All the students

Palaeontologists for a day! Using tools similar to those used in the field, participants learn what fossils are and how they form, study original finds in groups, simulate a palaeontological excavation, and make a plaster cast that will remain with them as a memento of the experience.

1^ and  2^ class

With an adventure and a mission to fulfill, children are guided to discover the work of a paleontologist and the animals of prehistory. By simulating an excavation, they have to search for, ‘clean,’ and identify the bones of a large prehistoric feline to reconstruct its skeleton. In doing so, they discover that it is a Smilodon fatalis, the famous ‘sabre-toothed cat,’ one of the Museum’s iconic exhibits. They can touch the fossils and hypothesize about the animal’s food choices and lifestyle habits, selecting appropriate food for it as part of an imaginative today feast.

From 3^ class

The history of human evolution, to be properly understood, must be framed in both time and space. Participants find artefacts belonging to different hominin species (scientific casts of skulls and other bone artefacts, stone tools and other materials) in a chest of drawers simulating geological stratification. A large map on the floor and a timeline allow the finds to be positioned correctly and to follow the emergence, extinction, movements and encounters of human species in the past.

From the 4^ class

Do look… a gift horse in the mouth! The skull of vertebrates has an incredibly specific structure, allowing participants to reason about the form/function relationship and adaptations of these animals. By analysing casts and natural specimens, the different diets, sensory structures, and many other characteristics of reptiles, birds, and mammals can be compared.”

From the 3^ class

With this tour, visitors discover that human history is made up of many species that have lived on Earth before and together with us, and that this history has always been one of migration and coexistence. A journey into humanity’s deep past, among prehistoric tools, ancient burials and villages on stilts.

All the students

The Museum’s Palaeontology collection enables visitors to embark on a genuine journey through time via its exhibits. Visitors gain an understanding of the concept of geological time, the principles of dating, the formation of fossils, and the reasons behind these processes. They then learn how to interpret the information presented by these exhibits, including details about the species that once inhabited our planet, from fascinating fossilised palm trees to the fearsome sabre-toothed tiger, as well as gaining insight into the conditions of the world during those epochs.

All the students

Charles Darwin asserted that one of the most compelling pieces of evidence supporting his theory is the existence of fossils. These discoveries provide testimony to past worlds and shed light on how life has evolved on our planet. Through the fossils on display, visitors can uncover the identities of today’s species’ ancestors and the mechanisms that played a role in their evolutionary history.

All the students

Legs, fins, wings, claws, hooves, horns, armour, teeth, fangs… Animals in the course of evolution have developed characteristics that have enabled them to survive in their environment. Visitors discover how biological structures can be studied comparatively to appreciate the beauty of animal biodiversity.