The other day, I took the children to the craft store to pick up some much needed supplies. Both were allowed to pick a few things of interest to them. While Isabella was veering towards the clay, paint, and stitchery, Anton went straight for the models and rock kits. One find was a block of coarse sand which contains plastic bones of a miniature T-Rex. Anton took the metal pick and small metal mallet and began to slowly chip away the sand.
This proved to be much more difficult than the clay block he did a few years ago. The sand is held pretty firmly with a very hard glue. Plus, you have to be careful to not dent the bones. This is much more realistic than the clay version and more age appropriate.
After 20 minutes of a constant metal tapping noise, Isabella pried herself from her clay to see what Anton was doing. Immediately she wanted a turn. I explained to her beginning whines, the Dino kit was Anton's and it was up to him to share. I made a side comment of the importance of being nice and sharing but not being a bully or manipulative. Anton got the hint and told Isabella she could have 10 taps of the hammer.
They were very good about this request and then Anton returned to tapping. Isabella is very intuitive and knew it was just a matter of time before Anton would let her have another go at it. It took them about an hour to see some progress. However, they discovered with a little team work, their work was more effective at reaching their goal.
After about another hour, I told them they needed to work on it another time. The day's progress was finding the tips of three bones.
The next day, they spent another couple hours working on the block. This time they had found out each person's strengths. Isabella is better at the small precise chipping near the bones while Anton is more skilled at removing the larger chips. The majority of the bones are now visible but not all excavated. Once all the parts are removed and washed, these palaeontologists will assemble and paint the creation. This project was well worth $20. The children learned the patience and focus of the working on a dig. It was very realistic.
Sorry no picture of the finished project yet. The two have not had the time to complete it!
