Wildlife Adventures - "The Bees Knees" (Week 3)

Last week’s ‘Wildlife Adventure’ we learned all about bees and the important roles that they play in the world around us! Tuesday’s adventure was centered mostly on learning all that we could about bees while here at the museum. We learned the different types of bees, the importance of bees and how they communicate with one another. We were also able to discuss how insects (like bees) differ from other animals and all of the kids were even able to meet the museum’s very own tarantula, Tara! Though there was a lot to be learned, we were sure to leave plenty of time for fun and games as well. Between the “bee scavenger hunt” (in which the kids searched to find tiny paper bees hidden all throughout the museum) and the “waggle dance game” (in which the kids formed “colonies” and attempted to communicate with each other by preforming their very own “waggle dances”) Tuesday’s adventure was definitely a blast!

On Thursday we took a field trip to learn about bees from an expert! It was a beautiful, sunny day-perfect for beekeeping! Stan Moulton comes from a long line of beekeepers and he was able to show us the entire process of making honey. The kids were able to harvest the honeycomb (while wearing their very own protective beekeeping suits), divide the honey from the wax, spin the honeycomb in a centrifuge (to extract the honey) and even sample the honey when it was ready! Yum!
Upset that you missed out on this buzz-worthy adventure? Don’t fret, we still have space left in next week’s ‘Feathered Friends’ adventure in which will be learning all about birds! Don’t miss out!

Cori, Museum Educator

 

Wildlife Adventures - Rock On (Week 2)

On July 7th & 9th, the Bean Life Science Museum's Wildlife Adventures had a great time as we learned about rocks and minerals in this weeks adventure entitled "ROCK ON". We had a great time in the museum on Tuesday as we learned about the rock cycle and took a mini-field trip to the Eyering Science Center, where we saw a whole lot of different rock types and a load of fossils as well. On Thursday we put what we learned to the test and went off to see rocks in the wild as well as see the Rock cycle in action as we visited Cascade springs, a picturesque mountain retreat where erosion and weathering are shown up close and personal. Even though the weather turned a little sour, does that mean that wildlife adventures comes to an end? Of course not! They just find somewhere else to go adventuring! Adventures are to be had both indoors and outdoors, so we stopped by BYU's paleontology museum and saw more great examples of the rock cycle in both modern and ancient life. Now you may be asking yourself, "gosh darnet, why didn't i get to go on this fantastic rock-themed adventure? is there anything i can do to remedy my lack of adventurous experiences?" Well of course there is! Wildlife adventures continues! For more information on Wildlife Adventures and other museum activities please visit our website! Keep on rockin'!

Nathan, Museum Educator

Junior Naturalist Summer Camp

Junior Naturalist Summer Camp with Thanksgiving Point Institute

This was our first year for our new Junior Naturalist Camp! This camp was done jointly with Thanksgiving Point, so a big shout out to our friends at Thanksgiving Point! We couldn’t have done it without you.

This week was jam-packed with fun activities helping kids learn how to be a naturalist. They learned important biological principles all the while having a lot of fun! The camp was at the Bean Museum on Monday and Wednesday, and Thanksgiving point hosted on Tuesday and Thursday. We’re going to share a few things that happened here at the Bean Museum.

On Monday we learned about the role of observation in science. The kids learned about how to observe things and then we went out to go observe plants and animals outdoors. We used these super awesome beautiful notebooks to record our observations. They’re on sale at the Museum store if anyone wants one for themselves!

Later that day we learned about collecting plants and insects, and went out to go find some cool things in the great outdoors.

On Wednesday we had a great time exploring the research collections here at the Bean Museum, and learning about all the cool research that goes on there.

Later that day we learned how to display and mount the insects that were caught on Monday and to mount the plants that were collected. We had some very proud owners of new insect collections, complete with labels!

On Friday the kids were able to display and explain about all they learned this week at both Thanksgiving Point and the Bean Museum. They showed off their awesome insect collections, as well as their mounted plant specimens!

It was a great week! Thanks to everybody who participated in the awesome Junior Naturalist Camp! Even lunch breaks were fun! Hope to see lots of people there next year.

Jessica, museum educator

Nature Experienceship - Insects with Dr. Shawn Clark

For our Nature Experienceship this week Dr. Clark took us up Provo Canyon to South Fork Park. It was a pretty warm day, perfect for catching some insects. We headed off the beaten path into the brush and grasses. We also looked near a stream for more insects. We had sweeping nets that we used to sweep back and forth in the low-lying vegetation. By sweeping with the nets we were able to catch many of the small insects that live in the area. We found grasshoppers, leaf hoppers, box elder bugs, damsel flies, and many others. Dr. Clark is an expert in his field and was especially helpful in identifying and telling us more about the insects we found. After spending some time in the canyon, we drove back to the museum for a special tour of the insect collection. Dr. Clark showed us some of our favorite insects as well as some that he found interesting. The whole experienceship was a lot of fun and we learned a lot. 

Keith, Museum Educator

Wildlife Adventures - Water Wildlife

This week we had a great time learning about water wildlife during Wildlife Adventures, one of the many educational summer programs offered here at the Bean Life Science Museum. On Tuesday children were able to learn hands-on in the museum about water wildlife and wetlands, making crafts and studying animal specimens. Later they were able to "get their feet wet" so to speak (don't worry, no one fell in) on Thursday as we visited Bridal Veil Falls and other sites near Utah Lake. The kids enjoyed doing wildlife scavenger hunts and seeing wildlife face to face. Thanks to all the parents and kids who participated and just a reminder to everyone else that Wildlife Adventures keeps going starting on Tuesday, July 7th with our next adventure "Rock On" in which we will discuss minerals and the Rock Cycle and the important role they play in the lives of all living things! For information on registration and the rest of the programs offered at the Bean Life Science Museum, please see our website! mlbean.byu.edu

Nathan Hawks, museum educator