Fossil Sensory Bags

Learning Areas:

Science
Technology

Overview

Unearth fossils from the Jurassic Period! Support children in sensory play as they move the dirt to uncover the images below.

ECSEL Standards & Learning Goals

What skills are being enhanced & what knowledge is being gained through this activity?

Emotional Identification

Teachers will guide children in beginning to identify and recognize the four basic emotions (happy, sad, angry, scared) through sensory exploration.

Emotional Understanding

Teachers will support children in beginning to understand the differences between the four basic emotions related to sensory exploration in this activity.

Problem Solving

Teachers will support children in using their early problem-solving skills to move the dirt to uncover dinosaur fossils while also supporting children’s emotions that arise during this activity.

Cause & Effect

Teachers will support children in beginning to learn simple causes for each of the four basic emotions related to sensory play by providing examples.

Empathy & Prosocial Skills

Children will work together to share and take turns exploring the sensory bags.

CASEL Standards

Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision-Making

Materials

Large plastic Ziploc bags (1 per pair)
Printed out pictures or illustrations of dinosaur fossils from the Jurassic Period (1 per pair and 2-3 to show as examples)
Dirt or sand (1-2 cups per bag)
Masking tape

Instructions:

To prepare for this activity:
- - Print out multiple pictures or illustrations of dinosaur fossils from the Jurassic Period and tape them to the back of each Ziploc bag.
  - Fill each bag with dirt. Make sure there is enough dirt to cover the images while the bag is lying flat, but that they are not too full to prevent children from moving the dirt around the bag to uncover the images.
  - Tape the bags shut to ensure they don’t break open during the activity.
Gather children in an open space on the floor and introduce the activity by showing different pictures of dinosaur fossils from the Jurassic Period. Explain that today they will be uncovering fossils!
Guide children to sit in pairs and support different ages and development stages with either sitting up or participating in tummy time.
Lay the sensory bags on the ground in between the pairs and support children as they explore the sensory bags.
Show how you can slide the dirt across the bag using a finger, multiple fingers, or your whole hand.
Encourage and guide children to uncover the fossils.
1. - “When I move my finger this way, I can start to see a fossil! Do you see it? Can you try moving it with your finger?”
  - “I see another part of the fossil when I move the dirt over here!”
  - “Can we use our toes to move the sand around and uncover the fossils?”
Support children in their fine motor skills as they move the dirt around using different parts of their bodies.
Verbally acknowledge any emotions you observe during the activity and provide simple causes connected to the activity. For example, “Are you feeling angry because you want a turn?”
Acknowledge and praise acts of empathy and prosocial behavior that arise such as sharing, turn-taking, and cooperation.

ECSEL Prompts

ECSEL Prompts are helpful questions & guiding statements you can use to provoke children’s thinking about emotions. These prompts are related to this specific activity.

I see a frown. Are you feeling angry?

One of our friends had a frown on their face and now they’re smiling! Our emotions can change throughout the day.

You’re laughing so much! Do you feel happy when you find the fossils? It’s a fun surprise!

You both are sharing the sensory bag so well! Thank you for working together.

I think I see a fossil over here in this corner. How can we push the dirt away and uncover it?

Extended Learning

Use these questions & ideas to extend children’s learning!

Use different sensory material in place of dirt such as rice or small, dried pasta

Dye the rice and/or pasta with food coloring to enhance the activity.

Extend this activity by printing out pictures of habitats from the Jurassic period instead of fossils.

Infant – Fossil Sensory Bags

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