Museum of Earth

 
See if you can answer the following questions:
 

1. What modern day animal is a relative of the extinct mastodon?
2. Why would you be unable to find dinosaur bones in New York State?
3. Was New York once under a sea?
4. What color is a glacier?
5. Where would you find the oldest known rocks on Earth and how old are they?

 
The sixth grade class knows the answers and a whole lot more about Earth’s history after visiting the Museum of the Earth in Ithaca on May 22^nd. The museum houses one of the nation’s largest fossil collections and provides the public with a unique opportunity to explore 4.5 billion years of Earth’s history through a mix of natural history displays, interactive science features, and art exhibitions.
Students spent the day exploring the museum’s exhibits, completing a scavenger hunt, “digging” for fossils and speaking with a docent about what they found, and participating in a hands-on program that provided fossil evidence showing New York was once under a sea.  The field trip to the museum enhances the sixth grade’s science unit on Earth’s history, giving students an opportunity to bring what they are learning in the classroom to life.
So, if you are curious as to the correct answers to the above statements, just ask any sixth grade student!