Rocks and Minerals

This presentation includes hands-on specimens and activities. We go over the different rock formations, Igneous, Metamorphic, and Sedimentary, as well as minerals and the uses of geology in everyday life.

Rent a Box of Rocks

This box includes several different specimens of rocks and minerals, a teacher’s manual, different quizzes, and mineral test activities

Mining

In this presentation, we will go over the influence that mining has had in Utah and western settlement. We will bring different mining tools and rocks and minerals that are mined and discuss their uses.

Native American

This presentation covers different technology that the Native Americans used before and during the Wild West era, what resources they had, and how they used them in their everyday lives. We go over some of the different dwellings, hunter and gatherer lifestyle, and the variety of cultures.

A craft that can be added:

Rock Art: We go over the different types of Native American rock art, petroglyphs, and pictographs. The students are given a plaster plate that they can do there own “Rock Art” on and tell their own stories. This activity is for 2nd grade and up.

Medicine Bags: This portion teaches about the medicine bag and what they were used for, as well as the importance of the items placed in them. Each student will be given a medicine bag to make and we will supply different items that can be placed in the bag. This activity is recommended for 4th grade and up.

Feel free to ask about activities geared towards younger students.

Fossils

Includes hands-on fossils and discusses what fossils are and the different ways they are formed. Activities can include a puzzle of a dinosaur and a fossil matching game.

Western Settlement Presentations

The following presentations can be done individually or grouped as one presentation.

Wild West

This Presentation will go over the growing of the west, including mining, farming, and ranching. We will also discuss the growth of the west as trains made travel safer and faster.

Pioneer

This presentation will cover the arrival of the pioneers to the Utah area. We will discuss how life was for those that traveled across plains and what they did to survive. There will be some hands-on activities and artifacts that the students can handle.

Pony Express

In this presentation, we will go over communications across the country. We will go over the brief history of the Pony Express, its beginnings and how it has influenced the west, to the telegraph system that connected the East to the West.

Railroad

In this presentation, we will go over how transportation has changed and how the transcontinental railroad changed the way the west was settled.