The GeoSafari Xcavations! - Tyrannosaurus Rex by Educational Insights combines simplicity, education and entertainment, all at a very reasonable price.

This Xcavations! kit includes a 4-pound rectangular plaster block that encases the "fossilized" bones of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and it gives your kids the opportunity to become paleontologists on a real dinosaur dig. Kids chip away the earth-colored plaster with the packaged tools, which include a pair of steel chisels, a combination steel hammer and pick, a brush and a sponge. When the skeleton has been completely excavated, the plastic tray can be used to display the fossil on a wall or shelf. An instruction sheet provides some dinosaur excavation facts, but the best way to use this toy is to dig right in (pun fully intended).

As you might expect, it can take hours to successfully reveal the fossilized remains of one of the world's fiercest and most famous meat-eating dinosaurs. The meticulous work helps kids 8 and older develop an eye for detail, and becoming junior paleontologists is a great way to inspire related learning. In addition, chiseling without checking one's work or attempting to chip too much away at once can mean disrupting the dinosaur's skeleton, so the Xcavations! kit is a good way to teach patience and persistence.

Parents will like the educational aspects of the Tyrannosaurus Rex kit, and kids will love the hands-on experience of discovering a museum-quality fossil replica. Best of all, the GeoSafari Xcavations! - Tyrannosaurus Rex by Educational Insights makes a nifty wall decoration once it is unearthed.


Pros: Detailed fossil replica in plaster, steel tools included in kit, reasonable price
Cons: Plaster can produce dust