Burke wants children to dig paleontology

If your child has a hankering to be a paleontologist and dig up dinosaur bones, tomorrow is their lucky day. Head to the University of Washington's Burke Museum for "Focus on Fossils!" to learn how to find fossils and dig them up, see some special fossils from the "Dinosaurs of Darkness" exhibit, and watch experts carefully chisel fossils out of stone.

COMING UP

FOCUS ON FOSSILS

WHAT: Exhibits, tours, demonstrations and hands-on experiences -- all about fossils and paleontology

WHEN: Tomorrow 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

WHERE: UW's Burke Museum of Natural History

and Culture, Northeast 45th Street and

17th Avenue Northeast

COST: $8, $6.50 seniors, $5 students/youths,

free for 4 and under

INFORMATION: 206-543-5590; www.burkemuseum.org

"What we're planning to do is introduce new people to the Burke Museum and the science of paleontology," explains Dr. Liz Nesbitt, curator of paleontology. "We want kids to be interested in paleontology and growing up to be scientists."

Specimens rarely on view from the Burke collections will be on display, and Nesbitt will lead tours of "Dinosaurs of Darkness" at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

"Focus on Fossils!" will display fossils from around the state. However, "there (were) no dinosaurs in Washington, which is very sad," she says. "But we have lots of other fossils."

Throughout the day, visitors can watch scientists work with fossils and demonstrate tools of the trade at the Fossil Preparation Station. Fossil preparator Bruce Crowley will prepare a specimen while kids watch.

"It's very impressive to see how he works," Nesbitt says. "What we want them to learn is the science of what we do at the Burke. The Burke is famous for its natural history and Native American history, but there's a whole other section that is built around research. We're not just a museum with fun things to see. We're actually based in research."

Children can work with fossils themselves by making fossil rubbings and molds, and go on a treasure hunt. Author Kelly Milner Halls will read from her book "Dinosaur Mummies: Beyond Bare Bones Fossils" at noon and 2 p.m. Milner Halls also will display a selection of touchable fossils related to her book, which explains the process of fossilization and the huge difference between dinosaur mummies and Egyptian mummies.

"Dinosaurs of Darkness," from Australia, features recently discovered dinosaurs that lived in the extreme polar regions of the globe. The exhibit, which runs through Oct. 17, focuses on the unusual dinosaurs of Antarctica, Australia, New Zealand, Alaska and Russia, with full skeletons, models, fossil bones and paintings.

Walk into the exhibit and you'll get a chill (thanks to the special cooling system) seeing the first skeleton, getting a feel for how these creatures lived in the cold.

During her tours, Nesbitt will explain the science behind the exhibit in a way that children can understand.

"For 'Dinosaurs of Darkness,' you can explain how it's cold by showing them crystals, you can explain darkness, and you can show adaptations that dinosaurs made to live in this environment," she says. "We just had two camps, for kids ages 6 to 12, and it was amazing. I was so amazed how many questions they had, and how many of those questions weren't specifically about dinosaurs, but about fossils, about evolution."

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