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Do You Dig History?

04/05/2024  |  BY rfw

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Riverfront’s first ever “Dig Day” is coming to Promenade Park on Saturday, May 4. Bring your kids and join us between 12:00-3:00 p.m. for a day of delightful discovery about paleontology and archaeology!

Paleontology vs. Archaeology – what’s the difference anyways?

When thinking about paleontology or archaeology, many people think about the iconic Jurassic Park and Indiana Jones, but not many people know the difference! Breaking it down, paleo- (really old) -ology (the study of) means the study of prehistoric life such as dinosaurs, plants, insects and all other forms of life before humans walked the Earth. Archaeology has a similar breakdown, arch- (meaning ancient or old) and -ology (the study of). However, archaeology is specifically the study of human life, not necessarily of plants or animals.

Riverfront Special Events Coordinator Juliana Zenisek has a goal of making history more accessible to park goers and hopes to inspire kids to think more about the history that surrounds them. The idea for dig day came to Juliana in November, when the St. Marys River was low enough to expose parts of the riverbed downriver of the bridge, which led to the thought of what could be found down there? The answer is actually quite a bit!

Schedule

Self-led activities will be available through the program, as well as guided activities at specific times.

Guided Activities:

12:00 p.m. Indiana Jones vs. Jurassic Park (Archaeology vs. Paleontology, who is who?)

12:30 p.m. Dating fossils activity

1:00 p.m.   Tools of the Trade – Dino Dig Bricks

1:30 p.m.   Recording Your Finds

2:00 p.m.   Observing the Past – Finds from Promenade

2:30 p.m.   Event Wrap Up, Q&A

PLUS, pop up dinosaur photos throughout the event!

Self-Led Activities:

• Dating fossils
• Earth’s layers
• Putting the pieces together
• Field journal
• Telling an object’s story
• Identification
• And more!

Details:

• Who: Youth ages 3-12 and families
• When: Saturday, May 4, 12:00-3:00 p.m.
• Where: Park Foundation Pavilion at Promenade Park (202 West Superior Street)
• Cost: Free