Pretend to be archeologists and dig for dinosaur bones in your own backyard.

What You Need

• Cardboard – corrugated or cereal box
• Dinosaur bones pattern
• Glue
• Large shallow container, such as a snow sled or storage container
• Paint brushes, 1-6 inches wide
• Sandbox sand, 1-2 large bags
• Scissors – strong enough to cut cardboard
• Shovels or spades, small ones

What You Do

1. Print dinosaur bone puzzle patterns.
   You can make your own, or print our dinosaur bones puzzle pattern.
2. Make dinosaur puzzle pieces
   Cut out the paper dinosaur bone pieces and glue them on cardboard. Then cut out the puzzle pieces.
3. Gather the items to make your “dig”
   Get a bag or two of sandbox sand, a large shallow container (such as a plastic sled or storage box), some small paint brushes and shovels.
4. Fill the container with sand, and hide the puzzle pieces
   It’s best to hide the puzzle pieces when your “archeologists” are not around. Then use the shovel or spade to smooth over the hiding places.
5. Start the dino dig!
   Hand out the paint brushes and shovels, and encourage your “archeologists” to find their dinosaurs.
6. Pretend the bones are fragile, like real dinosaur bones
   Use the brush to carefully uncover the bones.
7. Clean all the sand off the bones into the large container.
8. Put the puzzle pieces together into a whole dinosaur.
9. Clean up
   Now have your archeologists shovel the sand back into the original bag, so you can have another dig in the future.