Beyond Bones

If you have been following along, you might have noted that Dia de los Muertos — Day of the Dead — is a favorite holiday for the Youth Education staffers. The Day of the Dead is celebrated in Mexico on Nov. 2. It is a time when Mexican families spend time at the cemetery, visiting […]

Fall is coming! Leaves are changing color, temperatures start creeping down, and gardeners will be able to get back outside without the threat of heatstroke. Well, in theory. This is Houston, after all. But despite the fact that it’ll be warm until Thanksgiving, there is something we can look forward to: cooler temps! And you […]

Notwithstanding the horrible tragedy of the Columbine (Colorado) incident, April 1999 was by far one of the most surreal experiences of my life. Not even a week prior to leaving, I was preparing to give final exams for courses I was teaching at the time. I was about halfway through creating an exam when I […]

Some people like to tell me, “Dr. Bob, get a life!” I did, 60 years ago. Here I am re-reading my battered copy of the magazine that got me hooked on paleontology. Happy anniversary to the LIFE magazine that created … me! Sept. 7, 1953 was the publication date of the greatest, most momentous article […]

If you’ve yet Googled today, you may have noticed a lovely homage to Léon Foucault, the famous French physicist best known for inventing the Foucault pendulum (that ever-popular swingy thing at HMNS). The Foucault Pendulum has long been one of the most memorable areas of the Museum, even if some people (this girl) lack the […]

You’re probably familiar with Oktoberfest, the international festival held annually in late September and early October in Munich. It’s a family affair and a place to eat and party. Bavarians celebrate their heritage by wearing elaborate native costumes — think Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, but instead of cowboy hats and boots, men of every […]

Our esteemed curator of paleontology, Dr. Robert T. Bakker, is back in town and on campus at HMNS Tuesday, Sept. 24 for a very special book signing and lecture. Coinciding with the release of his brand new picture book, The Big Golden Book of Dinosaurs, Dr. Bakker will lead a lecture in the Giant Screen […]

Tessellations — tiling a plane using geometric shapes without overlaps or gaps — are a pretty fun way to teach students about shapes, symmetry, reflection and rotation. Plus, they require the most minimal of supplies! Materials:•    Plain 3″ x 5″ index cards•    Scissors•    Scotch tape•    Blank white paper•    Optional: colored pencils/crayons, etc. Procedure:1.    Draw a […]

Editor’s Note: Today’s blog comes to us from Cockrell Butterfly Center Butterfly Rearing Coordinator Celeste Poorte. The Cockrell Butterfly Center has had the privilege of witnessing a rare natural phenomenon recently. On July 10, a very unusual butterfly emerged from its chrysalis in the Museum’s greenhouses used for breeding and raising butterflies. This butterfly has […]

There’s no sweeter story than that of a boy and his … dinosaur? In February of 1973, 24-year-old John Barber was just out of art school in Virginia, having barely missed the draft and with no idea what to do with himself. He was visiting an aunt and uncle in Houston when he paid a […]