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A fossil is what is left of a plant or an animal that lived long ago, kept in rock. Most fossils are very, very old.

Usually only the hard parts become fossils: bones, teeth, shells and wood. Soft parts, like skin, rot away.

How does a bone turn into stone? An animal dies and is quickly covered by mud or sand. More and more layers pile on top and slowly turn into rock. Water seeps into the bones and leaves tiny bits of minerals behind, so the bones turn to stone. This takes thousands or even millions of years!

Footprints and burrows can become fossils too. They are called trace fossils. Even fossil poo has been found!

Experiment: Make fossil prints

1. Roll the play dough flat and smooth.
2. Press a shell or a leaf firmly into the dough, then lift it out carefully.
3. Walk the toy animal across another part of the dough to make footprints.
4. Look with the magnifying glass. What shape is left behind?
5. Swap with a friend. Can they guess what made each print?

What I pressed in	What the print shows	Did my friend guess it? (yes / no)
Print 1
Print 2
Footprints

Questions

1. Draw a fossil. Is it a bone, a shell, a leaf or a footprint?

   🍎

2. Which is more likely to become a fossil: a shell or a jellyfish?

   a shell / a jellyfish

3. Tell the story of how a bone turns into stone. Use the words mud, layers and stone.

Sources for every fact on this sheet: echoesof.science/school/fossils/sources/

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