DIY Fossil Dough

For dinosaur enthusiasts everywhere, this Fossil Dough recipe uses used coffee grounds to create its earthy texture and gives these baked fossils their realistic look!

While we wait on our latest library book haul to be delivered to our local library, I chose a theme that I knew we had a ton of resources already on hand at home; DINOSAURS!

I recalled an activity I had done with my preschoolers back when I was teaching, and thought I would be the perfect addition to our dinosaur unit!

I dusted off the ol' teaching binders and came across the recipe I had created over 7 years earlier. I made a few tweaks to the ingredients list as I wanted to bake them this time around, not just use the dough for sensory play.

[Complete Fossil Kits now available in the Planted Creative Shop!]

Fossil Dough Recipe

Ingredients

3 cups flour + 1/2 cup (or less) for kneading

1/2 cup salt

1 cup boiling water

1/2 cup hot coffee

3/4 cup used coffee grounds

2 tbsp cream of tartar

2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil

Instructions

- mix flour, salt, cream of tartar & oil

- add coffee grounds & stir well

- add hot coffee & boiling water; mix well

- sprinkle about 1/4 cup of flour onto counter

- knead for about 5 minutes adding as much flour as needed until no longer sticky

Fossils

- press dinosaur figurines and shells into dough

- cut around shapes

- Bake on parchment paper at 325.C for about an hour or air dry at least 24 hours

- add to bin with dirt, sand, or other filler & "dig" for fossils!

Prefer just to use the dough for play? Simply skip the baking / air drying and store in an air tight container or bag for playing with over & over!

Happy creating!