ACTIVITIES
for all ages
Things to do, things to make, places to explore. Check out this list of ideas for rock-related fun!
Make a Permian Reef
Follow these links for instructions on how to use muffin cases and paper fans to make colourful brachiopods and bryozoans for your own Permian reef. Once you've made your models let your imagination loose to create a perfect home for them. You could use an old shoe box or even an aquarium to make your reef. Remember, some Permian life-forms were similar to those we see today; perhaps you have some real snail shells, dried sponges or scallops you could include in your reef? Add real sand, make model icebergs (I recycled an old styrofoam box) and don't forget to pop in some dropstones. Your imagination is the only limit!
Follow these links for instructions on how to use muffin cases and paper fans to make colourful brachiopods and bryozoans for your own Permian reef. Once you've made your models let your imagination loose to create a perfect home for them. You could use an old shoe box or even an aquarium to make your reef. Remember, some Permian life-forms were similar to those we see today; perhaps you have some real snail shells, dried sponges or scallops you could include in your reef? Add real sand, make model icebergs (I recycled an old styrofoam box) and don't forget to pop in some dropstones. Your imagination is the only limit!
Tasmanio-HAT-osaurus
Ever wanted to stomp around like a hungry archosaur in a Triassic marsh? Here's your chance! Follow this link to find instructions on how to make your own Tasmanio-hat-osaurus. Colour in your hat-osaur, cut it out, tape it together and unleash your inner reptile - rraaaah!
Visit a museum
Museums are libraries of objects. Natural history museums, like TMAG and QVMAG in Tasmania, hold lots and lots specimens of animals, plants, rocks and fossils. If you want to get to know more about nature and our ancient past they are a fantastic place to start. Those of us lucky enough to live near one can visit in person but if you are too far away then try one of the online resources recommended in the Websites tab instead. Museums love curious visitors!
Museums are libraries of objects. Natural history museums, like TMAG and QVMAG in Tasmania, hold lots and lots specimens of animals, plants, rocks and fossils. If you want to get to know more about nature and our ancient past they are a fantastic place to start. Those of us lucky enough to live near one can visit in person but if you are too far away then try one of the online resources recommended in the Websites tab instead. Museums love curious visitors!
Mouldy Old Fossils
One of the interesting things about fossils is how many different ways the same animal or plant may look once it has been preserved in stone. Fossil seashells, for instance, might contain the shell itself or might just be moulds of the inner or outer surfaces of the shell. Sometimes fossils are squashed and deformed, sometimes they are broken at an angle and sometimes they are only part of a much larger thing. Palaeontologists have to get very good at thinking three-dimensionally when they are working to identify a fossil! Using play dough (there are lots of recipes on the web to make your own), try exploring how the same animal or plant fragment can make more than one type of impression. How many different shapes can you create from just one thing?
One of the interesting things about fossils is how many different ways the same animal or plant may look once it has been preserved in stone. Fossil seashells, for instance, might contain the shell itself or might just be moulds of the inner or outer surfaces of the shell. Sometimes fossils are squashed and deformed, sometimes they are broken at an angle and sometimes they are only part of a much larger thing. Palaeontologists have to get very good at thinking three-dimensionally when they are working to identify a fossil! Using play dough (there are lots of recipes on the web to make your own), try exploring how the same animal or plant fragment can make more than one type of impression. How many different shapes can you create from just one thing?
Featherysaurus
It's time for dinosaurs to get dressed up!
Birds and dinosaurs are so closely related that they are now considered to be interchangeable. We know that many dinosaurs in the Cretaceous were actually feathered rather than the scaly lizard-like creatures we used to imagine. Have a go at making your own feathery dinosaur - you'll need paper to draw it (or you could use the outline provided in this link). Make sure to colour your dinosaur in and then, fluff it up with glue and feathers. You could use feathers found outside on the ground or recycle some bought feathers. In the picture above I used a combination of real dinosaur feathers (moulted naturally by chickens) and a colourful feather boa. Let your imagination run riot - what does your feathery dinosaur look like?
It's time for dinosaurs to get dressed up!
Birds and dinosaurs are so closely related that they are now considered to be interchangeable. We know that many dinosaurs in the Cretaceous were actually feathered rather than the scaly lizard-like creatures we used to imagine. Have a go at making your own feathery dinosaur - you'll need paper to draw it (or you could use the outline provided in this link). Make sure to colour your dinosaur in and then, fluff it up with glue and feathers. You could use feathers found outside on the ground or recycle some bought feathers. In the picture above I used a combination of real dinosaur feathers (moulted naturally by chickens) and a colourful feather boa. Let your imagination run riot - what does your feathery dinosaur look like?
Draw the story of your mountain
Hobart is lucky to live in the shadow of our beautiful mountain kunanyi/Wellington. Still wild in many ways, the mountain is a piece of nature right on the doorstep of our city and its story tells us about the deep past of our land. But all mountains have stories! Is there a mountain near where you live? Do you know its story? Can you find out what rock it is made of? You could walk over or around it to see what rocks might be visible - sediments or perhaps volcanic rocks or granite. Information from your local geological survey should be available online to tell you how old the rocks are and how they formed. Can you draw the story of your mountain?
Hobart is lucky to live in the shadow of our beautiful mountain kunanyi/Wellington. Still wild in many ways, the mountain is a piece of nature right on the doorstep of our city and its story tells us about the deep past of our land. But all mountains have stories! Is there a mountain near where you live? Do you know its story? Can you find out what rock it is made of? You could walk over or around it to see what rocks might be visible - sediments or perhaps volcanic rocks or granite. Information from your local geological survey should be available online to tell you how old the rocks are and how they formed. Can you draw the story of your mountain?
Find a fossil
Searching for fossils is one of nature’s great treasure-hunts and is a fun way to get outdoors. You can check out information online to see if there are fossil-bearing rocks near where you live. Remember – not all places open to the public are open to fossil collection, so take a camera along to capture pictures of your finds instead. Check out the Found a Fossil website for information about where you can and can’t collect in your local area – and who to tell if you find something interesting.
Searching for fossils is one of nature’s great treasure-hunts and is a fun way to get outdoors. You can check out information online to see if there are fossil-bearing rocks near where you live. Remember – not all places open to the public are open to fossil collection, so take a camera along to capture pictures of your finds instead. Check out the Found a Fossil website for information about where you can and can’t collect in your local area – and who to tell if you find something interesting.
