Digging Dinosaurs

This brief introduction to the science of paleontology is aimed at children in grades 2-6. The 'digging' team, comprised mostly of college students on summer vacation, are shown working in the Black Hills of the South Dakota where they uncover the remains of a duckbilled dinosaur. In voice-over narration, we learn that this particular dinosaur is over 65 million years old, was a vegetarian by trade, is made up of some 500 bones, and stands 9 ft. high by 25 ft. long. The leader, Peter Larsen, ex plains his own fascination with digging dinosaurs as that thrill of being "the very first human being that's ever seen this." As the team locates the bones, they show how bones are prepared for moving: the processes of cleaning, gluing, and wrapping in plaster of paris casts. The film ends in a museum with the reconstruction of the duckbilled dinosaur. Recommended for appropriate collections. (Available from: Centre Productions, 1800 30th St, Suite 207, Boulder, CO 80301.)