Mad Science of Sacramento Valley - Fast Fossil

What You Need:
- Modeling Clay
-White glue
-Plastic wrap
-Rolling Pin
-Object you wish to fossilize such as seashells, small figures, etc.

What You do:
Step 1: Place a piece of plastic wrap on your rolling surface. Wrap your rolling pin with another piece of plastic wrap.
Step 2: Put the clay on the rolling surface. Roll out the clay until it is about as thick as your finger.
Step 3: Lay your fossil object on the clay. Press on it lightly to make a dent in the clay. Do not press too hard or else the fossil will not form completely.
Step 4: Carefully remove the object from the clay.
Step 5: Fill the mold with white glue up to the top of the dent
left by the object.
Step 6: Let the glue dry for 24 hours. Remove the dried glue. This is your “fossil”!

What's Going on:
You made a fossil! Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of living things from the past. There are many ways to form a
fossil. This experiment models the casting and molding method. The dent made by your object in the clay is a mold. It shows the
details of your object ’s surface. The plant or animal that made a real fossil disappears when it rots away. In your case, your
object disappears when you remove it. Groundwater leaks into molds and then evaporates, leaving minerals behind. The minerals
dry up and harden. This creates a cast. The glue acts like the groundwater minerals that make the cast. Once the glue dries, you
have your fossil cast!

Now Try This:
Create a fossil hunt. Mix a handful of other objects with your original object. Have a friend guess which object made your fossil!

Mad Science of Sacramento Valley
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Serving Placer, El Dorado, Solano, Amador, Sutter, San Joaquin, Yolo and Sacramento Counties!!!