St. Patrick School students are finding fossils in an interactive portion of the Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice exhibit.
Rachel Adkins/The Ledger Independent
Education Curator Tandy Floyd is teaching St. Patrick School students about the connection between dinosaurs, fossils, and limestone in the area.
Rachel Adkins/The Ledger Independent
Students at St. Patrick School recently had the chance to experience a temporary dinosaur exhibit at the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center and add to the number of locals who have shown an interest in the exhibit since its opening on Sept. 16.
According to KYGMC Education Curator Tandy Floyd, the Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice exhibit has drawn a lot of local attention since it first opened at KYGMC. She noted the abundance of families who have never been to KYGMC before.
“A lot of people come for the miniatures from all over the world. We’ve gotten all 50 states already this year and we’ve gotten many many countries. But they usually come in for the miniatures,” Floyd said. “This is bringing local people that have never been to this museum before.”
She added there have been children from other school groups who have seen the exhibit and brought their parents back on their own after visiting with their class.
“Those parents had not been here so it…teaches them,” Floyd said. She noted the meaningfulness of families bringing their children to the exhibit to have fun.
During St. Patrick School’s visit, the children experienced various parts of the exhibit that are open to the public.
Students could be seen coloring pages, digging for fossils, playing with a table topography map, and wearing dinosaur costumes as they played on a land bridge.
Floyd noted the kids are able to climb on the dinosaurs in the exhibit. She said there are also puzzles and food chain information throughout the exhibit for learning and engagement purposes.
“When you come to the dinosaur exhibit, it’s perfect,” Floyd said. She noted the interest in younger ages such as preschool through second grade.
At the end of a child’s visit to the dinosaur exhibit, they receive a free fossilized shark tooth, according to Floyd. She said Kentucky was an ocean at the time the dinosaurs roamed the earth, so fossils found in the area are typically marine life.
Floyd went on to discuss fossils that have been found in the area’s limestone.
“People come from far and wide to go through the limestone here. I know you’ve seen colleges and everything on the roads where they’ve cut through the hills and everything to find fossils. They’re still finding fossils,” Floyd said.
She noted fossils are continuing to be found across the world, not only in Maysville.
“These dinosaurs that they’re seeing, that they can become comfortable with…they can take what they know about those animals and correlate them with the newer animals and they can get a broader picture of what life was like during the Jurassic, Mesozoic Era,” Floyd said.
Some dinosaurs featured in the exhibit include triceratops, tyrannosaurus rex, and other dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period, according to Floyd.
Floyd encourages families to bring their children to the museum to see this limited-time exhibit while they still can. She said the exhibit is open through Christmas. The exhibit’s last date is Jan. 6, 2024.
Admission to the Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice exhibit is included in a general admission ticket at the museum. Floyd said guests could come, leave for lunch, and come back and their day would still be covered by their ticket.
Tickets are $2 per student and $10 per person, and free admission is offered to KYGMC and NARM members. Floyd said a membership costs $30 each and lasts all year.
