Track Down Prehistoric Creatures in the DinoTracks Exhibit at the EcoTarium
New exhibit opening Thanksgiving weekend puts visitors in the footsteps of dinosaurs and scientists
MEDIA CONTACT: Sarah Hesshaus
Communications Manager
shesshaus@ecotarium.org
(508)929-2738
November 23, 2007
(WORCESTER, Mass.) – On November 23, 2007, the EcoTarium, A Museum of Science & Nature, invites visitors to experience the study of dinosaur fossils firsthand in its new hands-on exhibit, DinoTracks.
Before scientists began investigating the dinosaurs who once roamed the planet, they first found fossilized footprints. Or rather, farmers right here in New England found them while plowing their fields. In fact, some of the first discoveries of dinosaur tracks happened not far from here in the Connecticut River Valley – and people are still finding them today. DinoTracks engages adults and kids alike in a fun-filled exploration of the fossils found right under our feet, how these footprints came to be, what they tell us and how scientists began to study them.
Not your typical "stay-behind-the-rope" dinosaur exhibit, DinoTracks starts where the scientists started – at the feet – and focuses on fossil discoveries. The exhibit engages visitors of all ages in trying out hands-on scientific study methods and getting down on the ground to put their new skills to work. DinoTracks is a "please-touch" exhibit presented in three languages: English, Spanish and French.
DinoTracks exhibit stations include a variety of fun activities for families, including:
- Practice tracking skills on a 15x20 foot photo reproduction of real trackways discovered in the Connecticut River Valley
- Step into life-sized dinosaur prints and touch a real footprint found last year in a Holyoke, Massachusetts, backyard
- Learn the real-life stories of dinosaur discoveries and where you can go to see them in New England and Eastern Canada
- Mimic the process of mud tracking and make footprints to take home
- Discover how to read the stories in fossil tracks to measure a dinosaur's speed, size and activity
- Run as fast – or creep as slow – as the dinosaurs did
- Use a magnetic drawing board to tell dinosaur stories using tracks
- Hear and feel the footsteps of a dinosaur when you sit on the Jurassic Park Bench
- Put together a dinosaur puzzle. Can you keep it balanced over its feet?
- Find out how scientists today are using emus, turkeys and lizards to discover how dinosaurs really moved.
This exhibit was produced by the Environmental Exhibit Collaborative, a group of mid-sized natural science and children's museums organized by the EcoTarium. It is made possible by grants from Jane's Trust and the Cabot Family Charitable Trust. It will be at the EcoTarium through November 2, 2008 and is free with museum admission.
EcoTarium, A Museum of Science & Nature, offers three floors of interactive exhibits, wildlife habitats, interpretive nature trails, a digital planetarium, and a narrow-gauge railroad. The museum, located at 222 Harrington Way in Worcester, Mass., is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays 12 to 5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors, college students and children ages 3-18. Parking is free. For information, visit www.ecotarium.org.