Paleo Pals

Join Ms. Catherine and your other friends, once a month, as we read an earth science story together. Will there be singing? Crafts? Show-and-tell? Yes, yes, yes, and more! Can’t wait to see you there. Storybook titles and authors, as well as weekly topics, can be found below if you wish to check them out from the library or order them yourself to follow along more closely at home. Sign Up Here!

Saturday, April 10th @ 10 am – Here We Go Digging for Dinosaur Bones by Susan Lendroth
A call back to our 1st month’s paleontological feature but this time with song — and hand motions! Join us as we learn and sing a little song to help us remember all of the important steps used in dino bone finding, collecting, and prepping. Wear your gear to collect dino bones – hats and vests encouraged!

Sign Up Here! We’ll contact you with a Zoom link prior to each program.

Workshops

Introducing Penn Dixie’s new monthly Workshop series. This series is meant to tap into your interests, spark your creativity, and sharpen some new skills along the way. Virtual workshops relating to specimen identification, sample preparation, and astronomy are some of the topics we plan to cover this year until we can meet again safely in person and collaborate together.

Pre-registration is required as workshops are interactive and meant to be participatory – registration will close at 5 pm the evening before the program. Guests are welcome to actively participate in the workshop by asking questions to the host directly and to the moderator via the chat feature – questions will be answered in real time. Similarly, a registration email with household supplies needed to successfully participate will be sent along prior to each program. Sign Up Here!

Saturday, April 17th @ 1 pm – Paleo Art: Bringing the Past to Life with artist Eric Warren
Together we’ll draw Penn Dixie’s coveted Eldredgeops rana with the guidance of artist and teacher Eric Warren. He’ll walk us through how to bring the past to life with different drawing and coloring techniques. Discover how these animals would have looked and moved when they were alive and translate that to the page – with some artistic license, of course! This workshop is open to all ages but may move quickly for some of the younger artists. Playback will be available after the program via our Facebook and YouTube.

If you plan to follow along in real-time be sure to have the following on hand:
White paper, graphite pencil, eraser, colored pencils

Sign Up Here! We’ll contact you with a Zoom link prior to each program.

Science Talks

Join us on the second Wednesday of every month as we settle in together and learn something new from an esteemed guest lecturer. Join us virtually via Zoom or our Facebook page as we reintroduce Penn Dixie’s Science Talks. Series highlights include lectures relating to mineralogy, petrology, and astronomy. These free science talks are meant to take the place of our in-person lectures until we are able to meet in person safely again. Sign Up Here!

Wednesday, April 14th @ 7 pm – Champions for Conservation presented by Lisa Thibault from the Buffalo Zoo
Meet a few endangered species, see how the Buffalo Zoo tackles conservation, and learn how you can be a conservation champion at home.

Lisa Thibault is the Onsite Programs Specialist at the Buffalo Zoo. She has her B.A. in Zoology and her MAT in Biology and spent her college career conducting studies in ecology and conservation education techniques. She currently works with student of all ages and teaches a variety of biological topics.

Sign Up Here! We’ll contact you with a Zoom link prior to each program.

2020 Homeschool Classes

Learn about earth science with hands-on science programs at Penn Dixie! Our interactive classes are led by trained educators and designed for homeschool students. There are multiple options to choose from with each class consisting of multiple activities. All classes follow New York State science standards.


Space Day (October 6):

Join Penn Dixie educators to learn about all things space during World Space Week! During this 3-hour interactive lesson, students will learn about the Sun, Moon, the planets in our solar system, and much more. Students can register for this stand-alone class by itself or in conjunction with the 4-week series. Rain Date: October 8.

Registration is $25 per student for this class. Additional registrants from the same household are $20. Registration fee covers Space Day programming and associated materials and supplies.

Session times:

9 am – 12 pm (ages 5-7)

1 pm- 4 pm (ages 8 and up)

Children must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the class. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only one adult per student is permitted. We cannot accommodate younger siblings at this time. Masks are required and social distancing will be maintained.


Dinosaurs! (October 13):

October is International Dinosaur Month! In celebration of dinosaurs, Penn Dixie is offering a stand-alone 3-hour class on all things dino. Students will learn about dinosaurs and other animals that lived during the Mesozoic Era and why they’re not around anymore, using hands-on activities. Students can register for this class by itself or in conjunction with the 4-week series. Rain Date: October 15.

Registration is $25 per student for this class. Additional registrants from the same household are $20. Registration fee covers Dinosaurs programming and associated materials and supplies.

Session times:

9 am – 12 pm (ages 5-7)

1 pm – 4 pm (ages 8 and up)

Children must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the class. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, only one adult per student is permitted. We cannot accommodate younger siblings at this time. Masks are required and social distancing will be maintained.


Refund policy:

In the event of light rain, the program will take place as scheduled. Guests are advised to wear boots and rain gear. If there is heavy rain or lightning, that week’s class will take place on the rain date. We will make this announcement via email if the weekly session is moved to the rain date. If both programs are canceled by Penn Dixie due to weather, all guests will receive a refund for that week’s class. Otherwise, our usual cancellation policy applies.