Paw Print Size

• Though Poodles and Labrador Retrievers are both dogs, their paws prints vary greatly in size. Download pictures of a variety of dogs from the Internet or copy out of books. Print out one picture per page. Identify each type of dog. Pay particular attention to the paw size. Download a sample of dog footprints. Show the basic points of a dog's footprint. Explain how it differs from that of a coyote or other wild animal. Create a book of dog information, starting with a personal page with your title and name. Add the information on prints on the next pages. Add pages on the different breeds of dogs with emphasis on paws. Staple books together with construction paper covers the students title and decorate.
  
  

Dogs and Cats

• Have students find prints of dogs and cats or make prints from their own or, with permission, neighbors' pets. Non-toxic ink on the paw firmly pressed on a piece of paper captures the paw print. (Be sure to clean the animal's paw afterward.) Give students time to look up information on both dogs and cats. Ask the class to call out the differences between domesticated dogs and cats as you list those difference on the board. Ask students to take pictures of the pets from which they made prints or find pictures to copy and print. As a class dog footprint science project, have students work together to create a bulletin board using the information they've collected. If they cannot come up with a title for their project use "Dogs and Cats---The Pet Differences."
  
  

Match Pictures to Paws

• Download illustrations of a variety of footprints of animals. Down one side of a sheet of paper show pictures of animals, including a dog. On the opposite side of the page, show footprints, but not in order. Include prints like those of a cat or Bobcat that look similar to a dog's paw print. Have students match the animal to its footprint. Show the differences and have the students do the exercise again.
  
  

Identify the Paw Prints

• If you have a class in which most or all students have digital cameras available, ask them to look for animal prints wherever they go. Ask them to take pictures of the prints, upload them to a computer and print out copies. As a class try to identify the prints, especially dog prints. Make a collage of the pictures with identifying text. Glue the prints of a dog in the center of the collage. Around the dog prints, place pictures of prints from other animals. Explain how dog prints differ from other prints collected.
  
  

Paws Print Fossils

• Make a fossil print of a dog's paw print. Have students mix 2 cups of flour, ¾ lukewarm water and ½ cup salt. Knead into dough with clay-like consistency. Flatten the dough onto a sheet of wax paper a little larger than the paw of the dog. Students may need assistance to get the dog's cooperation to step into the dough or to allow them to firmly press her foot into the dough for about five seconds. Let the paw print fossils dry for two to four days.