I have some fun facts about mold fossils for you today as well as some hands-on ideas to demonstrate them and the other 3 basic types of fossils. Also, you’ll love my Amber – Freezing Gold Lapbook and Unit Study.
Kids love dinosaurs and everything about them, from the big names to learning about fossils, and just how on earth they disappeared.
We are going to be investigating as well as creating fossils from 4 simple categories – Mold, Cast, and True Form.
We will dig into the definition of each, and you can choose an activity from each category to demonstrate the different types of fossils found.
To begin with, let’s define fossils.
Fossils are bits of plants and animals preserved from the past.
It can be a footprint, impressions, actual material like teeth and bones, or even what is created in the negative space of the impressions.
5 Fun Facts About Mold Fossils
Next, here are facts about mold fossils.
- Organisms buried in sediment may decay or dissolve away leaving a cavity or mold to form these types of fossils.
- Mold fossils are found in a variety of different rock types. For example, sandstone, shale, and limestone.
- Mold fossils are useful because they help researchers to guess the exact shape and structure of the organisms that created them.
- Most molds and casts do not contain the actual remains of an organism.
- Common mold fossils include things like skin, leaves, teeth, claws, and embryos.
Additionally, look at these 4 types of fossils.
4 Types of Fossils
1.TRACE
These types of fossils are the ones you see that are made up of an imprint of or a mark left by an organism, rather than physical remains.
Trace fossils are produced in soft sediments. For instance, they can be a track, trail, footprint, burrow, etc., of an organism.
- Exploring Trace Fossils By Making Dinosaur Footprints in edible mud, yum.
- This Dinosaur Fossil Clay looks like a lot of fun and is a great sensory activity.
- Here is a science project to Identify Trace Fossils using plaster of Paris.
2.MOLD
A rock that has a void where something once was or formerly lived is called a mold fossil.
This kind of fossil is made when an animal dies and its body decays, leaving an imprint in the sediment. It is the void portion of the fossil.
- A great example of a mold fossil that is also delicious is these Dinosaur Fossil Cookies.
- This Sedimentary Rocks & Fossil Experiment is a busy hands way to teach how fossils are formed over the years through pressure.
3. CAST
Similarly, in a cast fossil, the mineralized sediment that fills the mold recreates the shape of the remains.
When the imprint fills in with minerals from sediment and groundwater and hardens to form a fossil it creates the cast. This is the filled-in portion of a mold/cast fossil.
- In this Make Fun Edible Fossils and Free Magic School Bus Fossils Worksheet the brown sugar would be the mold and the white chocolate would represent the cast.
- Here is a great step-by-step on How To Make Cast Fossils With Kids.
4.TRUE FORM
True form fossils are the kind that are formed when the animals’ soft tissues or hard parts do not decay over the years and are preserved in their natural form.
It can be because they are trapped within sap that hardens to become amber (technically this is classified as a gemstone) or frozen.
True-form fossils are also formed through desiccation, where they are completely dried out and preserved, or finally, through freezing, where all soft tissues remain intact.
- Here is an example of an insect trapped in amber in my Science Fiction for Middle School Fun Jurassic Park Quick Unit Study (DIY Insect in Amber)
- Another example of a true-form fossil is this tutorial for How to Make A Megalodon Shark Tooth Fun Homeschool Project.
- I really like this Amber Fossilized Insect Soap because it has multiple uses, to teach about true-form fossils and to get kids squeaky clean.
Next, add some of these books about fossils.
15 Books for Kids Crazy About Fossils and Dinosaurs
Your dinosaur loving kids will love some of these books and resources for a fun dinosaur unit study.
What is a fossil? Sometimes it's the imprint of an ancient leaf in a rock. Or it could be the skeleton of a dinosaur that has turned to stone. With clear prose and beautifully detailed illustrations, award-winning author and illustrator Aliki describes the different ways fossils are formed and what they tell us about life on Earth long ago.
This is a clear and appealing science book for early elementary age kids, both at home and in the classroom. It includes a find out more section with a glossary and activity guide so kids can create their own fossils for someone to find a million years from now.
Gail Gibbons presents the most recent and up-to-date theories about the history of dinosaurs and dinosaur discoveries. She discusses the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods and the non-bird dinosaurs that lived during each time. Each dinosaur is explored in just the right amount of detail for young paleontologists, as this book brings these magnificent creatures to life again
How did those enormous dinosaur skeletons get inside the museum? Beloved author-illustrator Aliki’s simple, engaging text and colorful artwork bring the long-extinct creatures to life for young dinosaur enthusiasts.
Long ago, dinosaurs ruled the Earth. Then, suddenly, they died out. For thousands of years, no one knew these giant creatures had ever existed. Then people began finding fossils—bones and teeth and footprints that had turned to stone. Today, teams of experts work together to dig dinosaur fossils out of the ground, bone by fragile bone
A playful peek into the homes of dinosaur babies and their parents at bedtime!How do dinosaurs say good night?Brimming with humor and familiar good-night antics, here is a playful peek into the homes of dinosaur children and their parents at bedtime. Perfect for sharing and reading aloud, this is one nighttime book your own little dinosaur will want to read again and again.
