Dinosaur Fossil Excavation

Bury toy dinos in a salt-dough block and hand over a brush and a spoon.

Ages 4+Prep 25 min · Activity 45 minSome messIndoor or outdoorCraftsMedium

By WonderCraft Kids Editorial Team, Editorial team · Updated 30 July 2026

Every child who loves dinosaurs eventually wants to be the person digging them up. A salt-dough block with figures baked inside turns that into a slow, absorbing, delightfully archaeological afternoon.

What you need

2 cups plain flour
1 cup salt
Up to 1 cup water
6-10 small toy dinosaurs
Old paintbrush, teaspoon and a blunt skewer
A tray to catch crumbs

Step by step

1
Mix flour and salt, then add water slowly until you have a stiff, non-sticky dough.
2
Press a handful flat, lay a dinosaur on it, and wrap the dough around it into a rock shape.
3
An adult bakes the rocks at 120°C / 250°F for two hours until hard, then leaves them to cool completely.
4
Set up the dig: rock on a tray, brush and spoon beside it, one rule — no smashing.
5
As each fossil appears, have them brush it clean and line it up.
6
Finish by sorting the finds: biggest to smallest, meat eaters and plant eaters.

What kids learn

Scientific patience

Real excavation is slow. Working carefully to avoid damage is genuinely how palaeontology works.

Tool use

Switching between brush, spoon and skewer gives children a chance to choose the right tool for each job.

Classification

Sorting finds by size, diet or feature is early scientific thinking in disguise.

Make it easier

Make thinner rocks and leave a tail poking out so the first success comes quickly.

Make it more challenging

Number the rocks and give them a field notebook: sketch each find, record its number, guess the species.

Safety and supervision

Adults handle the oven. Baked dough stays hot in the middle longer than it looks.
Salt dough is not edible — very salty and it will make a child sick.
Use a blunt skewer only, and demonstrate digging away from the body.

Adult supervision is required for every activity on this site. Read our full child safety guidelines.

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