Meet the Campers
This character is a twin who loves reading detective mysteries and is initially reluctant to be at Fossil Camp.
Who is Amy?
Paleontologists use this small, soft-bristled tool to whisk away rock dust without damaging the fossil.
What is a paintbrush?
This is the scientific name of the specific dinosaur the campers are excavating, nicknamed "Achy-Breaky."
What is Acheroraptor temertyorum?
Matter on Earth typically exists in these three states or forms.
What are solids, liquids, and gases?
This is the specific item that first goes missing from the lab, leading Amy to investigate.
What is a fossil (or fossil fragment)?
This twin brother was the one who convinced his sister to join him at the dinosaur dig.
Who is Matt?
This slim metal tool is used for the delicate work of scraping away rock from partially exposed bones.
What is a pick?
Tess explains that a fossil is actually "this," which has undergone a physical or chemical change.
What is matter?
When ice in the cooler melts into liquid water, it is undergoing this type of change.
What is a physical change?
Amy uses her detective skills to find the thief by looking for traces of this white dust on the bottom of their shoes.
What is plaster dust?
This camper is always hungry, frequently asking about snacks and meal times.
Who is Felix?
When a fossil is ready to be moved, it is protected by a "jacket" made of burlap soaked in this substance.
What is plaster (or plaster of paris)?
Most dinosaur fossils at the camp are found embedded in this soft, crumbly type of sedimentary rock.
What is sandstone?
This is the invisible gas that water turns into when it evaporates.
What is water vapor?
This camper took the fossils because he wanted to find something important and make his father proud.
Who is Julian?
She is the talented artist of the group who keeps a detailed sketchbook of the fossils they find.
Who is Kristal?
This scientific instrument is used back in the lab to determine the mass of a small fossil in grams.
What is a balance?
This is the name for the amount of matter in an object, which Tess measures in metric units like grams.
What is mass?
When Amy washes the dirt off her arms, she creates this—a combination of different substances that can be separated.
What is a mixture?
Dr. Forester originally planned to call this law enforcement official to investigate the "theft."
Who is the sheriff?
This camper is competitive and hopes to become famous, just like his father who owns four restaurants.
Who is Julian?
This special glue-like solution is painted onto fragile fossils to strengthen them and prevent breaking.
What is a consolidant?
The dinosaur fossils formed when the original compounds in the bones were replaced by minerals from this type of liquid mixture.
What is a solution?
According to Tess, this "cannot be created or destroyed," only changed from one form to another.
What is matter?
Amy sets a trap by using this liquid to reveal footprints in the lab's dust.
What is ice (or water from a melting ice cube)?