Monday, August 22, 2016

It's All About The Birds

That's not just the bird, it's the BIRDS.  The Bean Museum is proud to present its newly renovated exhibit, the Morris Waterfowl Gallery.  Home to dozens of birds, including the mallard duck, wood duck, swan,  emperor goose, lesser flamingo, and much much more, this exhibit takes an artistic approach to displaying waterfowl.  Now, you can walk entirely through the room (most of the birds are now on mounts on the wall) to discover all sorts of fowl play...
If you haven't been in to see it yet - make sure you drop by to test your knowledge of your flying friends.
Remember, you penny hoarders - it's free!  There's hardly a better way to spend you Wednesday afternoons.


Monday, August 15, 2016

Live Animal Shows


Parents, teachers, scout leaders - school is about to be back in full swing, and you're busy looking for ways to keep the kids entertained.  Whether it's for pack night, field trip, or just to keep your children happy, the Bean Museum's Live Animal shows are a great option.
Our shows are designed and centered are the Utah Science State Core Curriculum.  Shows can be offered in-house or as an outreach at a location of your choosing.  Free public shows are held Monday-Friday at 7:30 in the auditorium of the museum.  Additionally, we hold public shows at 6:30 Monday for family night and Saturday at 1 and 3.  Shows typically last 30-45 minutes, and the current show schedule is as follows:
Free Weekly Show Schedule
Monday: Utah's Diversity at 6:30 PM and Adaptations at 7:30 PM
Tuesday: Adpatations at 7:30 PM
Wednesday: Utah's Diversity at 7:30 PM
Thursday: Classification at 7:30 PM
Friday: Adaptations at 7:30 PM
Saturday: Animal Discovery at 1 PM and Animal Comparisons at 3 PM.
Private shows may be scheduled here for a fee.  You can read about our shows online at this link.

Monday, August 8, 2016

Wildlife Adventures: Cave Crawlers



The adventure began on Tuesday when the young explorers came to the museum to learn the basics behind caves. We learned about the different types of caves, the many ways in which they can be formed as well as some of the animals that can be found inside! The kids even got to meet some of the museum’s live creepy crawlers to help them learn about cave insects!



After the lesson, things got a little batty as the kids decorated their very own flying bats and then got to work on their echolocation skills in a bat-themed game of marco polo (also known as “eek squeak”)!










Thursday’s trip began at 12:00pm, when our adventurers made their way to the trailhead of Timpanogos Cave. It was a warm day, but the cool breeze made it the perfect temperature for an adventure!


The hike was steep and stretched on for about a mile and a half, but the kids were determined to make it to the top!


After a little over an hour of hiking, we finally made it to the entrance of the cave! Upon entering, we learned that the oils in our fingers can do damage to the various cave formations and were very careful not to touch or break anything.


On the cave tour, the kids got to see firsthand the many different geological processes that we had talked about on Tuesday and they were very eager to learn more about caves from Ranger Curtis!

At the end of the day, our feet were aching and our bellies were hungry, but it’s pretty safe to say that everyone made a few special memories!


If you’re sad that you missed Cave Crawlers, make sure to join us for our Wildlife Adventure programs next summer! You can also visit the Bean Museum Monday through Friday 10-9 or Saturday 10-5 for some free educational fun!

Monday, August 1, 2016

Wildlife Adventures: Animal Occupations

Our focus for this week's Wildlife Adventures was animal occupations. On Tuesday, our adventurers learned about what it takes to be a zookeeper, wildlife rehabilitator, and wildlife biologist. We showed the kids what work we have to do in the Bean Museum's live animal room to keep all of our animals happy and healthy. They even got to see Mojo, our bearded dragon, eat some crickets. The rest of the afternoon was spent listening to special guest speakers. Brock McMillan, a BYU professor and wildlife biologist, came and showed the kids what he does with small mammal capture and release. Later, the kids got to meet live birds while Allie Leavitt and Jim Fowers talked about wildlife rehabilitation. Our adventurers got up close and personal to a red-tailed hawk, peregrine falcon, great horned owl, and Eurasian eagle owl! 


On Thursday we reviewed zookeeping by going to explore the wonders of Hogle Zoo. The kids got to experience how the animals are fed, trained, and cleaned, and see what a day in the life of a zookeeper is like.  We were able to introduce our young adventurers to all sorts of careers this weekend, and are excited to see them reach their goals!