D is for {Fizzing} Dinosaur Claw!

By Carla at Preschool Powol Packets - May 04, 2015

This fizzing dinosaur claw activity is perfect for your dinosaur-loving and your fizzy-explosion-loving preschoolers! Use it on a rainy day or even a hot afternoon when your kiddos need a calmer activity!

You can also tie this activity into a letter themed week: Dinosaur, Deinonychus, and dig all start with the letter D!

Dinosaurs used claws for fighting, getting food, and digging nests. Deinonychus was a unique dinosaur that could be 11 feet long. He was a meat-eating dinosaur that probably had feathers! Here is one artist's idea of what Deinonychus looked like:

image source

Deinonychus had a huge talon on the second toe of each of foot. Scientists think this giant claw may have been used for hunting or climbing:

image source

Dinosaur claws are incredible looking fossils, but most dinosaurs that lived (and most claws) did not have a chance to fossilize. If conditions are not just right, most bones are fairly fragile.

You can make your own fizzing dinosaur claws to model the size of different dinosaur claws and how fragile they are! You can even pull out a ruler and practice your measuring skills!

Here are the lengths of some popular dinosaur claws:

Tyrannosaurus Rex claws: about 4.5 inches long

Deinonychus claws: (the giant talon): about 4.7 inches long

Pteranodon claw: about 1 inch long

Spinosaurus toe claw: about 2 inches long

Simple Supplies:

1/2 cup baking soda

2 1/2 tablespoons oil

vinegar

pipette

Easy How To:

Mix the baking soda and oil together until they form a soft dough. If it is too moist, add more soda, if it is too dry, add more oil. That's it!

Then let your kiddos make their dinosaur claws! We pulled out a Deinonychus claw cast to compare to while we worked.

Once everyone is done making their claws, pull out the vinegar and let the fizzing begin!!

As our little claws fizzed, we talked about different ways that dinosaur claws that didn't fossilize might have decomposed.

These dinosaur claws were in some serious "rain storms" and a "mud slide!" We even talked about how weathering could rub claws apart until they just looked like dust.

This activity goes really well with our fizzing dinosaur eggs too! You may also like our {FREE} Dinosaur Matching Packet, other dinosaur activities, the DIY Dinosaur Land Play Mat, or the Dinosaur Preschool Packet!

What else can you do on a rainy day? Something2Offer is putting together a series of 26 A-Z Rainy Day Activities this month with activities like this Rocket Air Pressure experiment! Be sure to pop by and check out all the great activities!