Draw a top-down outline of a tray, divide it into a 2-by-2 grid, and make two matching copies: a blank recording map for your child and a hidden answer key for the adult. For this beginner example, hide two large, age-appropriate dinosaur figures in different squares. As your child uncovers each figure, help them mark its location before moving it. Finish by comparing the recording map with the key. If letter-number codes are too much, use three picture landmarks instead, with one figure near each landmark.
The point is to record where something was found, not just collect it. The National Park Service explains that a fossil’s location and surrounding geology give it scientific context [1]. A University of South Alabama archaeological mapping exercise similarly teaches children to record locations before excavation changes the site [2]. This tray activity borrows that recording principle; toy dinosaurs are pretend finds, not real fossils.
What You Need
- A shallow tray or low-sided storage tub, with a washable mat underneath
- Age-appropriate play sand or another sensory-play filler used according to its label
- Two large, washable dinosaur figures for the beginner grid, three for a landmark map, or four to five for the larger-grid example below
- Paper, a ruler, pencils or crayons, and tape
- A spoon or scoop, a soft brush, and a bowl for the finds
Choose materials for the youngest child taking part, and follow the age labels on every item. In the United States, children’s products intended for children under three that present choking, aspiration, or ingestion hazards from small parts are banned under the small-parts rule; the CPSC guidance also identifies exclusions from that rule [3]. Do not use beads, coins, or tiny detachable dinosaur bones in this activity. A toilet-paper roll is not a substitute for an official small-parts tester: the CPSC explains that it is wider and longer than the tester [4].
This buried-find version is not intended for children who still mouth objects or filler. For them, skip the loose filler and offer a simpler matching activity with age-appropriate large figures placed on a play mat. Adult supervision does not make unsuitable small parts appropriate.
Choose Picture Landmarks or a Grid
Choose by what the child can do, not by a birthday alone. Ask them to point to a picture landmark or identify a labeled square before setting up the dig. The age bands below are suggested planning examples, not tested developmental cutoffs or toy age ratings.
Picture landmarks for an easier start
For a child who is not ready for coordinates, including some children around ages four to five, draw a lake, hill, and grassy patch inside the tray outline. Put matching paper landmarks on the outside edge of the tray. Hide one figure near each landmark and mark those positions only on the adult key. The child can record “near the lake” with a drawing or an adult’s help.
Michigan State University’s Campus Archaeology Program reported that younger participants in its mapping activity engaged through discussion, while transferring locations onto paper was challenging. That is an observation from one outreach activity, not a rule about every child’s abilities [5].
Letter-number squares for children ready for coordinates
A 2-by-2 grid is a manageable starting example for children who can match a square to a code, including some children aged six and up. Label columns A and B across the top and rows 1 and 2 down the side. A1 is the upper-left square; B2 is the lower-right. An older child who wants more recording space can try a 3-by-3 grid. There is no universal nine-square limit.
How to Draw and Set Up the Excavation Map
These are proposed setups, not measured results or safety limits. The counts keep the beginner grid partly empty: four squares minus two finds leaves two empty squares, assuming one figure per occupied square. For a first attempt, cover the figures only lightly; the example depth is about 2 to 3 centimeters of filler above each figure. Adjust or leave a figure partly visible if needed.
| Map type | Layout | Figures | Suggested starting cover |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picture landmarks | One tray with three landmarks | Three, one near each landmark | Light cover; about 2 to 3 cm if suitable |
| Beginner grid | 2 by 2: four squares | Two, in different squares | Light cover; about 2 to 3 cm if suitable |
| Larger grid | 3 by 3: nine squares | Four to five, in different squares | Keep the same light cover initially |
Draw the outline and keep its direction fixed
Trace the tray if it fits on the paper. Otherwise, draw a smaller rectangle with roughly the same proportions. Divide both the drawing and the tray into matching halves in each direction for the beginner grid. Mark the divisions on the tray rim with tape; do not stretch strings across the digging area.
Put a star on one corner of the tray rim and the corresponding corner of both maps. Keep those stars aligned throughout the activity. This prevents a turned sheet from swapping left and right. A real field map may include a north arrow and scale, as in the university exercise; the matching star here is simply an orientation marker, not a claim that the tray points north [2].
Make the blank map before adding the answer key
Copy the outline, labels, and corner marker onto a second sheet before marking any hiding places. Keep one sheet blank for the child. On that sheet, use a tick to mean “searched” and a small dinosaur drawing or written name to mean “found.” For a picture map, record beside the relevant landmark instead of using square codes.
