How could you become fossilised?

This photo is of the 4th century Tollund Man. He was preserved in a peat bog in Denmark. Have you tried the Earth Learning Idea 'How could I become fossilised?'? The activity encourages pupils to think through the fossilisation process.What would happen to your body if you fell into a river or the sea and died? The story is quite gruesome at first. Did you know that 99.9% of dead creatures are eaten and broken up and never become fossilised? It soon becomes apparent that the environment in which something dies is crucial to its fossilisation potential. To be classified as a true fossil, the object must have been preserved for at least 10,000 years. Therefore Tollund Man is not a fossil but he can be used to illustrate the principles of the process.
There are lots of ELI activities about fossils - click here for a list.