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| By Psammophile CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons |
Learn about a fascinating video series from the American Museum of Natural History, then find out how to win some tickets to visit the museum in New York City! Details below.
Do you collect things? I have always been a collector of natural history- nests, feathers, insect exoskeletons, rocks, seeds, etc. Each specimen allows for a closer look at an organism, a deeper understanding. Perhaps my affinity for natural items is what has encouraged my students to bring me all sorts of treasures throughout the years from animal skulls to fungus samples!
Do you collect things? I have always been a collector of natural history- nests, feathers, insect exoskeletons, rocks, seeds, etc. Each specimen allows for a closer look at an organism, a deeper understanding. Perhaps my affinity for natural items is what has encouraged my students to bring me all sorts of treasures throughout the years from animal skulls to fungus samples!
If it weren't for collectors, science
would come to a screeching halt. Historical collections and modern
data can help us better understand the world. A collection of over 33
million artifacts and specimens is the focus of Shelf Life, an
incredible video series by the American Museum of Natural History
(AMNH). Shelf
Life is a free, monthly video resource that tells the stories of
different organisms and collections at the AMNH.
Any natural history
museum has many more artifacts than they could ever possibly display,
however, the public rarely gets a peek into these incredible
archives. Shelf Life
provides this opportunity.
Each video is under
7 minutes and is chock full of the stories of scientists from a
diverse array of fields of study. These are brief, yet informative
narratives on how curators and researchers work together to preserve
collections in modern ways and use old specimens to inform current
science.
Here are some
questions or topics that could go hand in hand with the great content
in these videos:
- Data collection: You've collected it- now what? What a great launching point for discussion on the importance of making sense of the data you've collected when completing a lab or investigation.
- Diversity of careers in science: How many different fields of science are represented in these videos? What are the different jobs that each of these projects requires? Use these incredible researchers and wide array of topics to spark an interest in science careers in your students.
- Taxonomy and organization: Why do we organize and categorize different organisms, rocks, stars? How do we organize it all? Why is this important in communicating science with each other and moving research forward?
- Precursor to a field trip: Before you visit your local natural history museum, how can these videos give your students insight into what is on display, its importance and the work behind its preservation?
- Preservation: How do we preserve specimens? How is new technology helping us to do so?
- A launching point: Each episode of shelf-life is a launching point for hundreds of different questions. What direction will your students lead you?
I dare you not to
learn something new while watching this episode on Foraminifera!
Right now you might be saying, "foramin-wha?" but I
promise, 7 minutes from now, you'll be in love with them too.
Create
Your Own Natural History Museum! Perhaps after watching Shelf
Life you'll be inspired to build
your own collection. This activity is fun for all ages. Do you have a
shelf in your home or classroom that can turn into a miniature
museum?
Preschoolers through adults can enjoy this type of activity,
whether it is collecting acorns or lichen, photos of plants or
hand-written star observations. Be sure to provide field guides or
other resources for students to use to identify and learn about what
they are collecting. Leave a log book where students can catalog
their specimen and write down further questions and wonderings about
it.
If you find
history, science and museum curation fascinating, check out my post
from earlier this week on how a historical document brought to light
new information about some really weird extinct species,
and this article from the Student Society for Science: "Cool Jobs: Saving Precious Objects".
Resources:
The American Museum of Natural
History wants you to come and visit! They have sponsored our May
giveaway- 4 tickets to the AMNH in New York City! One winner will
receive 4 tickets to the museum. There are many easy ways to enter
this giveaway, just follow the directions in the Rafflecopter widget
below to learn how. This giveaway runs from Friday May 15th, 2015 until
midnight Thursday May 21st, 2015 (EST).
Please note, this post was not
sponsored by the American Museum of Natural History. All opinions are
those of the author.
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