Place the child’s sheet beside the tray, outside the main spill area. If codes are difficult to read, add matching colors or simple symbols to the map labels and tray rim. Keep the labels as well, so color is not the only cue.
Hide the figures and record their starting positions
For the beginner grid, put one figure in A2 and one in B1, leaving A1 and B2 empty. These positions are a worked example, not a required pattern. Keep each figure away from a square boundary and note its name and position on the adult key. For example: “A2: horned dinosaur, lying on its side.”
Add the light cover, then smooth it with the back of the spoon. Keep the answer key out of sight until the comparison. Avoid packing the filler tightly: this is a mapping activity, not a test of how hard a child can chip or dig.
Dig and Record One Area at a Time
Demonstrate the sequence with the first square: identify it, search gently, record what is there, and then move on. An adult might say:
“This is A1. We searched it and found nothing, so let’s tick A1. Next is A2. Before we lift that dinosaur, where should we draw it on the map?”
For a landmark map, replace the codes with “near the lake” or another matching description. An adult can write while the child points or draws. There is no need to finish every area in one sitting; pause when attention fades and leave the map beside the tray for the next turn.
Record a figure before lifting it. Scooped filler can be returned, but replacing filler does not reliably restore the original arrangement. Put removed filler in a separate container rather than piling it onto an unsearched square, where it could move or cover another find.
Compare the two maps when the child finishes or decides to stop. In the worked example, the completed map should show finds in A2 and B1, with A1 and B2 marked searched but empty. If the sheets disagree, ask what happened before correcting anything. A figure might have shifted during scooping, the paper might have turned, or a code might have been copied incorrectly. Record what was actually observed rather than changing the child’s map just to match the key.
Use the Finished Map to Ask Better Questions
Choose one short follow-up rather than turning the dig into another long task. Ask, “Which areas were empty?” or “Can you show where this figure started?” The child’s map should help answer; guessing the adult’s hiding pattern is not the goal.
With the finds beside the map, sort them by a visible feature and write the group counts in the margin. Or compare their lengths, then label the longest and shortest. For a related measuring activity, adapt the prompts in this dinosaur footprint activity. Measure the toys themselves; their sizes do not show the real animals’ relative sizes unless the models share a known scale.
For another round, change the hiding positions and make a fresh key. If you prefer a packaged dig activity, browse the Dig & Explore collection from Piano Potato, then check the individual kit’s age label, contents, and instructions. A kit may need a different recording layout from a loose-fill tray.
Safety and Cleanup
Keep filler away from eyes and mouths, and supervise the activity directly. Choose material labeled for the intended play use and age group. If it produces airborne dust during normal handling, stop and replace it rather than assuming an open window makes it suitable. This method does not require plaster, chemical powders, or crystal-growing salts; do not add them to the tray.
For a commercial kit, follow its own instructions and warnings. Piano Potato’s product-safety page provides brand information, but it does not replace the instructions for the particular product in hand. This homemade map is not a product-safety test or evidence of compliance with a toy standard.
Collect the filler without scattering it, clean the tray and figures as their care instructions allow, and store the figures, tools, and markers away from younger children. Wash hands with soap and clean running water afterward; the CDC recommends scrubbing for at least 20 seconds as part of its handwashing steps [6].
A successful excavation map does not have to be neat. It needs matching orientation, clear location marks, and enough information for the child to explain where each find came from.
Planning a classroom or group dig? Tell us the ages and group size, and we can suggest suitable kit options.
References
- National Park Service. Significance: Fossils and Paleontology. Fossil location and geological context. Accessed November 9, 2026.
- University of South Alabama, Center for Archaeological Studies. Archaeological Mapping Exercise. Mapping locations, orientation, and scale. Accessed November 9, 2026.
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Small Parts Ban and Choking Hazard Labeling. Scope, exclusions, and links to 16 C.F.R. part 1501. Accessed November 9, 2026.
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Small Parts: What Parents Need to Know. 2011. Why a toilet-paper roll cannot replace the official tester. Accessed November 9, 2026.
- Michigan State University, Campus Archaeology Program. Dig the Past: Teaching Kids Why Mapping Matters. 2014. Observations from a children’s mapping activity. Accessed November 9, 2026.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Handwashing. Handwashing steps, including at least 20 seconds of scrubbing. Accessed November 9, 2026.