Digging in the Past

Cub Scouts · Adventure, Elective

Digging in the Past is all about dinosaurs and fossils. You'll invent a dinosaur, dig like a real scientist, and build layers like the earth. It's a fun way to learn about life long, long ago.

Why it's worth it

Dinosaurs lived millions of years ago, and the only way we know about them is from clues left in rock. Digging in the Past lets you think like a paleontologist, a scientist who finds and studies fossils. You'll dig up bones, build layers like the Earth's, and invent a dinosaur of your own. Scientists are still finding new dinosaurs today, so there's plenty left to discover.

Start this week

Pick your favorite dinosaur and find three facts about it in a library book.
Start dreaming up your own dinosaur: what it eats, how big it is, and where it lives.
Save a clear plastic cup and gather sand, soil, and small pebbles for a layer model.
Find old paintbrushes and spoons to use as digging tools.

Requirements · 4

Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).

Requirement 1
Play a game about dinosaurs that shows what you have learned about them
Tip: Play dinosaur charades or a guessing game about what each dinosaur ate.
For example: Play dinosaur 20 questions: one person thinks of a dinosaur, and everyone else asks yes-or-no questions like "Did it eat meat?" or "Did it walk on two legs?" until someone guesses.
Requirement 2
Invent a dinosaur and tell your den or family its name, food, size, and home
Tip: Draw your dinosaur and give it a name. Was it a plant eater or meat eater? Where did it live?
For example: Meet the Spikeysaurus: a plant eater as long as a school bus, with spikes on its tail to scare off predators. It lives near swamps, where the plants are soft and easy to chew.
Requirement 3
Act as a paleontologist and search a dinosaur dig site
Tip: Bury toy bones in a sandbox and dig them out with brushes and spoons.
For example: Bury toy bones or shells in a tub of sand. Dig slowly with a spoon, brush off the sand, and draw a map of where you found each piece, just like a real dig team.
Requirement 4
Build a fossil layer
Tip: Layer sand, soil, and clay in a clear cup, and tuck a shell between layers.
For example: In a clear cup, layer gravel, then sand, then soil, and press a shell into one layer. The bottom layers are the oldest, just like real rock, so how old is your fossil?

Places to visit

Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.

A natural history museum or a park with fossils
Standing next to real fossil bones and footprints shows you how big dinosaurs really were.
How: Have your adult check the museum's website for free days or kids' programs. Some national parks have fossil exhibits and ranger talks too.

Talk about it together

Which dinosaur would you most like to see in real life, and why?
How did it feel to dig slowly and carefully?
What do you think your dinosaur's world looked like?
What questions about dinosaurs do you still want answered?

Good questions to ask a museum educator

How do scientists figure out what color a dinosaur was?
What's the most exciting fossil you've ever seen?
Are there fossils anywhere near where we live?

Helpful reads

Cub Scouts: a guide for families, How Cub Scout ranks and adventures work from kindergarten through fifth grade, what an adult partner does, and how to keep it fun at meetings and at home., Families · Leaders · 4 min read

For leaders & parents

Set up a sand bin with buried objects so each scout gets a turn to dig.
Visit a natural history museum if one is nearby.

People & places that can help

Natural history museum — See real fossils and talk with museum educators.
Public library — Lots of dinosaur books for every reading level.
Scouting America: Digging in the Past (opens in a new tab) — The official requirements and den activity ideas for each one.
National Park Service: Fossils and Paleontology (opens in a new tab) — Parks where fossils are found and what they tell us about ancient life.
University of California Museum of Paleontology (opens in a new tab) — A university museum's guide to fossils and the history of life.

Wolf, Rank · 7 requirements

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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.