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Program Contact
James Hakala
james.hakala@colorado.edu
The University of Colorado Boulder Museum of Natural History loans portable Discovery Kits for in-class and home use. Discovery Kits are carry-on-sized suitcases and contain authentic museum specimens, casts, and models. The kits can be used as a free-standing study unit or as pre- and/or post-visit activities when combined with a trip to the museum. Kits are available for a rental fee of $10/week. Please contact the Education Office at 303-492-4458 to schedule a rental and pick-up time. We can also ship the Discovery Kits to your school.
Please visit our website for more detailed descriptions and photographs of contents. We rent out the following Discovery Kits:
Life Science:
Bats – Learn about the fascinating bat and the roles it plays in the ecosystem.
Insects – Explore the structure, life cycle, and adaptations of insects.
Colorado Mammals – Examine skulls, skins, and tracks from some of Colorado’s common mammals.
Common Plants of Colorado – Study common plants found in different ecosystems in Colorado.
Earth Science:
Dinosaurs – Learn about the “terrible lizards” of the past.
Fossils of the West – Investigate different types of fossil plants and animals.
Colorado Air Quality/Air Quality InQuiry (AQ-IQ) – Monitor, test, and learn about the air quality around your school.
Anthropology:
Ancestral Pueblo of Colorado – Explore artifacts and the lifeways of the ancient Pueblo peoples.
Ancient Life in the Boulder Valley – Explore touchable replicas of stone tools found in Boulder that date to near the end of the last Ice Age.
Native Peoples – Learn about the Navajo – a native people of the U. S. – and the Paiwan – a native people of Taiwan, ROC – through two Discovery Kits featuring hands-on objects, interactive media and teacher guides.
Classroom Kits
New hands-on outreach materials featuring real and cast specimens and artifacts, tools and in-class lesson plans specifically designed to address the Colorado Academic Standards. These kits are available for rent or purchase and include training for teachers in their districts on how to best use the kits in their classrooms.
Classroom Kits are available for:
• Fossils
• Colorado Archaeology
Please call (303) 492-4458 if you are interested in learning more about this project, and how you can receive a kit and training for your school.
CU Museum Discovery Kits
Additional Info
Discovery Kits are carry-on-sized suitcases that contain authentic museum specimens, casts, and models. When paired with a museum visit, they can be used as a free-standing pre-and/or post-visit activation study unit or activity. Kits are available for a rental fee of $10/week. Please contact the Education Office at 303-492-4458 or 303-492-1666 to schedule a rental and pick-up time.
Location
in colorado
Boulder
Dates
Ongoing
Public or Private
Private Program (by request only or for a specific audience or group)
Program Fee
Yes
Distribution Location
Within Colorado
Sponsoring Units
Research Institutes
- University of Colorado Museum of Natural History
Audiences Served
- Adult Learners
- Children & Youth (outside school)
- Families
- General Public
- People With Disabilities
- Students - Early Learning
- Students - Elementary School
- Students - English Language Learners (ELL)/Emergent Bilingual
- Students - Homeschooled
- Students - High School
- Students - Middle School
- Teachers - Early Learning
- Teachers - Elementary School
- Teachers - Middle School
- Teachers - High School
Topics:
- Air and Water Quality
- Arts and Culture
- Archaeology
- Biological Sciences
- Anthropology
- Botany
- Ecosystems
- Geology
- Educational Research and Resources
- Museums/Museum Studies
- K-12 Education
- Pre-K/Early Learning Education
- Zoology
- Environment and Sustainability
- STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Education
- Visual Arts (Drawing/Painting/Ceramics/Sculpture/Photography)
- Life Sciences
- Physical Sciences
- Social Sciences