Dinosaur Detectives

There's a mystery at The Dinosaur Place and your junior paleontologists are the detectives. By examining clues such as teeth, claws and footprints, your students will learn dinosaur characteristics and solve the mystery.

Length: 45 minutes

Rocky's Adventures

Investigate what it takes to be considered a rock. Follow the rock cycle with our friend Rocky the rock, learn how he is "born" and see how he changes.

Length: 45 minutes

Fossil and Dinosaur Detectives

Enter a wonderful prehistoric world and discover what it takes to be a fossil. By examining clues such as teeth, claws and footprints, just like real paleontologists, your students will hypothesize about dinosaur characteristics and adaptations.

Length: 1 hour

Rocky's Adventures

Follow the rock cycle with our friend Rocky the rock, learn how he is "born" and see how he changes. Discover how we use minerals, the basic building blocks of Rocky, in our everyday lives.

Length: 1 hour

Our Prehistoric World

Explore basic concepts in paleontology. Investigate what it takes to be considered a fossil, discover how and why some living things fossilize, and tour our Fossil Gallery to see the Mesozoic Era caught in time!

Length: 90 minutes

Rocks and Minerals

Learn about the rock cycle and the 3 rock types. Use firsthand investigation to "dissect" a rock into its mineral components and match household items to the minerals from which they are made.

Length: 90 minutes

Add-on option for grades 4 & 5: Learn about mineral identification methods such as Mohs Hardness Scale, the streak test and specific gravity. Then perform your own experiments to identify mineral samples.

Length: 60 minutes

Introduction to Paleontology

Be a paleontologist for the day! Use a compass, excavate in our replica fossil quarry, sketch your findings and more. Find out what it takes to be sponsored by a museum and head an expedition.

Length: 2 hours

Teachers: This program includes a pre-visit packet of introductory materials.

Note: Grade 4 and up

Limit 1 group of 18 students.
2 groups can be accommodated if additional activities are added to your field trip. Please contact us for details.

Crystals, Gems and Geodes

Discover some amazing geological creations. Learn about crystal chemistry and formation, assess and compare mineral characteristics to determine which specimens are gem-worthy and examine geodes from around the world.

Length: 90 minutes

Chemical Composition of Minerals

In-depth presentation by our trained instructors including hands-on portions to reinforce topics for the students. Highlights include:

• LEARN the differences between elements vs compounds and crystals vs minerals
• UNDERSTAND how those differences affect the use of the specimen
• EXAMINE minerals we use in everyday life, how we use them and the process of changing them into forms that are useful
• CREATE a molecule that shows the composition of a mineral that we use in everyday life
• DISCOVER whether the molecule is a compound or element and why

Length: 2 hours