Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts look forward to camp all year long. Not only do they get to make rockets and shoot BB guns, but they also get to make a lot of new friends as they meet boys from other packs that are also at camp. This is one of my son’s favorite parts of camp. Yes, making new friends is great but he really loves the
scout swaps he collects from each new friend he meets.
What is a Scout Swap?
Scouts bring swaps to camp and trade them with other boys they meet. A swap could be just a fun little trinket or toy or it could correlated with a particular theme of the pack or the camp. They most often include a safety pin for pinning on to a hat or shirt.
This year, our camp had a dinosaur theme. My son decided that he wanted to make
dinosaur fossils for his swaps to bring to trade at camp.
How to Make Dinosaur Fossil Swaps:
He started with a basic salt dough recipe:
- 1/2 cup Flour
- 1/4 cup Salt
- Water
- Mix the flour and salt then add enough water to make a dough simliar to play dough, not wet and sticky but also not dry and crumbly.
- This step is optional but my son also added some sand and some concrete colorant that we found at a craft store just to give them a more rock-like appearance and texture. Knead the dough well to blend.
- Pinch off a small piece of the dough and roll it in your hands.
- Flatten the dough on a piece of wax paper to make a little disc.
Find a cool footprint on a dinosaur toy and rub a little oil on it.- Press the footprint into the dough to make an imprint.
- You may want to dust a little bit of corn starch over the top to highlight the footprint to make it stand out a little better.
- Use a pen or toothpick to make a small hole in the dough for hanging.
Let dry for several days or you can rush up the drying process by heating the swaps in the oven at 200 degrees until dry.- Add a piece of twine or yarn through the hole and a safety pin.
- Happy swapping!
The dinosaur fossil scout swaps must have been a hit because my son came home with a hat full of interesting swaps that he had traded for.
What kind of swaps does your scout like most?
For more scouting activities, check out these posts:
Pssst… Calling all dino fans! Check out this fun
interactive dinosaur art project for kids!
how many did this recipe make ?
This is really cool because we are having a Dinosaur Party on July 4th! Will have to make some salt dough now.
My cub scout hasn’t been to camp yet and this sounds such fun. My youngest loves dinosaurs too so thanks for sharing.
This is really a fun project for any kid! You could use all kinds of things to make an imprint in the dough – car wheels, action figures, leaves, sticks, etc. They all look cool and kids love to keep something like this that they made themselves.
Hey there! Check out my Facebook page Once Upon Some Messy Fun for a great dough recipe for fossils (under notes). It’s a better texture than the flour/salt dough and dries looking like stone.
Love your page/blog!
Tracy
Thanks! I’m always on the look out for new dough recipes. I’ll definitely check out your site. Thanks for stopping by!