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Fossil Finds

Fossils show us parts of living things from long ago. Some are body parts, some are shapes left in rock, some are footprints, and some are trapped in amber or ice.

In the picture

  1. A piece of fossil bone: part of an animal’s body preserved as rock.
  2. A leaf-shaped hollow in rock and a raised leaf-shaped stone: a mold and its cast.
  3. A slab with three-toed footprints: tracks left by a walking animal.
  4. A clear amber lump with an insect inside: a specimen preserved in amber.

Examples

  • A muddy footprint drying in the garden is like a fossil footprint.
  • A toy pressed into clay leaves a hollow shape that can be filled with plaster.

Quiz: Fossil Finds (Age 8)

  1. What kinds of things can fossils preserve?

    • Only footprints and tracks
    • Bones, shapes, tracks, or tiny creatures
    • Only bones and teeth
  2. What are a mold and a cast?

    • An insect stuck inside amber
    • A hollow shape in rock and a raised stone in the same shape
    • A bone that has turned into rock
  3. What can amber and ice do for ancient things?

    • Keep them safe for only a short time
    • Turn them into rock
    • Keep them safe for a very long time

The answers, each with its explanation, are in the app. This lesson has left the free week, so its quiz is part of the subscription.

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Nature, Age 8