By Sara Thompson
Special to the Enterprise
After two weeks of waiting, we have opened our new exhibit Explorit Rocks! over Labor Day weekend. Public hours are Friday from 1pm - 4pm, Saturday and Sunday from 10am - 2pm. Admission is $5 at the door, with Explorit Members, ASTC, and those age 2 and under free. Masks are strongly encouraged while indoors. Our new exhibit will feature a variety of specimens for our guests to interact with from rocks, fossils, and crystals.
Guests will learn about the three types of rocks: Sedimentary, Igneous, and Metamorphic. Touch, sort, and explore specimens of each type and learn about what makes them different and how they are formed. Learn about what kind of rocks are in the Grand Canyon, what is special about Mt. St. Helens, and learn about local metamorphic rocks.
Fossils are the remains and evidence we have of past living things. Spend time looking at our table-top timescale and find fossils associated with many of the time periods. Look at the stratigraphic layers on the wall and identify some of the fossils on it. Show your friends and family microfossils under our video microscope. Get a close look at and touch real fossil shells, plants, and bones. How can these items help us to interpret the past and better build our understanding of our earth and how it has changed?
All rocks are made of minerals, and all minerals are made of elements on the periodic table. Explore samples of elements on the periodic table and match them to information cards. Are there some minerals that are used in everyday life? Many are sought after for their shapes and colors. Look at examples of raw minerals and how they are crafted into jewelry and other trinkets.
Spend time finding items in our dig pit. Use crayons to make rubbing of different dinosaurs and other ancient animals. Dress up as some famous paleontologists and learn about their discoveries. Check out our gingko tree in the garden and learn why it is important. When did our resident animal species appear in the fossil record? There is no limit to what you can discover about rocks, fossils, and crystals!
Exploit's coming events:
• We are honored and excited that we have been chosen to participate in a special charitable giving campaign, sponsored and funded by Target. And you have the chance to help direct a portion of Target’s donation to us! Now through September 30th, vote for us through the Target Circle program to help determine how Target’s donation will be divvied up. Find out more about Target Circle here: www.target.com/circle
• A Membership to Explorit grants the recipient free visits to Explorit’s regular public hours, discounts on events, summer camps and workshops, and gives you ASTC benefits to visit other museums throughout the world. To purchase or for more information visit https://www.explorit.org/membership or call Explorit at 530-756-0191.
• School Programs are available to schedule. We have educational programs that travel to schools and options for field trips at our facility. Please call 530-756-0191 for more information or to schedule.
• Now is a great time to donate and help Explorit continue to educate and inspire the scientists of tomorrow: https://www.explorit.org/donate.
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