Animal Tracks for Fossils

• You can use animal tracks to make a homemade fossil in two ways. The first is to find an animal track that has been made outside in soft ground or mud. The second is to create your own animal track in mud or clay. To find animal tracks, head outside after a good rain and look at areas of open mud. Even in urban areas, it is possible to find raccoon, deer, and rabbit tracks. To make your own animal tracks, use a flattened ball of modeling clay. Press a "track" into the clay using your fingers and other tools. You can find pictures of various animal tracks on the Internet and create a replica of any animal track you can think of. You can also have your pet step on the clay. This is especially effective if you own a large dog or an exotic reptile such as an iguana.
  
  

Making your Fossil

• After you have found or created your animal track, it is time to make your fossil. You will need plaster of Paris or another powdered modeling mix, cooking spray or oil and a hollow frame made of wood, cardboard or metal that you place around your track.
  Put your frame around the track, lightly coat the track with cooking spray or oil and carefully pour the plaster or modeling mix into the frame until the mixture fills the frame. Allow the mixture to dry and carefully lift your new "fossil" away from the track. If you have made your fossil from a track in mud, you may need to allow the mud to dry somewhat before brushing the excess dirt off of the fossil.
  After your fossil has dried, you may want to spray it with clear spray paint or a craft fixative to preserve it. Treat your fossil gently, as plaster and other model mixes can break and crumble easily.
  You can also use this method to make fossils of interesting pieces of wood, seashells, nutshells and strong leaves. Just press your material into modeling clay or clay-based mud and follow the instructions for using the modeling mix or plaster. Just be sure that the impression you are using is deep enough that the plaster will fill it.