Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries Education Programs
The Field Museum offers a variety of programs to complement the exhibition Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries. Call 312.665.7400 for more information or to register.
LECTURES
Horned Dinosaurs: Display or Defense?
Dr. Peter Makovicky, Curator of Dinosaurs, FM Dept. of Geology
Ever wonder what dinosaurs use all of those unusual frills and horns for? Hear from an expert about the latest theory concerning their use, including competition for mates and easy identification of others in their species. Dr. Makovicky's research focuses on the Ceratopsia group, or horned dinosaurs, and he has studied them in fossil sites around the world.
Saturday, March 31, 2007, 2pm
Free with Museum admission
T. rex: Fast or Fiction?
Dr. John R. Hutchinson
Structure & Motion Lab, Royal Veterinary College, University of London
Get under the skin of Earth's largest creatures! Hutchinson studies the anatomy of large land animals—including elephants and dinosaurs—and uses modern methods of biomechanics to explore how size affects the way these animals move. You'll see how his use of computer simulations reveals the way complex muscles, tendons, and bones of the limbs work to produce locomotion, illustrating the difference in these animals.
Saturday, April 14, 2007, 2pm
$17 (includes General Museum admission, a ticket to the lecture, and one ticket to Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries--valued at $27!)
$10 (includes General Museum admission and a ticket to the lecture presentation--valued at $20!)
PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED.
GALLERY PROGRAMS
Dino Discovery Days
Celebrate the opening of Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries with fun-filled dinosaur activities for the whole family! Stop by one of our interpretive stations to learn about geological "hot spots" in the world, make your own dino flip book, and investigate extinction theories; then listen to a special Storytime presentation on dinosaurs!
Opening weekend; Saturday, March 31 and Sunday, April 1, 2007, 11am-2pm
Free with Museum admission
Interpretive Stations
Hands-on activities for families available throughout the run of the exhibition include dino tracks, touchable fossils, and a T. rex puzzle, and interpretive stations such as Geological Hot Spots, the Extinction Game, and Dino Flip books.
Check the information desk when you arrive for a list of the day’s activities.
Weekends; 11am-2pm
Free with Museum admission
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 will include Big Old Bones: A Dinosaur Tale, by Carol Carrick; Can I have a Stegosaurus, Mom? Can I? Please!? by Lois G. Grambling; Dinosaur Roar!, by Paul and Henrietta Stickland; The Field Mouse and the Dinosaur named Sue, by Jan Wahl; Fossils, by Roy A. Gallant; The Fossil Factory, by Gregory Niles and Let's Go Dinosaur Tracking!, by Miriam Schelein.
Families with young children
Weekends,1:30pm
Free with Museum admission
FAMILY PROGRAMS
Dinosaur Forensics
Be a dino detective! Examine clues like fossil bones and dino tracks to uncover how these ancient beasts lived and died. Program includes a ticket to the exhibition Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries.
Saturday, April 14, 2007, 10–11:30am
$16 per person,$12 member
Create a Play in One Day!
Foundation Theatre Group
Put your little one in the director’s chair! Children ages 5–11 will write a short dinosaur play under the tutelage of professional actors, cast it with their new friends from the workshop, and perform for the general public at the Museum that same day.
May 26, 2007, 10am–2pm rehearsal, 2:30 performance
$16 per person, $12 member
EDUCATOR WORKSHOPS
Just for Educators! Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries (Grades K-12)
Get a private viewing of the most up-to-date look at how scientists are reinterpreting many of the most persistent and puzzling mysteries of the dinosaurs. See impressive fossils specimens and casts, get an idea of what dinosaurs looked like and how they moved, and then explore educational materials for your classroom.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007, 5-8pm
$20, members $18
Dino Biomechanics: The Science of Dinosaur Motion (Grades 9-12)
It’s not easy being big! Explore how giant dinosaurs moved by using math and physics concepts to bring the dinosaurs back to life. Learn how size influenced movement for some of the largest animals to ever have roamed the Earth from a Museum expert and a visit to Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Disoveries.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007, 5-8pm
$30, members $25 (includes boxed dinner)
HARRIS EDUCATIONAL LOAN CENTER
Teachers and parents can put real fossils in the hands of their students and children by borrowing one of these Experience Boxes for their classroom or home: Dinosaurs and Other Mesozoic Creatures; Dinosaurs and their Times: Cretaceous; Dinosaurs and their Times: Jurassic;300 Million Years Ago in Illinois; Hominid Evolution; Dinosaur Dinners.
Visit www.fieldmuseum.org/harrisloan to register and reserve your materials.
Home School teachers, parents and families: $60, Museum members $30
School rates: Individual teachers: $30 per year; Register 10-19 teachers: $20/teacher; Register 20 or more teachers: $15/teacher
STUDENT PROGRAMS
Student Lecture: T. rex: Fast or Fiction?
Grades 6-9
Dr. John R. Hutchinson
Structure & Motion Lab, Royal Veterinary College, University of London
Get under the skin of Earth's largest creatures! Hutchinson studies the anatomy of large land animals--including elephants and dinosaurs--and uses modern methods of biomechanics to explore how size affects the way these animals move. You'll see how his use of computer simulations reveals the way complex muscles, tendons, and bones of the limbs work to produce locomotion, illustrating the difference in these animals.
Friday, April 13, 2007, 10:30am
$3 per Chicago student, $4 per student outside Chicago
Please note: Tickets to Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries requires separate registration and is not included with the price of this lecture.
High School Press Preview: Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries
Thursday, April 26, 2007, 9am–noon
Attention Newspaper and Journalism Advisors! You and your student journalism staff are invited to join us for a private exhibition tour and an exclusive dialogue with exhibition designers and scientists. Later, students can submit their article to the Museum, and we’ll publish the best ones.
Call 312.665.7506 to register.
Free to high school journalism staff, accompanied by advisors/chaperones.
Includes entrance to the Museum and accompanying exhibition.
STUDENT CLASSES
Field of Wonder (preK-2)
Need an activity for your pre-K through 2nd grade students? Check out this exciting opportunity designed to engage even the smallest visitor in exploring the Earth and its peoples. Register for our Dinosaurs program to engage your students in a comparison of carnivores and herbivores by comparing sizes and shapes of teeth using real fossils and casts.
Tuesday-Friday at 10:15 or 11:15am
Free with Field Trip registration; Maximum 30 students
Footprints of the Past (K-4)
Explore the fascinating creatures that have roamed the Earth since the dawn of time, and compare them to today’s animal kingdom.
Tuesdays-Fridays, 10am-12:30pm
$3 per Chicago student, $4 per non-Chicago student
The Great Fossil Hunt (3-8)
Find out what it takes to be a paleontologist! Students will learn about the process of fossilization as they search the floor of The Field Museum for fossils. Then they'll unearth and prepare a life size dinosaur for display as they theorize about ancient life and discover what fossils can tell us about the past.
Tuesdays-Fridays, 10:00am-12:30pm
$3 per Chicago student, $4 per non-Chicago student
Offsite programs also available
The Life of Earth (5-8)
Travel back through the history of this amazing planet we call Earth and understand how it has evolved to the place we live today.
Tuesdays-Fridays, 10:00am-12:30pm
$3 per Chicago student, $4 per 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
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