Corbett Prep Grooms Pint-Sized Paleontologists

Outfitted in their archeologist attire, PreK4 and Kindergarten students recently grabbed their brushes, shovels, and picks and began digging.

Corbett Preparatory School of IDS students experienced first-hand the role of paleontologists on the hunt for prehistoric fossils.

Students ventured out of their classrooms and traversed the school’s wooden “bridge-like” walkways to the site of the dig. Under a canopy of cypress trees, the little paleontologists gathered, cleaned, sorted, measured, and studied the bones they discovered in the sand in order to construct a prehistoric animal.

In addition to their archeological dig, the paleontologists built a cave complete with stalactites and stalagmites, explored actual fossils, excavated archeological remains, and erupted a giant volcano.

The archeological dig activity is designed to engage the students in science, math, art, history, and dramatic play— outside in an open and interactive setting.

Lush with a variety of thriving flora and fauna, Corbett Prep’s campus environment offered the paleontologists an abundance of stimulating opportunities for hands-on learning.

“This unit reached out to all the multiple intelligences,” said PreK4 teacher Lori Hohmann. “The combination of the outdoor setting and the classroom developmental centers appealed to all: Verbal Linguistic, Logical Mathematical, Musical Rhythmic, Bodily Kinesthetic, Visual Spatial, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, and Naturalist.”

The PreK4 team of Teresa Krig, Ashleigh Elozory, Alejandra Izquierdo, and Lori Hohmann, along with the kindergarten teachers, carefully crafted activities to combine fun with academics as research shows these types of experiences engage the entire brain, resulting in life-long learning.

The dig was part of an International Baccalaureate Programme of inquiry called Sharing the Planet: The Earth Rocks. Through this activity, the students were able to gain a greater understanding of what they can learn about Earth’s history through fossils.

Kindergarten teachers Ashley Davis, Marla Vildostegui, Holly Ralph, Lauren Bronson and the PreK4 teachers are continuing to “rock and roll” with their study of rocks and minerals, Earth’s physical events, and how forces of nature can change matter.

“We are conducting a variety of experiments so the students can actually see how matter changes," said kindergarten teacher Ashley Davis, "and that even rocks can change due to the weather."

Corbett Prep is located at 12015 Orange Grove Drive in Tampa.