It’s potentially an ideal fit: use paleontological discoveries and local scientific expertise to provide exciting learning opportunities in the regional schools. And that’s exactly what a group of Tumbler Ridge teachers is trying to do. Enthusiastic about the educational potential of the recent fossil finds in Tumbler Ridge and in the Peace Region, they have demonstrated a commitment to integrate this into their curriculae.

Tumbler Ridge Museum Foundation palaeontologists Rich McCrea and Lisa Buckley have worked with the teachers on two of School District’s professional development days, giving presentations on the different groups of dinosaurs, a history of the fossil finds in Tumbler Ridge and their significance, and geological time with the principles of fossil succession. The teachers were given a tour of the preparation and collection facilities at the museum foundation’s Peace Region Palaeontology Research Centre (PRPRC) and they participated in a footprint casting exercise which they will be able to apply to science education.

Dinosaurs are a great way to get students interested in science and learning, and palaeontology provides an outstanding learning tool, as it integrates many scientific disciplines, such as biology, zoology, botany and geology. The Northern Lights College’s Dino Camps have already proven the potential of Tumbler Ridge’s palaeontological learning opportunities, and the associated economic benefit to the community. The possibility of bringing students from the region to Tumbler Ridge as part of the school curriculum is likewise full of promise.

Mrs. Kennedy has played a leading role in exploring this potential, and sums it up with: “Our students are so lucky to have a laboratory in their own backyard and two palaeontologists who bring it all together for us. How wonderful to study dinosaurs using the natural science of our region!”

Teachers Ms Sieber and Mr Caisley learn to make casts of tracks under the supervision of the Tumbler Ridge palaeontologists.

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