Fossil finding is a fun way for children to lean about the Worlds’ extraordinary beginnings. Children will love being ‘detectives’ and spotting the unusual shapes and patterns in the rocks. Here are some top tips for things to take with you and popular places to start your search!
Things you will need to take with you:
A magnify glass
An old toothbrush to swipe away any dust and debris
A camera to take photos of your collection
Paper and crayons to create ‘rubbings’ of fossils that cannot be removed
A simple book like ‘Fossils’ by Dorling Kindersley to help older children identify fossils BUY HERE
5 great places to start your search!
Lyme Bay, Lyme Regis, Dorset
This is one of the busiest ‘fossil towns’ in the UK. Along the beach you will have a good chance of finding some fantastic fossils. Here are also some great shallow rock pool areas for exploring too. Don’t worry if you can’t find any fossils, there’s a museum where you can look at some wonderful specimens and many shops where you can buy them to keep the kids happy!
Compton Bay, Isle of Wight
Often known as the ‘Dinosaur Isle’ the Isle of Wight has many places to hunt for fossils. The best place for families to enjoy a ‘fossil hunt’ is Compton Bay. Backed by sandstone cliffs this bay has plenty of space to enjoy a search. It’s a do it yourself beach though, with no facilities as such, so remember pack a picnic!
Seven sisters, East Sussex
The base of these chalk cliffs is a good place to start your fossil hunt. Park at Birling Gap (which is free) and wander down the steps to the beach. There is a café which is handy for a bite to eat after your exploration!
Boggle Hole, Yorkshire
This bay was once a notorious smugglers haunt but is now a great place to search for fossils and explore rockpools. There is a carpark nearby with just a short walk to the beach.
Abereiddi, Pembrokeshire, Wales
This is a beautiful rural beach, with unusually dark sand created from slate. There are plenty of fossils to be found and collected along the shore line and in the bedrock you will also see some fantastic examples!
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