For Immediate Release Contact: Nancy O'Shea (312) 665-7103 (For Media Use Only) Darwin Public Programs The Field Museum offers a variety of programs to help general visitors and students delve deeper into the content and themes explored in the exhibition Darwin.  The list below highlights some of the offerings.  Please visit www.fieldmuseum.org or call 312.665.7400 for a complete list or to register.  ADULT LECTURE  Darwin: Discovering the Tree of Life Dr. Niles Eldredge, Curator, Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History Charles Darwin's ideas resonate deeply in Western culture today, and his theory still lies at the heart of modern scientific evolutionary research. Come hear Dr. Niles Eldredge, curator at the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and lead curator of Darwin, provide an engaging account of Darwin's life through his writings and discoveries. A viewing of Darwin will follow this lecture presentation. Thursday, June 14, 2007; 6pm General Seats $16, students/educators $14, members $12 ADULT FIELD TRIPS  Stories in Stones: Introduction to Rock Identification and Fossil Collecting Participants will travel to the strip mines near Mazon Creek to collect rock and fossil specimens. Trip will focus on the basics of rock identification, fossils as indicators of ancient environments, and how organisms changed over time as outlined by Darwin. Saturday, September 29, 2007 from 8am-3pm; $70, members $60   Ghosts of Evolution: Fossil Hunting at Larson Quarry Reconstruct the Illinois landscape of 450 million years ago when a shallow, subtropical sea covered the area. You'll learn about the organisms that lived and died in this ancient environment and discover techniques for finding the fossils that show us how life has evolved throughout the ages. October 2007, from 7:30am-2pm; $65, members $55  FAMILY PROGRAMS  FAMILY FIELD TRIP: Evolving Illinois: Fossil Hunt at Mazon Creek Darwin’s study of ancient fossils was key to his theory that life changes over time.  Come with us to the world-famous Mazon Creek site, and discover what Illinois—and it’s life—was like more than 300 million years ago! Plan on a one-quarter mile walk to fossil locations. For families with children ages 8-17. Saturday, August 25 or September 15, 8am-3pm $40, $30 members  FAMILY WORKSHOP: Evolved to Perfection Will astronauts someday be able to breathe in a vacuum? Will farmers have tillers for feet? Explore Darwin's theories of Natural Selection and use your imagination to create the future's perfect person for the career of your choosing. For families with children ages 6-12. Saturday, September 15, 2007, 10am-11:30am $16, $12members  GALLERY PROGRAMS  Hands-On Activities: Mass Extinction Game Examine extinct organisms and learn how life on Earth has been shaped by five prehistoric mass extinctions, each wiping out more than 50% of species on the planet. Select weekends; please check the information desk for a list of the day's activities.   Storytime Take a seat in one of our exhibition halls, hear a story, and make an art project to take home, all in 20 minutes! Featured titles include Life on Earth: The Story of Evolution, by Steve Jenkins; Each Living Thing, by Joanne Ryder; Tree of Life: The Incredible Biodiversity of Life on Earth, by Rochelle Strauss and Margot Thompson. Saturdays and Sundays, 1:30pm; Daily in July and August.Themes vary; please check the information desk for a list of the day's activities.    EDUCATOR PROGRAMS  Educator Guides On-line educator guides help teachers plan focused field trips with pre, during and post activities to use in temporary exhibitions at the Museum and provide key resources, materials and broad ideas linked to the ILS for classroom.  Just for Educators! Darwin Step inside the world of Charles Darwin, naturalist, explorer, and reluctant revolutionary.  Join a FM scientist on a guided tour that chronicles Darwin's life and discoveries, then explore natural selection and its impact on the theory of evolution.  Be one of the first educators to model unique hands-on activities and construct a classroom timeline marking the development of the theory of evolution. Adaptable for Grades 4-12. Earn 3 CPDUs Wednesday, June 20, 2007, from 5pm-8pm $20; $18  Best Practices in Teaching Evolution Wed 07/25, Thurs 07/26, Fri 07/27, 2007 Learn everything you need to know about how to effectively teach evolution in the classroom.  This three-day workshop will help you gain a better understanding of how the process of evolution has created the diversity of life on Earth. Earn 15 CPDUs, 1 Lane and/or 1 Aurora University Graduate Credit. Breakfast will be provided.  $275 members $250  Understanding Animal Form and Function Some animals look so strange to us that it's hard to believe they're real.  But even the weirdest creatures look the way they do because it helps them survive.  How can an animal's appearance be a life-or-death matter?  What can it tell us about its evolutionary history?  Explore the differences and similarities between animal bodies – past and present.  What can the shape, size, and other features of an animal’s body tell us about its biology?  Learn several ways to link modern animals in What is an Animal? with their fossil relatives in Evolving Planet.  Model hands-on activities that can be used with your students! Earn 3 CPDUs.  Boxed dinners will be provided. Wednesday, October 17, 5-8pm $30, members $25  STUDENT PROGRAMS  High School Press Preview Fall 2007 High School journalists--join us for a private tour and dialog with the actual exhibition designers and scientists.  You can even enter a publication contest by submitting your newspaper article on the exhibition! This program is free to middle and high school journalism staff accompanied by advisors/chaperone, and includes entrance to the museum for the day as well as your ticket to the accompanying exhibition.  STUDENT CLASSES  Journeys with Darwin and the Dawn of Evolution (Grades 3-8) Pack your bags and bring your sketchbooks!  Students will visit the Darwin exhibition, retracing his travels on the HMS Beagle while journaling about and sketching the exhibition's artifacts and specimens.  Explore how the theory of evolution has, well, evolved, since Darwin's first publications amidst other strange scientific theories.  Students will also learn about how it's possible for scientists to study extinct animals, like dinosaurs. $3 per Chicago student, $4 non-Chicago student  Footprints of the Past (Grades 1-4) Students will explore the fascinating creatures that have roamed the Earth and compare them to the creatures that we see today.  $3 per Chicago student, $4 non-Chicago student  The Great Fossil Hunt (Grades 3-8) Students will learn about the process of fossilization as they unearth and prepare dinosaur bones for display, discovering what fossils can tell us about the past. Already launched. $3 per Chicago student, $4 non-Chicago student  The Life of Earth (Grades 5-7) Students will explore this amazing planet we call Earth and how it has evolved to take the form we see today. $3 per Chicago student, $4 non-Chicago student  Evolution 101 (9-12) Join us for an in-depth look at the basics of evolution and its importance to scientific research. Tour Evolving Planet and other exhibitions to understand first-hand how evolution works in nature. Mondays-Fridays, 10:00am-12:30pm $3 per Chicago student, $4 per non-Chicago student  Classify This! (9-12) Explore how scientists classify the worlds of plants and animals. Visit Evolving Planet and other exhibitions, then practice Linneaen classification, create cladograms, and look at how scientists use morphology and genetics. Starting January 2007; Mondays-Fridays, 10:00am-12:30pm $3 per Chicago student, $4 per non-Chicago student  HARRIS LOAN EDUCATION CENTER Teachers and parents can put real fossils in the hands of their students and children by borrowing one of these Harris Educational Loan Center Experience Boxes for your classroom: Fossils; Geology of IL; 300 Million Years Ago in Illinois; Ice Mammals of Chicago; Hominid Evolution; Dinosaurs and Other Mesozoic Creatures; Dinosaurs and their Times: Cretaceous; Dinosaurs and their Times: Jurassic; and Dinosaur Dinners. <<Back to the Darwin Press kit