The Great Falls Public Library announces a partnership with the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman with staff from the museum presenting three educational sessions on dinosaurs and rocks next week that includes presentations with real and cast fossils and real rock/crystal specimens! Each event is free, no registration required.

The sessions are open to children and teens ages three to 18, with sessions designed for targeted age ranges. Museum of the Rockies is the premier Montana museum for those seeking to explore the deep history of the Northern Rocky Mountains. As a proud Smithsonian Affiliate and accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, the MOR is dedicated to providing world-class cultural and scientific experiences for visitors of all ages. Their facility is more than just a place to view artifacts; it is a center for active research and community engagement that brings the past to life.

Below is detailed information about each day’s activities in the Cordingley Room:

June 9
Montana Dinosaurs 101: 2 to 3 pm (Children/teens ages seven to 18.) 
Discover dinosaurs from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods with an educator from the Museum of the Rockies. Learn where fossils have been discovered in the western United States and investigate the geologic processes that make this region, including Montana, such an exceptional place for fossil preservation. This presentation will include real and cast fossils.

June 10
Reading with a Raptor: 10:30 to 11:30 am (Children ages three to eight.)
Join Gobi the Velociraptor, a scientifically accurate Velociraptor puppet, and an educator from the Museum of the Rockies for an interactive storytime. Kids will get to learn about this fascinating dinosaur, from how he moved to the sounds he might have made! Participants will hear an engaging story and get to see real and cast fossil specimens.

June 11  
The Rock Cycle: 2 to 3 pm (Children/teens ages nine to 18.) 
Join an educator from the Museum of the Rockies to learn how rocks go through cycles and tell stories that span billions of years. Participants will investigate the three major rock types – sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic – and examine how each type forms and changes through processes such as heat, pressure, weathering, and erosion. Practice scientific skills like observation, classification, and evidence-based reasoning while developing an understanding of Earth as a dynamic system. This program will include real, touchable rock and crystal specimens.

Thank you to the Great Falls Public Library Foundation and the Museum of the Rockies for helping make these events possible! Groups are welcome. For more information, please contact Great Falls Public Library Youth Services Staff at (406) 453-0349, ext. 215, kaltizer@greatfallslibrary.org