Things required:
Plaster of Paris, strips of cardboard about 7-8cm wide,
stapler and paper clips.
You can find animal tracks everywhere-in forests, sea shores, villages,
cities and near wetlands even in cities. A good place to find tracks
is where there is soft soil or firm mud.
Look for a clear track. Remove any twigs or leaves on or around
it carefully.
Make a frame around the track. You can do this by clipping the cardboard
into a collar. Press it into the soil around the track.
Make a mixture of two parts of plaster of Paris and one part of
water. The plaster will harden quickly and must be mixed just before
use.
Pour the plaster mix into the cardboard frame until the track surface
is completely covered to a depth of 3 cm.
Wait till the plaster has hardened. Remove the frame and carefully
pick up the plaster cast.
Take it back to your school or home. Wash cast in cold water. Measure
the track. Try to identify what animal made it.
Take imprints of your own footprints. Compare the tracks with that
of other animals.