Use a finished dinosaur dig kit to build a skeleton, make a miniature museum, play sorting and guessing games, or set up another pretend excavation. Keep intact finds, suitable reusable tools, and any instructions or identification cards. Set aside broken pieces and loose digging material for disposal according to the kit instructions. The best next activity depends on what you uncovered: a complete figure, an assembly model, or a real specimen.
Sort, Clean, and Check Safety
Before starting another activity, keep the packaging long enough to check the age label, contents list, and care instructions. Finishing the excavation does not make its parts suitable for a younger child.
- Separate finds from debris. Work over a tray. Put figures or model parts in one container, tools in another, and paperwork somewhere clean. Check the tray and packaging for missing joints before discarding anything.
- Clean only as directed. Follow the care instructions for each material. Use a damp cloth or rinse only if permitted, and let cleaned pieces dry before storage. Do not assume that paint, glued joints, or a genuine specimen can tolerate soaking or scrubbing.
- Keep small parts away from young children. The CPSC explains that small parts in products intended for children under three present choking, aspiration, or ingestion hazards. Its test concerns objects that fit entirely into a specified small-parts cylinder, not a household tube or a visual guess. [1] Keep loose miniature figures and detachable joints out of reach of children under three, and follow any higher age limit on the kit.
- Check tools and extras separately. Stop using cracked figures or tools with damaged edges. Store pointed tools where younger siblings cannot reach them. Keep leftover powders, paints, or other supplied materials in their labeled packaging and follow their own warnings; do not treat an unidentified material as reusable play sand.
Know What You Have Left
Contents vary between kits, including those in Piano Potato’s Dig & Explore collection. Use your own contents list rather than assuming every set includes a skeleton or guidebook.
| What remains | Useful next activity | What to check first |
|---|---|---|
| Whole dinosaur figures | Story scenes, sorting, or a shelf display | Intact surfaces and the original age label |
| Skeleton parts | Assembly and a labeled model display | Complete joints and the matching diagram |
| Genuine specimens, if included | An observation collection | The supplier’s identification and care guidance |
| Cards, guidebook, or instructions | Labels, quizzes, and assembly reference | Which information applies to each find |
| Reusable brush and tray | A pretend dig or suitable craft activity | Cleaning instructions and condition |
| Loose digging material and broken pieces | No further play use | The kit’s disposal instructions and local rules |
Assemble the Skeleton
If the kit contains an assembly model, lay the pieces beside its diagram before connecting them. Match any part numbers, check the orientation of each joint, and photograph the layout so you have a reference if pieces become mixed up.
A joint that will not fit is a reason to stop and check the diagram, not push harder. If a piece appears missing, look through the tray and packaging before deciding the model is incomplete. Avoid improvised glue fixes unless the manufacturer recommends them: adhesive may damage a surface or prevent later disassembly. A model that remains loose can lie flat in a display box instead of standing unsupported.
Display the Dinosaur Finds
- A shelf museum. Give each figure a folded-card label with its name and one checked fact. Use the kit guide where available; leave uncertain identifications marked as uncertain rather than guessing.
- A collection box. Assign each find a compartment and put the same identifier on its label. Photograph the filled box to make checking and repacking easier. Choose a dry storage spot out of reach of younger children; a lid helps contain pieces but is not a childproof barrier.
- A shoebox scene. Draw a landscape on paper and stand intact figures in front of it. A paper backdrop avoids adding loose gravel or sand. Children who enjoy arts and crafts can make scenery from folded card rather than leftover digging debris.
Keep Playing
Choose an activity that suits the kit’s age label and the child using it. Do not use small pieces in play with a child who is likely to put them in their mouth.
- Sort by a visible feature. Group intact figures by horns, plates, or stance, then explain the rule. For a second round, change the rule and see which figures move groups.
- Measure the models. Record each figure’s length using the same start and end points. These measurements compare the toys, not the living dinosaurs: models may use different scales or simplify body proportions.
- Play a description game. One player describes a figure without naming it; another chooses the match from the collection. Keep the pieces in view rather than hiding sharp or fragile parts in a bag.
- Make a pretend excavation. Place sturdy, intact figures under loose paper strips in a tray. Draw a simple grid on a separate sheet and record where each figure is uncovered. Use the brush only if suitable; no pointed digging tool is needed for this setup. Keep genuine specimens and fragile assembled models out of the replay tray.
- Create a trading card. Draw a dinosaur from memory, then check its name and one fact before writing the finished card. Keep imaginative story details separate from factual information.
Learn More From the Finds
Start with the distinction between a model and a fossil. The National Park Service defines a fossil as evidence of life preserved in a geologic context. A manufactured dinosaur figure is a model, not ancient bone, even when it is recovered from a digging block. [2] If a kit includes genuine specimens, use its contents information to distinguish those from replicas.
For a simple observation record, choose a find and write down what is visible, what you think it means, and what you still need to check. For example, “the model has pointed teeth” is an observation; “this dinosaur ate meat” is an interpretation to verify with a reliable museum or scientific source. Do not use toy features alone as proof of a dinosaur’s anatomy or diet.
The replay grid provides another useful boundary: it practices recording a location, but the position of a toy in a manufactured block does not reveal a real fossil’s age, habitat, or original burial conditions.
Reuse the Tools, Not the Digging Debris
Keep a brush or tray only if it is intact and the instructions allow reuse. Clean it as directed, let it dry, and store it with the kit so it is not confused with food utensils. A brush used for paint should stay with craft supplies rather than returning to specimen cleaning.
Can you make the original dig block again? Do not assume that adding water to leftover material will recreate it. Its composition and reuse instructions may be unknown. For another excavation, use the paper-strip setup above or a refill specifically recommended for that kit. Do not grind fragments or mix unidentified powders.
Follow the kit’s disposal guidance and local rules for the remaining material. Avoid tipping debris into drains or blowing dust off the table. Keep children away from loose dust during cleanup, use the manufacturer’s recommended method, and wash hands afterward. If the instructions are missing or the material is unidentified, ask the supplier before trying to reuse it.
When to Let Go
Keep what has a clear next use: a model to display, figures for a game, or cards for a collection. Retain a photo of the age label and instructions if discarding the box. If donating intact figures, check that the recipient accepts them and pass along the age and safety information; do not donate loose powders, damaged tools, or incomplete items as a complete kit.
You do not need to save every leftover. One labeled display or a reusable play tray is a worthwhile second life for a finished dinosaur dig kit.
Have a question about your Piano Potato kit, its instructions, or suitable next activities?
References
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Small Parts Ban and Choking Hazard Labeling.
- U.S. National Park Service. What is a Fossil?