With these coffee ground fossils, your kids can pretend they were on a real-life dinosaur excavation! An easy kid’s craft that’s doable any time of the year!

Why these fossils are so fun to make

We’ve made a lot of projects using salt dough, but we wanted these homemade fossils to look more aged. Kids will love creating their own fossils by using old coffee grounds, some cold coffee for color, and of course, salt and flour. The coffee grounds make the finished fossils look more realistic as if they are specked with rocks and dirt. The cold coffee adds a darker color, making them more earthy.

Crafting Tips

• Mixing up the dough is a great sensory activity. Allow kids to knead the dough together with their hands to finish the mixing process.
• Kids can try all sorts of objects to press into their fossil dough. We’ve used toy dinosaurs and a seashell. But honestly, they can use whatever they want to create texture!
• These work well as visual aids for science projects and make a fun Earth Day craft for kids.
• For younger kids, you may want to measure out the ingredients ahead of time, but older kids will enjoy measuring.

Supplies you’ll need for coffee ground fossils

• 1 cup of used coffee grounds
• 1/2 cup of cold coffee
• 1 cup of flour
• 1/2 cup of salt
• Wax paper
• Mixing bowl
• Starfish, seashells, small toy dinosaurs, or other objects for the impressions
• Cookie cutter, empty can, or a butter knife

Things you may find helpful

• Smocks to keep the kids from messing up their clothes
• Paper towels
• Newspaper or a plastic or vinyl tablecloth to cover the work surface
• Toothpicks and string to hang your fossil, optional

How to make coffee ground fossils

Kids should ask a grown up to save some leftover coffee and the grounds for this activity! 

1. Get a grown up to brew a small amount of coffee (you’ll only need ½ cup for the activity) and save the grounds. Allow time for the coffee to cool.
2. Stir together the coffee grounds, coffee, flour, and salt, until well mixed.
3. Knead the dough and then flatten it out onto the wax paper.
4. Use the can to cut out circles (or the cookie cutters/knife to cut out fun shapes).
5. Press the small objects firmly into the dough, to leave an imprint. Remove the object, and there’s your fossil!
6. You can use a toothpick to poke a small hole near the edge of the coffee ground fossils if you want to hang it later.
7. Let the coffee ground fossils dry and harden overnight (depending on how thick you make them, it could take longer).

You can hang your coffee ground fossils the next day, or use them in an archaeological dig!

More Science Themed Craft Ideas:

• Balloon Experiment
• Magic Milk Experiment
• Clothespin Dinosaurs
• Baking Soda and Vinegar Reaction

This post originally appeared on this blog on June 3, 2016 but has since been updated with new photos.