Kindergarten teacher 'DIGs up' fossils as part of special summer experience

Broadalbin-Perth Elementary School teacher Ashlyn Hillis has an unusual answer to the perennial question, "What did you do over your summer vacation?" In July, Hillis traveled to Hell Creek, Montana to partake in a Discoveries in Geosciences (DIG) field program. Out of more than 300 applicants, Hillis was one of 30 teachers from across the U.S. selected into the program, which is put on by the Burke Museum and the University of Washington.

Hillis, who teaches kindergarten at BPES, and her fellow participants were focused on finding dinosaur fossils in the mountains of Hell Creek. They learned to identify the layers of sediment where fossils could be found, and then they used field tools, such as hand lenses, pick axes, chisels, and identification guides to find and identify fossils of all sizes.

Whenever the team found a specimen, they tagged it and wrote field notes to go with it. Team members screen-washed sediment in search of tiny fossils, and laid jackets on triceratops fossils to protect them. All the specimens and information they collected was sent to the Berke Museum, where it will be put into the museum's data system.

During the final days of the program, participants ran their own dig sits in small groups, uncovered fossils, then presented their findings to program staff and the other participants.

Now that she has completed the program, Hillis has the opportunity to bring Burke Boxes to BPES. Burke Boxes are specially curated by the Burke Museum and contain museum-quality collection pieces collected at DIG sites along with lessons that align with science standards. And Hillis knows just what she's going to do with them.

"I plan to bring the hands-on exploration experience to students at the elementary school through a Dinosaur Club," she said. "During the club, students will get to explore previously found fossils and sort through sediment in hopes of finding their own fossils, which will then be included in the Burke Museum's scientific database."

Photo courtesy to Gary Norman