This summer the UI Museum of Natural History took part in Belin-Blank Center program, Challenges for Elementary School Students (CHESS). Eight students in 4th-6th grade participated in this program at the museum. They traveled back in time to discover 500 million years of our state’s natural history while solving science mysteries along the way. They explored the fields of geology, paleontology, and archaeology by conducting investigations with real University of Iowa scientists around campus and learn about these career fields in the real world.
Let’s rock! The students began their 500 million year adventure by visiting Trowbridge Hall. In the halls of Trowbridge, the UI Paleontology Repository has a variety of rocks and minerals on display (these displays are free and open to the public). To understand what is a mineral, students picked their favorite mineral to draw and describe. Outside of Trowbridge Hall, the students visited the rock garden to discuss the rock cycle and the many different types of rocks.
MNH’s Education Department developed discovery trunks for the Devonian period, Pennsylvanian period, and Quaternary period. The students explored these trunks to learn more about these time periods. Each trunk is equipped with fossils, fossil replicas, lesson plans, rock, rock/mineral kits, and books (for all reading levels). Each trunk contains different items depending on the time period covered within. (For more information about the Discovery Trunks, please email uimnh@uiowa.edu or call 319.335.0606.) The students had an exceptionally fun time playing a Fossilization Game from the trunk. In the game, students are given chances to travel from life to death to fossilization and discovery.
The students had a blast learning about volcanoes! They discussed the three types of volcanoes – cinder, shield, and composition – and played two games to help understand the processes of volcanoes. Are you faster than lava? That’s a question we proposed to the students. We had four different lava flows – Stombolian, A’a, Pyroclastic, and Pahoehoe. We timed the students to see who could out run/survive each type of lava flow.
Throughout the two weeks, the students visited the UI Paleontology Repository, Office of the State Archaeologist and the UI Museum of Natural History laboratories. The UI Paleontology Repository comprises over a million fossils from invertebrate, vertebrate, and plant fossils. The students were able to explore millions of years of natural history on their tour through the Repository. During their adventure at the Office of the State Archaeologist, they experienced playing with Native American games, such as throwing atlatls. With recent mammoth excavations happening at the UI Museum of Natural History, the students learned how to clean and catalogue mammoth bones.
Throughout the two weeks, the students visited the UI Paleontology Repository, Office of the State Archaeologist and the UI Museum of Natural History laboratories. The UI Paleontology Repository comprises over a million fossils from invertebrate, vertebrate, and plant fossils. The students were able to explore millions of years of natural history on their tour through the Repository. During their adventure at the Office of the State Archaeologist, they experienced playing with Native American games, such as throwing atlatls. With recent mammoth excavations happening at the UI Museum of Natural History, the students learned how to clean and catalogue mammoth bones.
No comments:
Post a Comment