A small-scale version of the dinosaur dig.
WESTFIELD—A new exhibit will soon be making its way from prehistoric times to modern times at the Amelia Park Children’s Museum.
An interactive dinosaur dig will be coming to the Children’s Museum beginning on Jan. 4, 2018, which will allow children to uncover fossil castings inside a portion of the museum and learn about dinosaurs and other prehistorical features.
“From an educational standpoint it’s a great interactive activity for children and families,” Kate Daly, Executive Director of Amelia Park Children’s Museum, said.
A drawing of the plans for the dinosaur dig.
As a board we’re very excited to bring a high-end exhibit to the museum,” Chuck Kelly, Chairperson for the Amelia Park Children’s Museum Board of Directors. “Very educational, very interactive with kids and parents.”
The main attraction to the new exhibit will be the chance for children and families to try and find the fossils that are located at the museum.
“They’ll be uncovering fossils with paint brushes,” Grace Bergeron, staff member at the museum, said “The fossils are related to various periods, ranging from the Precambrian period to present day.”
Kate Daly (L) looks over the work of Mike Pietruska.
There will be different worksheets available for those participating as well, which will help children learn about the many different timeframes in prehistory, as well as some of the animal inhabitants of the times.
The fossils that the children will uncover are actually castings made from real fossils. The fossils come from places as far as Europe, but also as local as the Connecticut River Valley.
The fossils that can be uncovered will include trilobites, a type of aquatic arthropod from as early as the Precambrian period, an allosaurus, a dinosaur that stood on two feet during the late Jurassic period, as well as a triceratops, the horned Cretaceous-period dinosaur, whose name is Tri-Sarah-Tops.
The exhibit is being designed by Mike Pietruska, who did not reply to a phone call for comment. The exhibit, according to Kelly, is costing $25,000 to complete, with funds coming from Exhibit Restricted Funds, donated by the late Al Ferst.
Ferst, a noted Westfield philanthropist, created Amelia Park Ice Arena in his late-wife’s honor, with the family also creating additions to the development.
