Children dig fossils at library

For the first time, Sci-Quest held the World Fossil Collecting event at the Madison Public Library.

There were about fifty five children who attend the event. Sci-Quest’s Education Associate Tiffany Kristynik said this event was one of the best turn outs to date with the exhibit.

“My favorite part is when the kid’s faces light up,” Kristynik said. “You can tell this is really making their day.”

Kristynik said the importance of holding these events are so children have a sense of knowing where their world comes from.

“They can learn about it from the books in the library or fossils here,” Kristynik said.

The interactive event started off with the children digging chocolate chips out of chocolate chip cookies to learn how to dig out fossils without harming what is around it. The chocolate chip represented a fossil, while the cookie represented the Earth.

Kristynik said that this activity is to teach children that scientists try not harm the Earth while they are trying to find out more information about fossils.

After the children finished eating their now non-chocolate chip cookies, they passed around real life fossils. Replica teeth that were made from casts were also passed around.

Then, the children turned into scientists that had to dig out real fossils.

They had to dig through rocks to get Trilobites, which are extinct, hard-shelled, segmented animals. The children were able to take home the Trilobites after the event.

Children’s librarian Maggie Allen said the children not only learned about fossils today, but also patience.

“The kids had to learn to go slow to get the fossils out,” Allen said. “They started out going fast, but then they learned different tactics and how to dig. In the end, they walked away with a reward for it.”

Audience member Audrey Wilson, 8, said the exhibit was really cool.

“My favorite part was digging out the fossils,” Wilson said.