Sternberg Museum of Natural History…A Little Bit of Morocco in Kansas
Hays, Kansas
I know what you are thinking. “Morocco in Kansas…What are you talking about, Rachel?” Over the summer, the Sternberg Museum had an exhibit that focused on fossils found in Morocco. I lived and taught in Morocco for three years, so it made my traveling heart happy to see an exhibit focused on Morocco (in Kansas of all places). The sad part is that it was only a summer 2022 exhibit. If you would like to see what current exhibitions area available, check out the following link: Explore Exhibits.
The Sternberg Museum is a museum in Hays, Kansas, which feels a little bit like the middle of nowhere. So, it is cool to see that Fort Hays State University has invested in this natural history museum. That being said, there are parts of the museum that seem a little dated. The content is still relevant, but some of the displays look like they are from the 1980s.
One thing that the museum has that young people are going to like is life size dinosaurs.
Another area that kids are going to like is the snake exhibit. I am not a fan of snakes, but I learned a lot about snakes in this exhibit.
Activities
The Sternberg Museum has a variety of different hands on activities including:
a fossil pit
eggs showing what the chicken looks like at different stages until they crack through the egg
a magnifying glass and different specimens to look at
old picture slides and a viewer
a scale and objects to weigh
There are other hands on activities, but the above activities are the ones that stood out to me. The thing I like about the above activities is that they could be be adapted and used at home or in a classroom. Below are some examples:
It sounds gross, but after eating a rotisserie chicken, clean off the chicken bone and put them in a box of sand. Kids will get a taste of what it looks like to be an archeologist.
Give students a magnifying glass and have them look at things in nature, the home, or the classroom.
Provide students with old school technology like an overhead projector. Show them how it works and then let them experiment with it. They may use it in ways you never through of.
Give student a scale and have them go around the house or classroom and find things to weigh. Students can hypothesize what they think the weight of something would be and then can weigh the object to see if their hypothesis was correct.
A tip from someone who has been there.
A friend recommended Gella’s Diner and everyone loved it. If you visit the Sternberg Museum and need a place to get lunch or dinner, I would definitely recommend Gella’s Dinner. The Lemon Ale was delicious for those parents who want to enjoy an adult beverage with their lunch or dinner.
