Former Museums of Western Colorado: Dinosaur Journey Intern/Volunteer and recent Colorado Mesa University graduate, Tabitha McFarland talks about her "accidental" path to paleontology as well as her research on living animals like pikas.

The Grand Junction Gem and Mineral Club is a resource for the Grand Valley area of Western Colorado. Club members are available for speaking engagements, or visiting experts at schools. Use the contact form on the website to reach out about specific topics and available guest speakers. The club also sponsors the Grand Junction Gem and Mineral Show each year. They offer a free youth club called Jr Rock Hounds that has monthly meetings with activites and field trips. Visit the main site: https://www.grandjunctionrockclub.org/

Hielo Vital Equip STEM. El Centro de Extensión y Educación en Ciencias Naturales colabora con la facultad de CSU, los Parques Nacionales y los programas de ciencia ciudadana para traducir su investigación científica actual en experiencias STEM únicas para los estudiantes en forma de kits educativos que se pueden prestar. Cada kit contiene casi todos los materiales necesarios (menos cosas comunes como agua y toallas de papel) para explorar algunos temas de investigación científica realmente interesantes. enviando un formulario de recogida local o un formulario de entrega disponible en el sitio web vinculado. Utilice la información de contacto en la página de descripción general del kit STEM para obtener más información. https://www.cns-eoc.colostate.edu/stem-kits/ Este kit se proporciona de forma gratuita para uso educativo.

Short history of towns and locations in the Grand Valley. Links to more detailed information.

Dinosaur Journey is part of the Mueums of Western Colorado. Dr. Julia McHugh from Museums of Western Colorado’s Dinosaur Journey talks about what Holotype Fossils are, and how paleontologist use them to lay the foundation for new species discoveries. She talks specifically about the Mymorapelta dinosaur and it’s discovery.

This activity was an educator created resource to accompany the Hominid skull set from CSU's Natural Sciences Education & Outreach Center. This activity focuses on identifying distinct hominid traits and creating a Phylogenitc Tree to map human evolution. The resource can be used with the Hominid Skull Set, The Skull Anatomy Glossary, and the Hominid Evolution Activity from CSU's Natural Sciences Education & Outreach Center. See this link for all associated resources: https://www.cns-eoc.colostate.edu/stem-kits/hominid-skull-set/. At the linked site you can also download a rubric for grading this student activity.

This resource consists of 7 prehistoric hominid descriptions along with modern man in the form of informational cards, skull illustration and name. They can be used for matching and categorizing.

Hominid Skull Set. This is not an Educational Kit, but rather a collection of Hominid skulls that can be checked out in person for classroom use. Teachers should feel free to combine the artifacts with lessons of their choice or creation. The Natural Sciences Education & Outreach Center collaborates with CSU faculty, National Parks and citizen science programs to translate their current scientific research into unique STEM experiences for students in the form of Educational Kits that can be checked out. Each kit contains just about all of the materials needed (minus common things like water and paper towels) to explore some really interesting scientific research topics.The kits are available for teachers and informal educators in Colorado to check out by submitting a local pickup form at the linked website. This collection is provided free for educational use. This collection is not availably for delivery. This Kit is available in Spanish.

This activity was an educator created resource to accompany the Hominid skull set from CSU's Natural Sciences Education & Outreach Center. The resource can be used with the Hominid Skull Set, The Skull Anatomy Glossary, and the Hominid Evolution Activity from CSU's Natural Sciences Education & Outreach Center. See this link for all associated resources: https://www.cns-eoc.colostate.edu/stem-kits/hominid-skull-set/.

Dinosaur Journey is part of the Mueums of Western Colorado. Dinosaur Journey Curator of Education Stephanie Lukowski talks about the Saber-Tooth Cat found at the La Brea Tar Pits and other predators from the last Ice Age. She explains why we don't always find bones from these animals but have indirect evidence that they were in an area.

Dinosaur Journey is part of the Mueums of Western Colorado. What do you think lived in the Grand Valley during the Ice Age? Curator of Education Stephanie Lukowski shows us some Ice Age fossils we have on display at Dinosaur Journey and talks about how these species differ from the fossils found up in the iconic Snowmass dig near Aspen, CO.

Join Curator of Paleontology, Dr. Julia McHugh, as she teaches you how to make her famous frosted sugar cookies and throws in some neat dinosaur facts! Dinosaur Cut-Out Sugar Cookies:

