There is something about fossils that is fascinating to all of us. Many parents get excited when their kids start enjoying a study of fossils at school because that means they can become kids again and get all excited about dinosaurs and let them be fascinated by fossils again. Of course, you don’t have to wait for that chapter in your child’s school math curriculum to come around to fossils to start getting everybody interested in the study of fossils and finding great family activities to make those studies spring to life.
If your kids are not fascinated by fossils yet, it only takes a family movie night to watch a great movie about dinosaurs to get the ball rolling. As the children enjoy the big computer generated dinosaurs roar on the small screen, your son or daughter might turn to you and says, “Daddy how do we know what dinosaurs looked like?” That is a question that can launch a life-long fascination with fossils and things of the past that will become more fun and engaging for your child with each new discovery.
The television is full of specials you can use to take that interest to the next level. When you begin to explore how scientists used their skills as archeology and paleontology to carefully unearth dinosaur fossils and preserve them for study and to show at a natural history museum, the kids will be captivated. An archeological dig is actually a fairly quiet and tedious place. But when the children watch a dig in progress on a television special on one of the science channels, you will be thrilled and surprised how absorbed they will become in the meticulous process that is used to preserve fossils that are millions of years old.
From there, you might schedule a trip to an actual natural history museums to see real fossils that are fully excavated and on display. The link between what they saw in that television special and the finished product will expand their interest and fascination. And when they see huge life-sized dinosaurs on display that were constructed based on the information learned from fossils, the squeals of delight will prove that they love of fossils just took off like a rocket.
Many natural history museums either hold workshops in archeology or can give you a reference to a business nearby that you can go and actually become part of a dig. If the children are willing to learn the craft of an archeologist and there are active digs in your area, often they can become volunteers in actually excavating a real fossil burial ground. When they come home with artifacts from that kind of experience, their playful, childlike interest in fossils will have blossomed into a lifelong area of study. By giving them that excitement for fossils, you will have done your child a tremendous favor and done a good job as mom and dad turning them into lovers of science and knowledge.