Grades 6-12 Geography and art are entwined in a study of environment and culture as factors in the making of decorative arts from around the world. Value in arts collection is also presented, as students are encouraged to form their own opinions about the art objects on display. Grades Preschool-2 Dinosaurs are the focus as students examine fossils to learn about these animals of the past. The only dinosaur bones found in Tennessee are featured. An introduction to rocks and minerals includes a hands-on activity in which students perform tests to identify minerals.
Students also look at fossils in an overview of past animal life in Tennessee.
Grades 7-8 Students examine boxes of fossils from Tennessee to explore past life, processes of fossilization, and environmental change in Tennessee over the last 500 million years. Grades 9-12 Geological data and interpretation are the focus of the program for high school students. Examination of fossils is included. Comparisons with plastic skeletons of modern humans illustrate the physical changes that have taken place in the human body over time. All programs related to this exhibition feature these combinations and include hands-on activities and touchable shells.