Dinosaur takeover! 14-18th March, Bristol

Dinosaur takeover!
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery
14 - 18 March 2016 - Part of British Science Week
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery will be celebrating British Science Week (11-20 March 2016), with a Dinosaur Takeover!  Bristol Museums have partnered with dinosaur experts at the University of Bristol to deliver an exciting half day experience for school groups in the region, packed with thrilling dinosaur-related activities.
Central to the day, Dino Debs and Dino Dan will lead a 90 minute workshop, accompanied by other postgraduate students from The University of Bristol.  School children will be able to handle and examine fossils, get up close to The Bristol Dinosaur, take part in a dino-dig and learn about dino food chains. Pupils will also have time to explore the museum’s dinosaur gallery and permanent exhibits with their teachers. Plus, each child can take home a keepsake fossilised shark’s tooth.
Also -  any school that books a Dinosaur Takeover workshop at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery between 14-18 March, will also be given the chance to book a free in-school follow-up session led by postgraduate students from the University of Bristol.
Dinosaur takeover sessions are suitable for Years 1 to 4. Workshops are bookable morning and afternoon from Monday 14 – Friday 18 March 2016. Each workshop can accommodate groups of up to 35 pupils. More than one workshop can be booked. 
The workshops are charged at £6 per pupil, with accompanying adults free and the opportunity to book a complimentary in-school follow-up session led by postgraduate students from The University of Bristol.A special Dinosaur Takeover! workshop for Home Educators has also been developed and will take place at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery on Friday 18 March between 12.20-2pm, charged at £5 per child. Advanced booking required.
Click here for further information

Earth Science Education

Welcome to 2016, our International Year of Earth Science Educator stories. 
The stories of those who influence Earth Science education locally and across the world will appear every Thursday on the IGEO (International Geoscience Education Organisation) website through 2016 and beyond. Through this, we hope that the work, wisdom, initiative and enthusiasm of the 'storytellers' will inform and inspire the next generation.
So, please:
REGISTER for regular alerts to the stories by giving your email address on the register page
READ the stories as they appear - and add comments on the IGEO webpage
SEND this message far and wide through all the networks available to you
OFFER your own story if you too have an inspiring or motivating story to tell, covering any area of Earth science education.
We hope that in this way, 2016 and beyond will be a motivational year for all of us.

Fossils and funny bones for the under 8s

Did you know that Explore @ Bristol is running workshops for the under 8s?

"Fossil Finders: Discover the magic of prehistoric worlds through playful and imaginative games and activities in this hands-on workshop. Children will make their own fossils, move like a dinosaur and find out about the creatures that once roamed the Earth."

The cost is £1.75 per pupil for an hour long visit and 30 pupils and 15 adults can be accommodated at one time.

Dates - 15 - 19th October, 12 November - 7th December, 21st January - 8th February, 3 - 14th March, 12 - 23rd May.

International Year of Planet Earth

As you know, Professor Mike Benton of the University of Bristol is currently President of the Geologists' Association. The GA celebrates its 150th birthday in 2008 (GA150) and 2008 is also the International Year of Planet Earth (IYPE). The GA with the GSL Education Committee as a partner, is organising an educational/outreach programme, the aim of which is to combine a poster campaign to all schools with linked web materials, and a programe of talks in schools by students, coordinated by University Earth sciences/geology departments. The plan is to make a sustainable and continuing programme.

Also for the International Year of Planet Earth and making a difference to the education of children across the world is Earthlearningidea. We are publishing 5 Earth-related activities up to December and then one a week for the whole of 2008. These activities require minimal resources and equipment.

Fossil Hunt at Writhlington, Radstock

Today, the pupils of Lowry class from Kilmersdon School visited Radstock Museum and Writhlington Batch. The latter is a really good place to find Coal Measures plant fossils. Lots of leaves from seed ferns (Neuropteris photo) and ferns were found plus many leaves from Cordaites, thought to be an ancestor of the conifers. There were also numerous Horsetail (Calamites) stems and some horsetail leaves (Annularia). Only one example of Club Moss (Lepidodendron) bark was found. At the Museum, the children learned about coal mining in the area and visited the mine reconstruction.

The displays in Radstock Museum reflect the history of the local community. It is well worth a visit; have a look at the website.

Earth Learning Idea - Quake Shake

'Quake Shake - will my home collapse?'
This is the first sample activity to be published by Earth Learning Idea.
It is a simple investigation into why some buildings collapse when an earthquake strikes and why some do not. Like all ELI activities, it requires minimal cost and equipment and will lead to lots of discussion.

Earth Learning Idea will publish Earth-related teaching ideas for teachers and teacher trainers across the globe. One activity will be published every week next year, The International Year of Planet Earth.

Please have a look at our website - Links - Earth-related activities and let us know what you think either by email (info@earthlearningidea.com) or by clicking the 'comment' link below.

Geology for Children

Rockwatch is an excellent nationwide club for young geologists. It is the junior club of the Geologists' Assocation. New members receive a Rox file with a basic set of geological fact cards, full colour geological map of the British Isles, a 'Thumbs-Up' guide showing how to make the best of a collection and a list of UK museums with geological collections.

Events and field trips are run throughout the year in various parts of the country and members also receive a magazine three times a year.

Join now!

Earth Science in Secondary Education

If you are a science teacher (usually biologist, chemist or physicist) and you have to teach KS3 or KS4 Earth Science, please consider asking me in to run a FREE workshop for the science staff. These are devised by the Earth Science Education Unit (ESEU) and are packed with activities which your pupils will enjoy. The KS3 workshops can be seen on the ESEU website www.earthscienceeducation.com.

There are also two new workshops for KS4 covering all the Earth Science in the new specifications.
These are not on the website yet but I have already demonstrated them to loud approval from the participants. They are:-

• The Earth and Plate Tectonics; the whole story
• Life, Atmosphere and everything