Coffee Ground Fossils: A Unique DIY Craft
Salt dough projects can be tedious, so we created homemade fossils out of coffee ground instead. Kids will love playing pretend they’re on an actual dinosaur excavation! A fun kids craft that’s doable any time of year!
Why These Fossils Are Fun To Create
Kids will have great fun making their own fossils using old coffee grounds, cold coffee as colorants and salt and flour to make more realistic fossils that resemble rocks and dirt more closely, with cold coffee providing darker tones to add an earthier touch.
Making dough is an enjoyable sensory activity for kids of all ages. Let them use their hands to knead it together for maximum mixing effectiveness!
Kids can experiment with all sorts of objects to press into their fossil dough and create texture! We used toy dinosaurs and seashells; but really anything goes! They make great visual aids for science projects as well as being fun Earth Day crafts for children!
Younger kids might benefit from pre-measuring ingredients; older ones will take great delight in measuring themselves.
Things you might find useful include: Smocks for children to wear when working, paper towels, newspaper, plastic/vinyl tablecloth and toothpicks with string to hang the fossil (optional).
How to make coffee Ground Fossils
Children will need the assistance of an adult in saving any leftover coffee grounds to create this fun activity!
Engage an adult to brew a small quantity of coffee (no more than 1/2 cup for this activity) and save its grounds, giving enough time for cooling before disposing of them.
Stir together the coffee grounds, coffee beans, flour and salt until everything is evenly mixed.
Knead the dough before pressing it out onto wax paper to flatten.
Use the can to cut circles, and cookie cutters/knives to cut out fun shapes!
Press small objects firmly into dough to leave an imprint; remove and there is your fossil!
If you intend to hang the coffee ground fossils later, using a toothpick to poke a small hole near its edge will allow for easier hanging.
Allow the coffee ground fossils to dry and harden overnight (depending on how thick your creations are, this could take more time).
Next day, you can display or use your coffee ground fossils for archaeological digs!
More Science Themed Craft Ideas:: Your children will be delighted by this Balloon Experiment! For an interactive family activity, try this Colorful Kitchen Experiment! And if your little ones love fossils, try creating Clothespin Dinosaurs as a Clothespin Dinosaur Craft idea!