Report on Watch Meeting Fossils 17-3-19

The subject of  our meeting on Sunday March 17th at Spout Yard Gallery  was 'Fossils'. It is obviously a very popular subject as seventeen children came to learn more about them.

As children arrived they were each given a word-search on fossils.

We were very lucky that Stuart Sizer, an expert, had agreed to come and tell us about Fossils.

We first watched his short film telling us what fossils are and how they were formed.

Stuart  had brought a large tray containing  sand and small pebbles. He encouraged the children to search in the tray for anything they thought could be a fossil. The children were able to keep any fossils that they found. They were all very keen to join the hunt with the result that each child found several small fossils to take home.

Each child was also able to make a fossil. Plaster was mixed with water to make a paste and a small quantity  put in a pot . A shell was pushed into the top of the mixture and then covered with sand. When the plaster had set, the sand and shell were removed to reveal the outline of a 'fossil' shell in the plaster.

Fossils were also made by pressing shells and other objects into plasticine medallions .  The children also created their own decorated fossils.

We paused during the afternoon for refreshments that had kindly been donated by Louth Co-op.

Overall it was a very productive, if noisy, afternoon.