Dig and Discover Pliosaur & Stegosaurus

Dive into the fascinating prehistoric world with this immersive fossil set, featuring the deep-sea Pliosaur and the formidable Stegosaurus, while preserving all original details within the description. Children will love unearthing the chunky stone-mix skeleton pieces from sand or soil before assembling them into two impressive prehistoric creatures. Designed to support spatial awareness, critical thinking and observation skills, each tactile puzzle offers a different level of challenge thanks to the varied number of pieces. Ideal for sparking early scientific curiosity, the set encourages children to examine and compare the fossils, explore prehistoric habitats, and engage in sensory play as they feel the detailed textures or press them into play dough for imprint making. With durable construction and richly detailed pieces, this resource provides an engaging introduction to paleontology and imaginative investigation.

Educational Benefits

• Develops spatial reasoning and problem-solving through assembling multi-piece fossil puzzles.
• Enhances early scientific inquiry as children examine, compare and discuss prehistoric creatures.
• Encourages sensory exploration through the textured stone-mix pieces and imprint-making activities.
• Supports language development by promoting conversations about dinosaurs, habitats and ancient life.

Classroom Ideas

• Create a dinosaur dig site using sand trays where children excavate and reconstruct each skeleton.
• Compare the Pliosaur and Stegosaurus fossils and discuss similarities, differences and habitats.
• Use the pieces to make fossil impressions in play dough, linking to lessons on how fossils form.
• Incorporate the puzzles into a dinosaur-themed investigation station with books, models and anatomy charts.

Safety & Information

• Suitable Ages: 2+ years.
• Measurements: Each skeleton approximately 250 mm; set contains two skeletons with 4-piece and 6-piece builds.
• Safety Notes: Stone-mix pieces are durable but should be used under supervision to prevent throwing. Not suitable for mouthing. Ensure sand or soil used for excavation activities is clean and appropriate for play.
• General Use: Wipe clean after sensory play and store pieces in a dry area to maintain quality.

Fun Facts: Pliosaurs likely ambushed prey by swimming just below the surface and lunging upward at high speed. Their jaws could snap shut with a bite force stronger than a T. rex, making them true ocean super-predators.

Despite being around 9 metres long and weighing up to 3 tonnes, a Stegosaurus brain was only about the size of a walnut. Scientists believe it relied on instinct rather than complex thinking.