Is it cold out? Not as cold as it was during the last Ice Age! Which plants and animals were around at that time, and how do we know? Like a real paleontologist, you'll look for evidence. Rummage through a tray of fossil finds and investigate which animal each bone belongs to. Your findings and any new questions will go on a giant research poster to take back to school with you.
Everything you need to knowin a row
- Type: workshop
- Level: groups 7 and 8 (10–12 years old)
- Length: 120 minutes
- Number of pupils: at least 15, but no more than 36
- Areas: workshop The past, gallery Ice age
- The school supplies: one parent/supervisor for every 10 pupils
- Naturalis supplies: one educational assistant
- Main objective: pupils gain an insight into working and thinking like a paleontologist
- Link to core objective: pupils are taught about the structure of plants, animals and humans and about the form and function of their constituent parts
- Keywords: scientists, fossils, research, science-positivity, research skills
Course of the programat the museum
The schedule given below is an indication only.
0-20 minuten
The educational assistant welcomes the group with a fossil bone in hand and tells them that pupils will be investigating evidence from the Ice Age. Pupils explore the Ice Age gallery by doing an assignment in pairs.
20-30 minuten
In the workshop area, the assignment is discussed, followed by a presentation introducing working as a paleontologist. Collection staff also work at Naturalis selecting, naming and storing fossils. A video shows how a collection worker and a paleontologist reconstruct the Ice Age using fossils.
30-105 minuten
After that, it's time voor Ice Age evidence! Pupils go on their own search for evidence of life in the Ice Age. They do three assignments and paste their findings onto a large research poster.
105-120 minuten
The workshop concludes with a conversation, discussing the findings and the questions on the poster. Afterwards, pupils will go into the gallery Dinosaur Era to look for a bone found by dinosaur professor Anne Schulp. The research poster goes back to school for processing.
Booking infoprepare your visit
Everything you need to know about practical matters such as parking, lockers and house rules.
