We often wrap plaster around the delicate fossils to protect them. It forms a hard plaster cast around the fossil, just like when a doctor protects a broken leg with a cast. The changes in fossils actually are some of the best ways to tell geologic time. One of the most important things is to observe nature. There are many interesting things going on around you, even in your backyard, that you can observe and learn from.
Science is international, so foreign languages are very helpful for several reasons.
First, it is important to be able to speak the language of the countries where you do field work. Second, it will help you communicate with colleagues from other countries. And third, scientific papers, with important information, are sometimes written in other languages. The most widely used languages are Spanish, French, German and English. We learn to identify bones by their shape, size and by comparing them to other bones we are familiar with.