean off the excess plaster once the kids dig them out? I've heard vinegar, is that safe/will it work? Can you recommend some other inexpensive but interesting fossil types that I could buy to mix in? Anyone have fossil/dinosaur/prehistoric life book recommendations for ages 4 - 9?
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Hi friends! I'm new, I just stumbled across this forum and it's awesome content while searching for fossil localities near Charleston, South Carolina. I was hoping to get some tips on looking for shark teeth anywhere between Columbia and Charleston. I am taking a road trip from AZ with my family and thought it would be really great to stop and search for fossils along the way. I just can't seem to really pin down any nice spots to find some. I know fossil hunting grounds are a very hush-hush type of thing, but I was hoping that I could be pointed in the direction of somewhere where I might be able to take the kids and hopefully find 5 to 10 teeth. Is anyone willing to share a location that is easily accessible where we can find a few neat little fossils? Maybe somewhere like a road cut, an easily accessible creek, or even a pile of excavated dirt...? Thanks so much!
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Hi, The USGS water gauge for the Brazos River at Highway 21 (Whiskey Bridge) shows the water level at 35 ft. https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=08108700 Will any of the fossil beds be accessible with the water this high?
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Funny commercial for parents (no fossils at all, but hilarious!)
Monica posted a topic in Members' News & Diversions
Hi all! A little while ago my husband and I saw this commercial for Maple Leaf Foods - we found it hilarious then and we still laugh out loud whenever it comes on, so I thought some fellow TFF members might also enjoy it. I think parents will find it especially funny... Enjoy! Monica -
I'd like to make an announcement that a new species of stegosaure has been found in Indiana... A young grad student has uncovered what appears to be a baby stegosaure that can glow in the dark! I'm sure this find will be published in all the big name magazines and that National Geographic Channel will cover down on this scientific discovery. It's great when you can share your hobby and teach your children
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Hi All, I'm new to the forum and have always been interested in fossils. My 6 year old daughter keeps asking about fossils and going fossil hunting in Beaumaris, a suburb of Melbourne. I'd love to do some hunting with her and wondering if anyone with experience goes down to Beaumaris to show us what to look for. Thanks so much. Asaf and Lexi
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Hi!! I discovered your forum while looking for shark teeth on the Georgia Coast this past fall. We live in Oklahoma but spend time in central Colorado. I have always been a beach glass fan and our family loves fossils. My youngest is 6 so I feel that I can now properly incorporate fossil finding into our travels. We are now in Pensacola and from the things that I have read, I should head to Port A Dam with the kids to look for shark teeth. I am just not totally sure what I am in for. If someone could tell me the best, most efficient way to dig, sort, and any other suggestions for a newbie with kids, I would SO appreciate it!!!! I brought strainers and small shovels. I just am not sure how large/small my sifters should be. Thanks tons! I am excited for this new adventure!
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Hey all, Have got a Dinosaur crazy three year old and we have started to look for fossils on our coast. Trouble is Dad knows next to nothing, IDing a Belenmite was a major score for me but totally unable to convice 3yo it is not a dinosaur tooth, so think I will be needing your help to not shatter his illusion about me.
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Hi, I have an 8yr old daughter who is nuts about fossils and dinosaurs. After several years of thinking she will grow out of it I've come to the conclusion I need to help her develop her love of all things dinosaur and take her of a few fossil hunting trips. Problem is, I have no idea where to go or what to look for. Any help to get us started would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
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Hey everyone. New member. Was invited by a person on Facebook. Glad to be here. Question: There is a local girl scout troop looking for a place to go fossil hunting. They want to explore, get dirty, have fun, the normal kids stuff most of us never outgrew. Anyway, we live in the middle of no where fossil speaking. We are about 1.5 hours from Atlanta Ga, Asheville NC, and Chattanooga Tn. I have noticed some interesting road cuts along Hwy 24, but am not a fan of collecting next to a major highway. Let alone doing it with 10 kids. Is there any outcroppings - say along the rivers - around Chattanooga where the kids could find some interesting stuff? I have set the hook as it were. I just need to reel them in. Thank you in advance. The Houston Gem and Mineral Society had an EXCELENT spiral bound book about "roadside" fossil collecting. Maps on every page, where to park, all public access. Anything like that for Tenn.? or Georgia? Thanks again. Wolfman63
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I'm in Bend for the weekend looking for destanations to look for fossils please HELP!!!
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Hi! does anyone know where to look for fossils in Bali, we have just moved here. Three mad keen junior diggers would appreciate any insights. THANKS!
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I am planning a trip with my 12-year-old grandson (and future paleontologist) to a dinosaur dig this summer, and would like to get some first hand advice on choosing a good outfit. We can go about anywhere in the U.S., several days to a week, but since we'll likely be flying we can't easily bring along much gear of our own. I've researched dozens of dig sites. Some sites were outdated, some sketchy on details, some had age limits or are already filled. PaleoAdventures and Hell Creek Fossils, Dinosaurs of the Western Slopes are possibilities, but I would welcome any comments on organizations to avoid, or ones you have had a good experience with.
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I posted an ID recently and have found myself checking back on the forum several times to see what others are posting. Guess I'm addicted! I was lucky enough to grow up in a place in Austin where fossils were everywhere. The creek behind my house was full of all sorts of shells as well as geodes. My parents are both rock hounds and general naturalists. The mantel in our house did not contain framed family photos, but instead such items as a huge specimen of muscovite (mica) weighing probably 40 lbs, deer antlers, a vulture ulna with quill knobs, birds nests, and any number of small interesting 'finds' (skeletons, fossils, rocks, etc). 30+ years later, I now live but 2 miles from that house. Unfortunately for my own kids (5 and 7), our neighborhood creek is honeycomb limestone and I've yet to find a fossil in that type of formation. But we are a short car ride from plenty of other places. As I've shown them fossils on our hikes, I find myself referring to them by common names - ramshorn oyster, devil's toenails, deer hearts, etc - that I have no idea if they are correct! So I'm on a mission to really learn what's out there so I can teach my kiddos the right names from the get-go. My mom just handed down a Texas fossil book to me she's had since I was a kid. If she had that book, she probably taught me those names, and I bet they are right! But it never hurts to verify. We've been going on sporadic fossil hunts their entire lives. But recently they have really gotten into it and we've been going weekly. Instead of hitting up Shoal Creek (where you literally can't walk without stepping on a fossil), we've been exploring all the little creeks in our neck of the woods for more of a challenge. I've been showing them geological maps and google earth images, and we are trying to get better at guessing which areas will be good hunting. So far we miss more than hit, but who doesn't love a good romp in a stream bed? Little Fossil Hunters at work Proud of her finds! Not much on this trip, but fun place to explore! We have a lot of really clayey limestone with all sort of bits and bobs in it. Kids love picking through it.
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