Every year in two small towns in western Montana, the beaches of the Clark Fork River transform into a paleontology hub – though the “scientists” at work are younger than average.
The Dino Dig, hosted by the Mineral County Health Department Parents as Teachers, presents children in the community with a challenge: find the “dinosaur bones” hidden in the sand.
“Some of them are sticking up a bit,” said Laura Acker, the parent educator who organizes the event. “Some you can just see the earth is kind of moved.”
Before ever attempting to excavate the bones, the kids earn some qualifications, learning about the evidence that reveals the existence of dinosaurs and the function of bones in the body. They also examine the varied skeletal structures and note commonalities and differences between humans and dinosaurs. After they’ve located a bone, they match it to a corresponding picture, revealing which kind of bone they’ve found and discussing it.
By incorporating a variety of elements like this into the event, Acker engages the kids in activities that help build their skills in key development areas like matching, sorting, and classifying, as well as math concepts like “more or less” and “bigger or smaller.”
In an area where social spaces are lacking, it’s also an important way for families to meet one another, fostering relational connections important to family well-being. In this way, the Dino Dig fits under one of the four components of the evidence-based Parents as Teachers model, as a group connection. The other three components are personal visits from parent educators, connections to a network of community resources, and health and development screenings for children and caregivers.
“This one has been going for eight years now in both communities and is highly successful,” said April Quinlan, the Parents as Teachers Supervisor for the Mineral County Health Department. “People look forward to it.”
As far as they’re aware, no one has found a real dinosaur bone yet, but that won’t stop them from trying again next year.
