Bones & Fossils

Brandon concluded his semester long Kindergarten study of Bones & Fossils with a class scavenger hunt at the Natural History Museum.  Our hunt included, among others, the following items:

• a plant eater
• a meat eater
• paleontologist tools
• a skull
• an x-ray 

As you may have guessed, there was a high chaperone turnout which pretty much allowed each child to have an individualized outing.  We began our field trip boarding the "Fear the Turtle" bus at the school.  Excitement was high for these first-timers riding on one of the University of Maryland's Team Buses.  Thirty comfy minutes later we arrived at the museum.  I cannot imagine what witnesses expect when this mighty mode of transport pulls up for a stop but I doubt their expectations involve a busload of kindergartners.

After a class briefing, Brandon & I headed off, notepad & pen-in-hand, to hunt for our scavenger items and explore the bones & fossils exhibits.  

My memories of the outing are that he particularly enjoyed matching up the mural paintings with the skeletons displayed in front of them.  

As luck would have it that day, a paleontologist happened to be working on some fossils as we walked by the lab so we were able to witness him and his tools in action.  

With only 10 minutes left on our schedule we raced to find the x-ray which we were informed by a classmate was located near the mummies.  As we approached the mummy case Brandon stood and stared at the black, dried out human form.  

He (Brandon) didn't move for a long time.  

Finally he broke the silence, "Is he wrapped in toilet paper?"

"No, but it's kind of like toilet paper."

Staring again at the mummified body, he somberly said to me, "Mommy, that might give me nightmares."  

Always one to end on a high note, I concluded our scavenger hunt.  Off we went to enjoy our lunch with the other classmates on the steps of the museum.

Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.  ~Chinese Proverb