So, I actually used one of the activities that I had listed and even took a picture of it for you all! The original recipe didn't say this, but I added a little bit of vegetable oil so that it wasn't as sticky when handling the dough. I don't much like it when my hands are dirty anyway, but slimey goo is even worse, so that was a definite improvement. The directions are as follows (copied directly from the "indoor activities" portion):
Materials
One cup used coffee grounds, ½ cup cold coffee, 1 cup flour, ½ cup salt, waxed paper, mixing bowl, tin can, natural objects
Procedure
1. Stir the coffee grounds, coffee, flour and salt until well mixed.
2. Knead the dough and flatten onto waxed paper.
3. Use the can to cut out circles.
4. Press objects firmly into the dough and then lift off.
5. Let the fossil dry at least overnight.
Activity Analysis
Delay of gratification waiting for the fossils to set.
Frustration tolerance if the fossil does not look how they want it.
Muscle strength to flatten the dough and press out circles.
Bilateral integration to press down with both hands in the dough and on the tin can.
Smell processing with the aroma of the coffee.
Tactile processing for the wet texture of the dough.
Problem solving to determine how to place the object into the dough.
And here's what they looked like when they were done:
