Discovering Dinosaurs
Theme
Paleontology
Specimens Included
Fossils and fossil casts (Apatosaurus jaw, fossil shell, Oviraptor egg, Oviraptor embryo model, short theropod egg, Tenontosaurus jaw, Tyrannosaurus tooth) and modern animal specimens (American robin egg, moon snail shell, raven egg)
Activities Included
“Fossil Formation”: Students will discover how dinosaur bones turn to fossils through investigating museum specimens, reading a book and a performing a simple experiment.
“Dino Eggs”: Students will discover that dinosaurs laid eggs like some animals today by comparing modern and fossil cast eggs, reading a book and drawing a picture of an egg-laying animal.
“Talking about Teeth”: Students will discover what dinosaurs ate through looking at their own teeth, reading a book, interacting with museum specimens and making dinosaur teeth from Playdough.
Cycles of Life
Theme
Biology, life cycles
Specimens Included
Baby turtle shell, adult turtle shell, bean germination mount, acrylic frog life cycle and acrylic butterfly life cycle
Activities Included
“Insect Life Cycles”: Students will understand how insects grow and change by listening to a story about a butterfly life cycle and arranging acrylic life cycles in the correct order.
“Plant Life Cycles”: Students will learn the stages of a plant life cycle by listening to a story, investigating a bean germination mount, and arranging life cycle pieces in the correct order as a class.
“Do We Look Alike?”: Students will discover how some animals do or do not resemble their parents by exploring museum specimens and completing a baby animal puzzle.
Celebrating Culture
Theme
Culture
Artifacts Included
Moccasins, ceramic pot, basket, mask, musical Instrument, ring and pin game, bowl
Activities Included
“People and Culture”: Students will explore what culture is through comparing the clothing, housing and food of different peoples and learning about Plains Native American culture.
“Let’s Celebrate!”: Students will discover how and why people celebrate by exploring cultural objects, reading about and comparing different holiday traditions and drawing a picture of a celebration that is important to them. (Holiday books included in the kit: Chinese New Year, Diwali, El Dia de Los Muertos, Flag Day, Independence Day, Martin Luther King Day, and Veteran’s Day)
