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DIY Dinosaur Excavation Kit – Learn how to make it
It’s all about digging and chipping through sand in search of dinosaur bones and skeletons. This personalized dinosaur excavation kit is perfect for kid-centered events such as birthday parties. Once the kids meandered over to the excavation table to open and begin their excavation, they were kept very busy for nearly the remainder of the party, with the exception of presents and cake. Why was this dinosaur excavation such a big hit? Well…
Depending on the kids’ age and how well they play together, you can decide to use a sandbox with sand and provide a bucket full of paint brushes, magnifying glasses, and putty knives, and let the kids search for bones and skeletons in the sandbox. However, I was concerned that one or two kids would find all the treasure and leave none for the others. So I decided instead to make each kid a personal dinosaur excavation kit. This also enabled them to take the kit home to complete it on their own in the case they didn’t finish at the party. Read the exact step by step tutorial below.
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Dinosaur Excavation Kit Materials Needed:
- Miniature dinosaur skeletons (about 2-3 per kit)
- Dinosaur bones (see step 2 below)
- Play sand
- Plaster
- Tupperware (one per kit)
- Putty knives (one per kit)
- Paint brushes
- Magnifying glasses (one per kit)
- Burlap ribbon
- Jute
- Any extra materials you need to personalize your kits for each child (see step 1 below)
The Prep Work
Gather all the supplies you will need for this, including Miniature Dinosaur Skeletons, (2-3 per kit) “Dinosaur” bones (see step two), Play Sand, Plaster, Tupperware (one container per kit), Putty Knives (one per kit), Paint Brushes, (I got a variety of sizes and gave each kit two), Magnifying glasses, (one per kit). Although some of these items can easily be found at your local craft or dollar stores (such as the ribbon, jute, and Tupperware) I have included the Amazon links above for your shopping convenience. You may also want to decorate the kits your own way, but I used two-inch burlap ribbon, green jute, a little instruction card, and to personalize the kits, I included a wooden letter of the first initial of each kid.
To make this excavation even more exciting, I included some actual bones in each dinosaur excavation kit, which required a little pre-prep for the kits. About a month or so before making the kits, I started saving the bones from any chicken, Cornish hen or turkey we ate. After cutting the meat off and cleaning them in warm water, I let them dry for a day. You can also bake them over a very low (250) temperature for about 30 minutes or until dry.
To make this excavation even more exciting, I included some actual bones in each dinosaur excavation kit, which required a little pre-prep for the kits. About a month or so before making the kits, I started saving the bones from any chicken, Cornish hen or turkey we ate. After cutting the meat off and cleaning them in warm water, I let them dry for a day. You can also bake them over a very low (250) temperature for about 30 minutes or until dry.
Making the Soil
Now for the real fun! To make the soil, mix 8 cups sand with 1 cup plaster for a harder soil that older kids might find more challenging to chip away at as they dig. Then add 1 cup of water and mix well. For a softer soil that toddlers might enjoy more, mix 8 cups sand with 1/2 cup plaster. Then add 1/2 cup water and mix well. You can also buy turmeric in bulk and add varying amounts to give your soil an authentic rock look. Next…
Working fast, fill up your Tupperware containers about a third to half full. Start placing the miniature skeletons and bones (if you made bones), into the soil. Add more soil to cover them up. Add another layer of skeletons and bones and cover them up with soil. Depending on how large your containers are, you may add 2-3 layers of skeletons and bones.
For the last layer, I left one of the skeletons slightly uncovered to provide each kid with a starting point and some motivation.
Leave your kits outside in the sun to dry for as long as necessary. It took mine a couple of days. The larger the dinosaur excavation kits, the longer they will need to dry. Once they are dry, you can move on to the decorating part.
Decorating the Dinosaur Excavation Kit
If you are going to include the name or initial of each kid with his/her kit, you can begin working on this while the kits are drying. I found some small wooden letters in my craft box. You can paint them to match the colors of your party. I left them unfinished but I did write the name of each kid on the letter.
Once dry, carefully bring your kits in and begin decorating them. First, I glued burlap ribbon around each kit. I then used the jute to tie each of the tools (putty knife, 2 paint brushes, magnifying glass), and the wooden first initial of each child to the kit. Last, I created a little card that read, “Dinosaur Excavation Kit: Use these tools and dig to find some dinosaur bones and skeletons”.
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