In my family, “ROAR!” is dinosaur for we love dinos! So when we go to the beach, I go extra. With a little advance planning, my kids can dig for dinosaurs at the beach—and live out their dreams of becoming a paleontologist. (Oh, wait, maybe that’s my dream. My bad!)
The beach is inherently fun, and we visit the Oregon Coast as often as we possibly can. The last time we went, I was inspired by our trip to Seattle’s Burke Museum of Natural History, and I introduced the girls to a new sandy activity: digging for dinosaurs at the beach!
As you can tell, it was a huge hit. Next time, I’m bringing even more plastic dinosaurs to discover.
Dig for dinosaurs at the beach
Moms who prepare to the nines to get the family to the beach, I feel you. You download family beach trip packing lists. You pack extra changes of clothes, baby wipes, backup shovels. You bring snacks. (Oh, the snacks.)
But if you bring just a few plastic dinosaurs, I can practically guarantee you’ll be the coolest mom at the beach.
Simply dig a little pit, stick in the dinos, cover them up—and let your kids at ‘em! They’ll love unburying the dinosaurs and feeling like real-live paleontologists.
My girls got so into digging for dinosaurs at the beach that they roamed around, picking up rocks and driftwood that they called fossils.
“What’s this one, Mom?” they’d ask me. “Dinosaur knee bone. Dinosaur skull. Dinosaur toe bone.” Then they’d bury them, dig them up and start all over again!
Our new favorite beach activity
My kids love building sand castles, chasing seagulls and ignoring my repeated requests to not run into the ocean fully clothed. But we’ve definitely found a new favorite beach activity.
For your next family beach trip, then, join my little family of wannabe paleontologists. You may even inspire a new passion for dinos!
What about you—do you have a favorite family beach activity?
You are officially the coolest mom at the beach! And I am TOTALLY stealing this for next time I take my little grands to the beach… where I will be the coolest Nana! (You know, I think if everyone had a bucket full of plastic dinosaurs, the world would be a better place.)
True! If I ever run for office, I’m going to run a campaign on making sure everyone has a bucket full of plastic dinos. Don’t worry, I’ll credit you with the idea! 😉
It’s amazing how imaginative kids are and can stay busy for hours! I love this idea of blending science and learning with a fun activity at the beach!
Oh totally—my kids’ imagination blows me away daily.
So much fun! Love the photos too. We love playing in the tidepools at the beach and finding new marine life, but when my kids were little we would also love burying toys and finding them later as treasure. Mostly my son’s cars and construction toys 🙂
There’s something magical about burying something and “discovering” it later! Treasure!!!