A team of students in the Public Engagement with Science Graduate Course this past semester partnered with the UC Field Station to create a science kit focused on local fossils.
The Discover Fossils of Ohio kit contains materials and activities for introducing students to some of Ohio’s major fossil groups, as well as techniques and classification systems that scientists use to study fossils. These activities can be adapted for use with late elementary school to high school students and are aligned with several of Ohio’s learning goals for science education.
The kit includes a presenter’s guide, activity pages, fact pages, a collection of fossils to use for the activities, and a presenter’s survey. For example, in one activity, students use a dichotomous key to classify the fossils that come with their kit, identifying key features of the fossilized organisms in the process.
The team’s partner, the UC Field Station includes a 17.6 acre renovated farm roughly 20 miles northwest of the University of Cincinnati Main Campus. The Field Station blends high-level science with deep-woods know-how through a timeless connection to the great outdoors.
