Fossil Molds and Replicas

Welcome to a new way of teaching about the past

Fossils have always fascinated us. They are particularly interesting to children. They love to look for  them in their backyards, out in the wilderness and even at Grandma's house. The smallest curiously-shaped rock becomes a great treasure. With that in mind we have developed a hands-on kit to further their interest in the classroom. You can also order individual molds that are molded from real ammonites, giant shark teeth, small shark teeth, pine cones, trilobites, brachipods and allosaurus claw. We will constantly be adding new molds and products to our online store, so check back with us often.

The silicone molds are created from the original fossils in our collection, which offer perfect replicas of the original fossil. The children will enjoy selecting their favorite fossil mold, mixing the plaster and pouring it into the mold. They can watch the plaster set and cure from a liquid to a solid. Once it has cured they can remove the fossil cast and paint it. The molds don't require any release agent in order to remove the cast. They easily pop out with little effort. They can also choose from precast fossil replicas that are ready to paint.

Some unique features of our molds:

• Real fossils are used to create each mold
• Molds lay flat on the table for easy use by children
• Molds won't spill or tip over
• Molds are large enough to see good detail of the fossil
• Fossils are set in 'matrix' so they look like they are coming right out of the ground
• Molds are made of silicone rubber, not latex- a known allergen
• Molds will last for years, good for pouring lots of casts
• Plaster casts come out of molds easily, no release chemical necessary
• Molds can be washed in water for easy cleanup when necessary

Why use fossil molds in teaching:

• Children use decision making skills in choosing which mold to use
• Gross motor skills are used in the mixing and pouring
• Requires hand/ eye coordination
• Fine motor skills are used for painting
• Creativity is developed as they choose and mix colors to paint their perfect cast fossil
• Geology, Art, Chemistry and Physics can be demonstrated through the casting process

Fossil Molding Kits contain the following:

4 molds of your choice, 5 pounds of plaster (enough for 25-30 casts), 4 paints, 12 paint brushes and instruction sheet. New molds will be created of unique fossils as they become available. We will be  putting even more information on the website about the fossils and how we prepare them. Want a mold of something you think is unique? Send us an e-mail and let us know!

How Fossils Are Dated And Indexed

Geologic periods can be determined or identified using the different fossils found in the sediments. However, in order for an organism to become a fossil a couple of things have to happen. The organism needs to die in or near water and then be buried rapidly. This preserves the specimen in the best possible way. Since igneous rock (rock formed from cooled magma), and metamorphic rock (rock that is changed by intense pressure and heat) do not hold any fossils, they are not the type of rock in which to look for fossils. Fossils are only found in sedimentary rock. Sedimentary rock is laid down in layers caused by wind, erosion, rain and bodies of water moving particles of minerals and depositing them one after another in what becomes large sheets of deposits. Trapped in these deposits are the organisms themselves that become the fossils we seek today. So how do these organisms tell us the age of the sediments in which they are found?

Paleontologists really like species that existed for short periods of time as they give us an indication of the age of the sediments they are found in. An organism that existed for no more than say a few hundred thousand years, and is found all around the world, indicates that the sediments it was found in are the same age even though the sediments may look very different. Sediments can be laid down under very different conditions throughout the world but the species itself is the same, so the different locations and sediments must be the same. These types of species are referred to as index fossils or guide fossils. Since sedimentary rock is laid down a layer at a time, we can surmise that the top layer is the newest and the bottom layer is the oldest. There have been lots of movements in the earth's crust with upthrusts, down thrusts, plates shifting, etc., but a careful study of the layering can give us a pretty good idea of what is older and what is newer. We call this comparative or relative dating. So a fossil found all around the world that is lower in the layers of rock than those above it is considered older and indicates that the rock it was found in is older too. By observing and recording enough layers and the specimens found in each, you see the progression of the fossil record.