Family Activities
Family-friendly events for families with children of all ages.
Hidden Gems Book Launch
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Hidden Gems: Stories of the Idaho Museum of Natural History is the product of a unique collaboration between IMNH and the students of Dr. Alex Bolinger’s Collaborative Creativity class at ISU. Eight Idaho State University students came together to take on the ambitious challenge of writing an entire book about IMNH in just three months. The book authors include: Alex Bolinger, Katelyn Baird, Grace Wright, Natalie Hughes, Josh Luker, Shayla Manwill, Maya Peters-Greno, Laura Rizzo, and Daniel Griffith.
Through the generous support of IMNH’s faculty, staff, and administrative team and the particular assistance of Amber Tews, the students were able to access and research photos, documents, and stories from the Museum’s collections to tell the story of its history. The students worked together to coordinate the contents of the book, write the chapters, and refine the content with the generous assistance of copyeditor Kristine McCarty.
Presales available in Museum Store.
iPhone Nature Photography Class
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April 4, 2023
6 to 8 p.m.
Free
Join us and Dr. Charles (Chuck) Peterson to learn how your iPhone is capable of taking excellent photos in many situations. This class will cover ways to improve your iPhone photos by keeping the lenses clean, quickly turning on the camera, steadily holding the phone and releasing the shutter, and using panorama, time exposure, burst, and manual modes.
Chuck received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Zoology at the University of Illinois-Urbana (1971, 1974), his Ph.D. in Zoology at Washington State University (1982), and conducted his postdoctoral work at the University of Chicago (1983-1988). He began working at Idaho State University in 1988 and is currently an Emeritus Professor of Zoology in the Department of Biological Sciences and the Affiliate Curator of Herpetology for the Idaho Museum of Natural History. Peterson's current teaching responsibilities at ISU include Herpetology and Nature Photography. Since coming to ISU in 1988, Dr. Peterson has had five Ph.D., four DA, and 20 Master's students complete their degrees under his supervision. His research interests include the spatial, physiological, and conservation ecology of amphibians and reptiles. Much of his work has focused on reptile populations on Idaho’s Snake River Plain and on amphibian populations in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. He is currently working on citizen science projects utilizing the iNaturalist mobile application to document the distribution and activity of amphibians and reptiles in Idaho and the Greater Yellowstone Area. Peterson is an avid nature photographer and seeks to use his photography to conserve and restore amphibian and reptile species and their habitats (Peterson's flikr page).
Biological Illustrations with A.M. Rasmussen
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April 13, 2023
6 to 8 p.m.
Free
Join us as Ashelee Rasmussen take us through how art is used to explain and discover. We’ll talk about how art is used in museums and the behind the scenes for creating paleontological reconstructions. We’ll learn and practice basic drawing techniques for biological illustration using museum specimens.
A.M. Rasmussen is a doctoral student engaging in research that explores how illustration can facilitate science education and research. She is designing and enacting methods for using drawing as a learning tool for biology education and making this information available to educators. In biological illustration courses and workshops, she engages students and researchers in using illustration to observe, record, and communicate science and nature. She has an M.S. in biology and a B.S. in ecology. A.M. is an educator for informal and formal life-science education, participates in ecological research, and works as a biological illustrator.
Mother's Day Glass Class
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April 12, 15, & 18
April 12 & 18: 6 to 8 p.m.
April 15: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
$40
Space is limited, ONLINE registration only, and registration is required and all supplies are included.
Members receive a $5 discount with Promotion Code, code was sent via email March 17, 2023.
Science Trek 2023
May 19, 2023
5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
3rd - 5th Graders
We're very excited to be bringing Science Trek back to campus this year and getting 3rd-5th grade students involved in our Idaho State University community and seeing how Bengal scientist work in their worlds, demystifying science and showing that anyone can become a scientists!
Idaho to Coast Summer Camp 2023
July 17 - 23, 2023
Age: Adults
Full Payment $3,250 or Payment Schedule $3,500
This summer, we invite you to join us at our Grown-up Summer Camp as we embark on a fun-filled, educational journey to the Oregon coast. This all-inclusive trip will last for seven amazing days (six nights) and is led by expert IMNH education staff.