Fossils & Ancient LifeGrade 3 Science for Kids

How fossils form, extinct animals and what rock layers tell us.

Fossils & Ancient Life lets third graders follow a dinosaur bone as it turns into a fossil, sort extinct animals from living ones and read rock layers like a history book. Exciting earth and life science.

  • Grade 3 · Ages 8–9
  • 3 lessons
  • 3 experiments
  • 12 practice questions
  • About 25 min
Start Learning Free Open the Course
  • How Fossils Form
  • Bone to Stone
  • Extinct or Alive?
  • Still Here?
  • Reading Rock Layers
  • Layer Detective

Science lab course · Grade 3

Fossils & Ancient Life · Learning goals

What Your Child Will Learn

Follow a dinosaur bone as it turns into a fossil, sort extinct animals from ones still alive, and read rock layers like a history book.

  • Fossils form when living things are buried and slowly turn to stone over millions of years.
  • Some ancient animals are extinct, but others, like crocodiles and sharks, are still alive.
  • In rock layers, the deepest layers and their fossils are usually the oldest.

Why it matters

Why This Matters for Kids

  • Clues to the past

    Fossils show kids how scientists learn about life millions of years ago.

  • Extinction

    Learning about extinct animals helps kids understand why protecting species matters today.

  • Reading evidence

    Reading rock layers teaches kids to use evidence to tell a story.

Inside Fossils & Ancient Life

How the Course Works

Each level has a short read-aloud lesson, an interactive experiment and a mini quiz.

  1. Step 1 · Lesson

    How Fossils Form

    A fossil is the remains or print of a living thing from long, long ago.

  2. Step 2 · Experiment

    Bone to Stone

    It takes millions of years to make a fossil. Put the steps in order.

  3. Step 3 · Lesson

    Extinct or Alive?

    Extinct means a kind of animal or plant is gone forever.

  4. Step 4 · Experiment

    Still Here?

    Fossils show us animals from long ago. Which are extinct and which are still alive today?

  5. Step 5 · Lesson

    Reading Rock Layers

    Rock forms in layers, one on top of another, over a long time.

  6. Step 6 · Experiment

    Layer Detective

    Let's dig into a cliff and check the age of fossils in each rock layer.

Lesson preview

A Peek Inside the Lesson

This is the real lesson text your child hears, read aloud by a friendly voice.

How Fossils Form

A fossil is the remains or print of a living thing from long, long ago.

Most fossils form when a plant or animal is buried by mud or sand.

Over millions of years, the mud turns to rock and the bones turn to stone.

Footprints and leaf prints can become fossils too!

Extinct or Alive?

Extinct means a kind of animal or plant is gone forever.

Dinosaurs went extinct about 66 million years ago.

Some animals from dinosaur times are still alive, like crocodiles and sharks!

Reading Rock Layers

Rock forms in layers, one on top of another, over a long time.

Usually, the bottom layers are the oldest and the top layers are the youngest.

Fossils in each layer show what lived at that time.

For parents

Try It at Home

Learning sticks best when kids use it in real life. Here are simple ideas from this course.

Parent Tip

Press a shell or leaf into play dough or salt dough to make a pretend fossil. Talk about how real fossils form over a very long time.

Bone to Stone

  1. Press a shell or leaf into play dough.
  2. Take it out to see the print.
  3. That's like a trace fossil!

Fossils form when living things are buried and slowly turn to stone over millions of years.

Still Here?

  1. Visit a natural history museum or website.
  2. Find one extinct animal and one 'living fossil'.
  3. Draw them side by side.

Some ancient animals are extinct, but others, like crocodiles and sharks, are still alive.

Layer Detective

  1. Make layers in a clear cup: sand, soil, rice, beans.
  2. Hide a small toy in a lower layer.
  3. Which layer went in first? It's the oldest!

In rock layers, the deepest layers and their fossils are usually the oldest.

Practice

Grade 3 Science Practice Questions

Real questions from Fossils & Ancient Life. Try them with your child, then tap to see the answer.

  1. Question 1

    What is a fossil?

    • A.Remains or prints of ancient life
    • B.A new rock
    • C.A kind of plant
    Show answer

    Remains or prints of ancient life

  2. Question 2

    What does extinct mean?

    • A.Sleeping
    • B.Gone forever
    • C.Very big
    Show answer

    Gone forever

  3. Question 3

    Which rock layer is usually oldest?

    • A.The top layer
    • B.They are all the same
    • C.The bottom layer
    Show answer

    The bottom layer

The full course has 12 questions with instant feedback, stars and rewards. Create a free account to play them all.

Fossils & Ancient Life · Questions from parents

Frequently Asked Questions

What age is this course for?

Fossils & Ancient Life is a grade 3 science course for kids ages 8–9. That is Year 4 science in the UK and Year 3 in Australia. It also works well for review in the next grade, or as a challenge for a confident younger learner.

What will my child learn?

Follow a dinosaur bone as it turns into a fossil, sort extinct animals from ones still alive, and read rock layers like a history book. Along the way they practice: Fossils form when living things are buried and slowly turn to stone over millions of years; Some ancient animals are extinct, but others, like crocodiles and sharks, are still alive; In rock layers, the deepest layers and their fossils are usually the oldest.

How long does the course take?

About 25 minutes in total, split into 3 short levels. Most kids finish it over two or three sessions. Progress is saved, so they can stop any time and pick up where they left off.

Is this course free?

Fossils & Ancient Life is part of SkillBloom Premium, which unlocks every course in every subject. Each subject also has free courses, so your child can try SkillBloom before you decide.

Does my child need to read well to use it?

No. Every lesson has a friendly read-aloud voice, questions are read aloud too, and the pictures help kids follow along. Confident readers can turn the voice off.

Can we use it for homeschool?

Yes. SkillBloom is built for homeschooling families. Kids work through lessons, games and quizzes on their own, and the parent dashboard shows what they finished and which skills need more practice. It works on phones, tablets and laptops.

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