Chase away the winter blahs and participate in dinosaur related activities for all age levels. Activities include assembling large wooden dinosaur skeletons, excavating bones and assembling them, dinosaur floor puzzles and scavenger hunt.

Activities - Ages 5 yrs. to Adult
Estimated time for each activity
10 to 60 min. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Regular Museum Admission

Geologist Sara Johnson presents an introduction to rocks and minerals. Learn how to make a basic mineral test kit. Hands on identification procedures include observation skills and hardness tests. Great for teachers and rockhounds, this program qualifies for a Boy & Girl Scout merit badges. All materials are provided.

Activity – Ages 8 yrs. to Adult
75 minutes Admission: $5.00 per person,
Museum Members $3.00
Reservations Required: (630) 833-1616
Winter Classes: Saturday, January 21 at 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Saturday February 18 at 10:30 a.m. Saturday March 10 at 10:30 a.m.

Children become dinosaur detectives with “Paleontologist Illinois Bones” to learn about the world of dinosaurs. Fossils and props are used to create an awareness of dinosaur characteristics. Live animals show how dinosaurs are related to animals living today.

Interactive Lecture
Ages 4 yrs. to Adult
50 minutes - 2:00 p.m.
Admission: $4 per person,
Museum Members $2 Reservations Recommended (630) 833-1616

Join Jim Fairchild of the Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois on a trip to Braidwood, Illinois to collect Mazon Creek fossils at the world famous site Pit 11. Learn what to look for when collecting these special fossils and how to open them. Travel by motor coach, bring a sack lunch and get ready to collect. Make reservations early, this field trip fills up fast!

Field Trip - 8 yrs. to Adult
9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
$30.00 per person
Museum Members $25.00 per person
Reservations Required: (630) 833-1616

Call for Artists!
To promote artists working in stone the New Rock & Mineral Experience will feature an ongoing display of original art work every 3 months beginning April 3, 2012. Interested artists can submit the following for consideration:

1. Email or mail non-returnable photos of up to six proposed pieces for exhibit to the Museum. Do not send actual artwork. Artists will be chosen and notified for an exhibit.
2. A brief biography and description of artwork including measurements.
3. All submitted work must be made of stone or feature stone as a prominent component of the work. This includes but is not limited to: jewelry, engraving, carving, sculpture, and mosaic. 
4. The criteria for chosen artwork is based on originality, craftsmanship and material.

A selection of pyritized fossils from Bundenbach, are on permanent display. Illinois paleo-artist, Rob Sula was commissioned to do this painting of a 400 million year old Devonian Sea Floor featuring a visual representation of each fossil on display.

Ammolite is the gem trade name for a rare form of iridescent ammonite found in Canada. This large specimen was donated to the Museum in 2011.

After 2 years of planning and 6 months of renovating the new permanent exhibit hall in the lower level of the Museum is open to the public. The multipurpose space serves as the Museum’s lecture hall, classroom area and features 26 new exhibits. 

A special thanks to our Museum Members’ contributions to this project. The photos on both the front and back of the intro island were taken courtesy of the National Park Service at the Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. “The Rock & Mineral Experience” permanent exhibit was funded in part by the “Public Museum Capital Grant Program” Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Illinois State Museum.