1 cup of sugar
¼ cup of softened butter
½ tsp. of vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of baking soda
2 ½ cups of flour
In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, and salt together and set aside. Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, and sugar completely dissolves. Add eggs and vanilla to butter/sugar mixture and beat with mixer until well-blended (about 2-4 minutes). Gradually add the flour mixture, stirring well. Once entire mixture is well creamed together, divide into 2-4 “loafs” and wrap in waxed paper. Chill dough for 2-4 hours.
Rolling out cookies:
Cover surface with a light dusting of flour to prevent dough from sticking. Rub flour onto rolling pin and cookie cutters. Remove dough and roll “loafs” into a flat layer about ¼ inch thick (thinner for crispy cookies, thicker for doughy cookies). Use cookie cutters to cut dinosaur shapes. Peel away dough from in between shapes and add this remnant dough to the next loaf.
Place cookies on non-stick or greased cookie sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes, or until edges turn golden brown. Let cookies completely cool on wire rack or on parchment paper before decorating.
Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting
½ cup of softened butter (not melted)
1 ½ tsp. of vanilla extract
5-6 Tbsp. of milk
4 ½ cups confectionary (powdered) sugar
Cream butter using spoon or spatula until light and fluffy. Gradually add in the rest of the ingredients, beating the mixture as you add them. If too runny, add small amounts of additional sugar, or if too stiff add additional milk. Beat frosting until desired consistency. Divide into bowls and add food coloring.

Middle School Paleontology Kit Module from Museums of the West in Grand Junction, CO. Lesson 5 on Mass Extinction. Students will learn about the causes of the "Big 5" mass extinctions in Earth's history and the effects of biodiversity over time. Lessons 1, 2, 3 and 5 can be completed without access to the Fossil Kit from Museums of Western Colorado. Lesson 4 uses fossile from the kit. District 51 personnel can request a kit to complete Lesson 4. See this URL for an overview of the module and a link to the Teacher's guide to Paleontology: https://www.museumofwesternco.com/classroom-resources/stem-lessons/

Dinosaur Journey is part of the Mueums of Western Colorado. Learn how scientists used meteorites to age the solar system. Curator of Paleontology Dr. Julia McHugh shows you meteorites on display at Dinosaur Journey.

Dinosaur Journey is part of the Mueums of Western Colorado. Our Curator of Education Stephanie Lukowski tells us about the unique and unprecedented finds during the 2010 Snowmass fossil excavation. Giving us insight into what life and climate would have been like in Colorado when Mastodons walked the earth.

Museums of Western Colorado present an overview of 15 stops on the Museum of the West Virtual Tour. View short videos describing collections at the museum to preview your field trip or if you are unable to visit the museum in person for a virtual field trip.

Museums of Western Colorado allow education kits for check out in District 51. The kits come with a curriculum, teacher training materials and artifacts. Some of which are genuine from the Grand Junction BLM Field Office. Kits local to the Grand Junction/Western Colorado area.

Overview URL for the Social Studies Lessons Module from Museums of the West in Grand Junction, CO. This URL links to Modules on three topics. 1) The Original Coloradans provides students with an understanding of the peoples that inhabited the Western Slope before the arrival of the Utes. Designed for grades 3-4, but can be used with older students. 2) Clues from the Landscape allows students the opportunity to study historical photographs and maps of western Colorado in order to assess the challenges of homesteading. Designed for grades 2-4, but can be used with older students. 3) Mountain Men was compiled as part of a PBL at Grand Junction High School in 2018. Some of the lessons herein were developed and tested by GJHS students with the help of 4th grade classes at Pomona Elementary. It would not have been possible without the partnership between the MWC and D-51 schools. For the purpose of this educational kit, some lessons have been adapted from other existing museum kits including the History Colorado Mountain Man Kit and the Wyoming State Museum Mountain Man Discovery Trunk. This kit is to be used as an educational tool and is strictly non-profit in order to adhere to educational fair use policy.

Our virtual lecture celebrating Earth Science Week and National Fossil Day with Dr. Mathew Wedel of Western University of Health Sciences. The gigantic Brachiosaurus is one the most popular of all dinosaurs, appearing in everything from Jurassic Park to Walking With Dinosaurs and Dinosaur Train. But despite its fame, we actually have very few fossils of Brachiosaurus, and no complete skeletons. However, new discoveries in Utah have the potential to change that. Join our Dr. Matt Wedel as he talks about the battle with heat, storms, and simple gravity to find and recover new fossil bones of this Jurassic titan. Dr. Matt Wedel is an anatomist and paleontologist. He's coauthored three papers naming new dinosaurs: the long-necked sauropods Sauroposeidon (2000) and Brontomerus (2011), and the early horned dinosaur Aquilops (2014). In 2016 his book "The Sauropod Dinosaurs: Life in the Age of Giants", with artist and lead author Mark Hallett, was published by Johns Hopkins University Press.

Trail Guide for hiking trail near where important fossil finds occured in Western Colorado. When visiting these trails it is important to visit with respect by staying on the trail and leaving fossils where you find them. These fossils and tracks are protected under the Paleontological Resources Preservation Act (PRPA) of 2009. The act prohibits an attempt to excavate, remove, damage, or otherwise alter or deface any paleontological resources located on Federal land. In order to collect any fossils (plants, invertebrates, vertebrates) at these sites, a proper permit must be obtained. If you are interested in excavating fossils with our scientists at Dinosaur Journey, check out our Dinosaur Digs and Expeditions! https://museumofwesternco.com/things-to-do/dino-digs/