10 Fun Fossil Hunting Tips for Kids & Families

 The first part of our mission is to find a secret fossil treasure map! Okay, not a real map with an ‘X’, but a geology map online. We need to find places with <b>sedimentary rocks</b> (like limestone or crumbly shale), because that’s where the ancient creatures are hiding. Famous UK treasure spots are the beaches at <b>Lyme Regis</b> and <b>Charmouth</b> on the Jurassic Coast.

Fossil heroes protect the land and the fossils for everyone. Our heroic code is simple:

Only hunt for loose rocks</b> on the beach. Leave the big cliffs alone – they are part of the landscape!</li>
<li><b>Don’t be a litter-bug!</b> Take all your rubbish home with you.</li>
<li>Only take one or two cool fossils home, and leave plenty for other families to discover.</li>

• Every great explorer has safety rules to keep the adventure going!
• Beat the Tide! The sea is powerful. Check the tide times before you go and make sure you have plenty of time to get back before the water comes in.
• Watch for Wobbly Rocks! Cliffs can be crumbly. Never stand right underneath them and always keep an eye out for any falling stones. A cool explorer’s hard hat is a great idea!
• Tell Your Mission Control! Let another grown-up know where you’re going and when you’ll be back.

• You don’t need much to be a fossil hunter, just your official explorer kit!

• A bucket or a strong bag for your treasure.
• Your eyes! But a magnifying glass (your “Eagle Eye”) makes you feel like a real scientist.
• Super-Cool Science Goggles! These are very important to protect your eyes when you (or a grown-up) carefully tap a rock.
• Old newspaper or some kitchen roll to wrap your delicate fossils in for the journey home.

• • Your mission is to find things that look different from all the other boring rocks. Turn on your fossil-spotting superpowers and look for:
  • Funny Shapes: Look for swirls like a snail’s shell (that could be an ammonite!), pointy bullet shapes (belemnites), or anything with a cool pattern.
  • Weird Textures: Does that rock feel bumpy or have lines on it? Give it a closer look!
  • Different Colours: Sometimes fossils are a shinier, darker colour than the rock they are stuck in.

• • •  Want to know a secret? The very best time to find fossils is after a big storm! The wind and waves do all the hard work for us, washing new treasures out of the cliffs and onto the beach. Head out as the tide is going out for the best chance of spotting something amazing.

• • ⛏️ The easiest and safest place to find treasure is in the “Crumble Zone” – the piles of small, loose rocks at the bottom of the cliffs. The fossils here have already been freed by nature! Pick up promising-looking rocks and ask a grown-up to help you carefully tap them open with a hammer. You never know what might be inside!

    EASY-TO-FIND FOSSILS
    Here are five fossils that you can look for on your next hike.

    ammonoids.jpgAmmonoids

    People in the Middle Ages called ammonoids “snake stones” because they thought the fossils were coiled snakes.

    brachiopod-1.jpgBrachiopods

    Scientists say most brachiopods disappeared 250 million years ago, when as much as 95 percent of ocean animals died in a mass extinction.

    coralbandingfossil.jpgCorals

    Algae lives inside the coral, giving it nutrients and oxygen.

    crinoids-and-brachiopods.JPGCrinoids

    This flower-shaped animal’s anus was next to its mouth.

    trilobite_metacryphaeus.jpgTrilobites

    Growing trilobites crawled out of old exoskeletons through head splits, giving their fossils “facial structures.”