A celebratory edition of this much loved classic picture book, now twenty-five years old. This rollicking rhyming text is a joy to read aloud, and the charming and colourful pictures will appeal to the very youngest dinosaur fans. Originally published in 1994, Dinosaur Roar! by Henrietta and Paul Stickland is now seen as a modern classic, a book that every preschool child should have.In the back of the book is a wonderful pull-out poster showing the dinosaur characters.The book carries the endorsement of the Earth Sciences Department at the Natural History Museum.
With a lively rhyming text and vibrant paper collage illustrations, author-artist Bob Barner shakes the dust off the dinosaur bones found in museums and reminds us that they once belonged to
living, breathing creatures. Filled with fun dinosaur facts (a T. Rex skull can weigh up to 750 pounds!) and an informational "Dinometer," Dinosaur Bones is sure to make young dinosaur enthusiasts roar with delight.
A long time ago there were dinosaurs. Big dinosaurs and small dinosaurs. Dinosaurs with horns on their heads or spikes down their backs. Dinosaurs with long, long necks and long, long tails. Imaginatively and with a masterful use of color, shape and composition, Bryon Barton brings to life a unique and endearing vision of what the world may have looked like once upon a time.
A long time ago there was dinosaurs. Big dinosaurs and small dinosaurs. Dinosaurs with horns on their heads or spikes down their backs. Dinosaurs with long, long necks and long, long tails.Imaginatively and with a masterful use of color, shape and composition, Byron Barton brings to life unique and endearing vision of what the world may have looked like once up ona time.
This STEM-friendly musical fossil dig will have dinosaur lovers singing along as they learn the science behind paleontology.
If you could be a dinosaur, which would you be? Would you roar like the ferocious T-Rex? Or soar overhead like the pterodactyl? In this playful early-learning book, Stella Blackstone s lyrical, rhyming text takes readers on an unforgettable Jurassic journey, while fabric artist Clare Beaton recreates the prehistoric world of dinosaurs using a colorful array of felt, sequins, beads and buttons.
I am Tyrannosaurus Rex.
I am a dinosaur,
otherwise known as
a terrible lizard.
Tyrannosaurus rex is a terrible dinosaur; of this, everyone is certain. But is this dinosaur really so terrible? He IS very big and very hungry. True, he might even eat his neighbors for lunch. But from his point of view, he can't help it. After all, he's not a vegetarian . . .
Meet George. He's strong, as a giant dinosaur should be, strong enough to wreck a plane! (Of course he thinks it's his old enemy, the flying Pteranodon.) He's loyal. He'll do anything to help Joan and Joey save their mother's ranch at Cricket Creek, even chase a bank robber. He's shy. He's so shy he gets Joan and Joey into hilarious, dinosaur sized trouble!
The classroom is decorated as Dinosaur Land, but Ms. Frizzle-inspired by an archeological dig-craves a more authentic experience. The Magic School Bus turns into a time machine and transports the class back millions of years to an adventure where they learn about dinosaurs, their habitats and diets, and even a Maiasaura nesting ground.
Fossils are one of the most important tools we have for learning about long-extinct wildlife.
A True Book: Earth Science series presents fascinating facts and fun activities that will engage the budding earth scientist, while exploring the fields of geology, meteorology, ecology, and more. This series includes an age appropriate (grades 3-5) introduction to curriculum-relevant subjects and a robust resource section that encourages independent study. In the 4.6 billion years since Earth was formed, many plant and animal species have come and gone. Readers will discover how fossils are formed, how paleontologists search for them, and what kinds of information they can provide.
A box of ten fossils: A box of this paleontological fossil sample contains ten of fossils, including sea clam fossils, trilobites, ichthyodonts, porphyrites, copal amber, graptolites, nematodes, phylloceras, corals, and spirals. Fossil specimen of algae.
Step into Prehistory: This Toob contains 10 expertly hand-painted mini figurines of ancient fossils, including a Dinosaur Footprint, Giant Crab, Ammonite, Raptor Claw, Fossilized Frog, Trilobite, T-Rex Tooth, Fossilized Fish, Dinosaur Skin, and a Sea Scorpion.
Finally, look at this hands-on activity to go along with fun facts about mold fossils.
4 Types of Fossil Activities For Kids
Here is a quick activity to give your child a demonstration of all 4 types that you can use when studying fossils.
You will need:
- Small dinosaur toys
- Playdough
- Kinetic sand
- Water
- Small container
First, place a small dinosaur in a little bowl covered with water and freeze.
Once frozen remove it from the bowl.
Then explain that this is a type of true-form fossil like when an intact baby mammoth was found frozen in permafrost in the Klondike gold fields in the Yukon.
More commonly true fossils will be small things like insects in hardened amber.
Use a small ball of playdough to demonstrate mold and cast fossils by making an impression with a small dinosaur toy.
Pull it out and observe the impression it made (mold).
Now, you will want to explain what is a mold impression.
It is made when something was there at one time and decayed to nothing but the impression stayed over time.
Carefully fill the impression with kinetic sand and press in firmly.
Now flip the sand out, and look at the (cast impression) it made in your hand.
While it’s not a perfectly detailed impression it gives your child a quick understanding of this kind of fossil.
Next, let your child make footprints in the playdough.
This demonstrates a trace fossil that might have been left behind.
