How to Make Leaf Fossils

Fill a large plastic tray with sand. Make a flat hollow in the sand with your hand for each of the leaf fossils you wish to make, but don't expose the bottom of the tray. Set a leaf down in each hollow, keeping them as flat as possible against the bottom.

Pour 2 cups of water into a large plastic bowl. Add plaster of Paris to the water a little at a time by sprinkling the powder on the water's surface. Stir well after each addition, until a smooth thick paste is formed.

Pour the plaster of Paris over each leaf in the sand, and smooth the surface using an old rubber spatula or the back of a spoon.

Make a loop out of string for each leaf fossil, and set it into one end of the plaster of Paris before it dries. When the mixture is dry, the string will set and this will make a hanger for the leaf fossils.

Allow the leaf fossils to remain for at least three hours or until they have dried completely.

Pick up the plaster from out of the sand, remove the leaves from its surface and your leaf fossils are complete.