Education: Archive
The following exhibits are no longer available:
 |
 |
All gardens and displays closed as of 8/23
Veggie Variation
Do you know the veggies above? How many species do you think are represented here? They are so different (and taste so different too!) it's surprising to know they are all different breeds of the same species - Brassicaceae oleracea. Visit this new exhibit at Phipps Conservatory and use the lesson plan below to learn how domestication or artificial selection takes advantage of the natural variation in a species.
Download Lesson Plan for Grades K-3  |
Grab Your Mystery Seed!
Pick-up a mystery variety of basil plant to take home or school and discover which kind it is.
See what the different basils look like and find out why»
Family Trees
The Gallery display "Family Trees," combines the ideas of Charles Darwin, Gregor Mendel, and Reginald Punnett. The lesson plans below explore the role of inheritance and asexual and sexual reproduction in evolution. More advanced students can use the planted Punnett squares and what genetics has explained that Darwin didn't know!
| Download Lesson Plan for Grades 4-12 |
Also, sign-up for the Phipps classroom program "Family Trees" for middle and high-school students. Available here as well:
| Download Classroom Experience for Grades 4-12 |
Schedule field trip at the Phipps Conservatory »
| Back to Top |
Carnegie Museum of Natural History
Fleshing Out Fossils
In the Galapagos Islands, Darwin studied fossils of extinct organisms and saw that they looked very similar to living organisms. This led him to realize that all organisms are related and come from common ancestors! Students will actively learn about the connection between anatomy and common descent as they handle and compare/contrast fossils, using the lesson plan as a guide.
"Horse Evolution" Exploration Station
Explore the permanent exhibit at the CMNH of horse evolution with this new Exploration Station! Discover the differences between horses and their earlier relatives, and learn about how environment changes led to the evolution of the modern horse through a fun demonstration and hands-on activity!
February 28th 12:00-4:00 and run on Saturdays 12-4:00 until May 23rd, 2009.
| Download Activity Guide |
The innovative replicas were created by Pittsburgh company Mechanimal, who has been sculpting and building models for the museum for over a decade. Today they are able to use digital modeling to create durable and identical replicas of million-year old fossils!
Watch how the bone casts were made!
(Photographer: Dani Kramer)
Also, visit the American Museum of Natural History's traveling exhibition, The Horse, to witness evidence for the evolution of the horse and the significance of the horse in human history.
Schedule field trip at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History »
| Back to Top |
