Can’t make it to Penn Dixie? We’ll bring the fossils to you! Penn Dixie offers interactive programs that explore the wonders of geology and paleontology and engages students through hands-on experiences. Our programs will allow your students to explore our planet’s history with hands-on activities, inquiry-based learning and digital slides. Each student will also receive their own identified and labeled Devonian fossil.
Contact Dr. Holly Schreiber at holly@penndixie.org or 716-627-4560, for additional questions or to book!
Classroom Outreach Pricing
— Daytime —
$100 per classroom
$90 per additional program on the same day
— Evening —
Start time of 5 PM or later
$125 per classroom
$115 per additional program on the same evening
An additional mileage fee will be added for round trip travel.
Capacity & Program Length:
30 students/45-60 minutes
For classes over 30 students but under 40, an additional fee of $5 per student will be added. For classes over 45 students an additional program will need to be booked.
Classroom Outreach Programs
Suggested Grades K-3
Paleo Art
A virtual favorite come to life — Use the fossils of Penn Dixie as clues to construct the past. This science/art lesson will have students infer what the animals at Penn Dixie may have looked like when they were alive based on what they know about today’s ocean animals. We’ll work together and use our creative license as we draw these prehistoric creatures.
Fossils, Fossils Everywhere!
What are fossils? What can fossils tell us about the creatures that lived long ago? What did they eat? How did they live? Become a paleontologist and examine the fossils of plants and animals that lived long ago.
Dinos
Although no dinosaur fossils are found at Penn Dixie we can still have fun learning about them! Discover what it takes to be a real paleontologist, from the field to the laboratory. Students will get their hands on some real dino specimens from our collection and get to take home a piece of history.
Let’s Rock!
What is a rock? How do they form? How do scientists use them to understand Earth? Students will explore how different processes build and destroy rocks.
Suggested Grades 4-8
Fossils: Clues to the Past
Our most popular program! In this interactive lesson, students will learn the basics of fossils and fossilization. Students will become paleontologists and have first-hand experience with fossils commonly found around WNY. Students will use deductive reasoning to understand extinct animals and infer prehistoric environments from the fossils.
Geology Rocks!
Rocks and the rock cycle are explored. Students will use rock samples and hands-on activities to explore the rock cycle and three primary types of rocks, with a focus on sedimentary rocks. Educators will discuss local rock formations present in WNY and the importance of sedimentary rocks for paleontologists.
Geologic Time: A Blast from the Past
Learn about the long history of geologic time. Find out where the rocks of WNY fit into our Earth’s history in relation to major events like the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Astronomy Programs
See the stars with our trained astronomer(s) – our hit Stargazing in Hamburg program comes to you! Includes one telescope set up with necessary viewing attachments, 1 astronomer, and 1 educator for 2 hours for $250 (+ mileage). For an additional $50 create an astronomy themed make-and-take.
*Program can take place anytime of the year barring rain or cloud coverage. Outdoor area must be free of or have minimal light pollution and tree coverage to optimize field of view.
Combo Programs
We are now also offering a combo programming package deal for your school! This package would include a discount if your school decides that they would like to receive both an in-school program and a tour of the Penn Dixie site during the same academic year. This combo package could be incorporated within the same classrooms or throughout the entire school.
NYS Science Standards
For both our in-school and on site programs, we use Next Generation Science Standards while integrating in the Common Core Curriculum. Our programs address Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity; The History of Planet Earth; Plate Tectonics and Large-Scale System Interactions; and Earth Systems: Earth Materials and Systems. The Penn Dixie staff is also willing to accommodate any program idea or topic that you are currently covering with your students which would allow us to further meet the specific needs of your classroom.
Contact Dr. Holly Schreiber at holly@penndixie.org or 716-627-4560, for additional questions or to book!