Paleontology - The Real Thing
August 8-12, 2011
Fairlawn Location - check back later!
Fruitafossor
Come join the fun!
Therozinosaur - examine one of their eggs.
Prospecting for fossils requires
patience and a sharp eye for detail.  Learn to
find your own fossils right here in Ohio.
Is it a bone?  A tree limb?  Find out.
Identify and learn how to prepare
these teeth for display.
Paleontology is NOT just for boys!
There's so much more to
paleontology than T-Rex!
Some bonebeds are - well - mammoth.
Removing fossils from the
ground requires care.
Not all exciting fossils come
from dinosaurs.
Isotelus - Ohio's State Fossil
A single bone can be huge - and very difficult to
excavate and move back to the museum.
Paleontology is hot, dusty,
and dirty but so much fun!
Dunkleosteus
Or, a fossil may be tiny and finding it is like looking
for a needle in a haystack - or - like looking for a
single grain of sand (bone) in an ant hill.
The real work begins when the
fossils are back in the lab.  
A paleontologist's tools include heavy boots, rock
hammers, chisels, dental tools, tooth brushes, plaster,
high-tech lab equipment, and much more.
A small rock may contain an entire animal -
visible only with a microscope.
Paleontology - The Real Thing will take the students on an expedition through the world of
paleontology.  Campers will learn how to prospect for fossils (real ones!), conduct a paleontological dig,
and excavate and jacket fossils properly. Students will then learn how to use an air-scribe and other
tools to prepare fossils for exhibition and study.  Students will learn how to use reference materials to
analyze and evaluate their ‘finds.  All skills taught will be “the real thing” based on the instructor’s
experiences working with the Cincinnati Museum of Natural History, Marietta College Geology
Department, and the Mammoth Site of Hot Springs, SD.