T Rex, Triceratops, and Stegosaurus were just a few of the interesting fossils discovered by visitors to Lizzadro Museum on Saturday afternoon. They were part of Dinosaur Discoveries, an educational and entertaining show presented by former Elmhurst resident Christine Buik. Introducing herself as paleontologist Illinois Bones, Buik took her audience of young dinosaur lovers on an imaginary hunt to discover some of the prehistoric creatures that roamed the earth long ago.
A life size silhouette of a Stegosaurus gave youngsters a good idea of the amazing size reached by some of these giants of the past. Fossil replicas of dinosaur tracks and also led to a better understanding of their size.
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Buik also brought in live animals and compared them to dinosaurs to help her audience better understand the extinct creatures. She compared an iguana to an Iguanodon, one of the first dinosaur fossils found in England, and said that the word dinosaur means terrible lizard.
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Between discoveries, Buik had youngsters pretending to tap on rocks and dig in dirt to find more fossils. She talked about fulfilling a life long dream by volunteering on a paleontology survey conducted in a fossil rich area of Wyoming last fall by the U.S. Forest Service, and told of finding a Triceratops horn as well as many other dinosaur fossils. A live box turtle showed how armored dinosaurs like Triceratops protected themselves from T Rex and other meat eaters.
After finishing her presentation, Buik gave children a chance to touch the live animals and closely examine the fossils. She encouraged children to learn more about dinosaurs and said that some day they too may get to go on a real dinosaur dig.
Buik runs her own business, Chicago Region Interpreters, and has been visiting schools, libraries, museums, and appearing at community events for more than twenty years. She said Dinosaur Discoveries was the first program she developed and it is still one of her favorite shows. Visit www.cricketshows.com for more information.
