This spring, the movie Jurassic Park will once again be seen in theatres, this time in 3-D. Twenty years ago when it premiered it spawned a resurgence in dinosaurs and paleontology among kids everywhere. It even made me wonder if I made the wrong choice in my college major.
But I digress.
If you know someone aged 11-16 who also dreams of being a paleontologist, this summer the Falls of the Ohio may be the place for them with their program offerings of Young Explorer Day Camps, Teen Archaeologist Day Camp and Young Paleontologist Camp.
The Young Explorer Day Camp is for children in grades 4-6 and will focus on fossils, nature, native people, plants and aquatic life. Schedule and cost is as follows:
June 3-7, $125
June 17-21, $125
June 24-28, $125
July 1-5, $125
July 23-26, $100
The Teen Archaeologist Day Camp is for children aged 11-15 who are thinking about a career in archaeology. Activities will be led by members of the Falls of the Ohio Archaeological Society and archaeologist Anne Bader. On the Saturday of the camp, participants will go to an actual dig site and will need a parent or guardian to take them to the site and stay with them. Families are welcome on this day to bring a lunch and watch the excavations. Schedule and cost:
July 11-13, $125
The Young Paleontologist Camp is for children aged 12-16 and is a three day immersion into the life of a paleontologist, from fossil collection and cleaning to photography to website creation. This camp will be led by Falls of the Ohio State Park paleontologist Alan Goldstein and will require a parent or guardian to accompany the participants on all three days. This session will also include two off-site collection trips. Because of the nature of this session, there are some additional requirements for participation.
- Participants must be between 12 and 16 years old as of July 1.
- A parent, grandparent or guardian must agree to accompany the participant for the duration of the camp.
- Participant must have at least a two year interest in fossils before the camp.
- Participant should have a career interest in paleontology and/or their own fossil collection.
- Registration form must include a hand-written paragraph explaining why the child wants to participate in this camp.
Schedule and cost is July 16-18, $150.
Day camps are sponsored by The Falls of the Ohio Foundation and State Park Interpretive Center.
To register for one of the day camps, email dani@fallsoftheohio.org or call (812) 283-4999.
Photo courtesy of Shutterstock/Michael Ninger
