Behind the Scenes Curiosity Kits

NHMU's Behind the Scenes Curiosity Kits provide a free, hands-on educational resource kit to local Utahns. The kit is designed to be engaging for elementary-aged children and can be retrieved at Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City libraries. Curiosity Kits are designed to illuminate an aspect or feature of the Natural History Museum of Utah’s collections and exhibits.

Get Your Curiosity Kits

Click here to sign up for a Curiosity Kit from a Salt Lake County Library near you. Or pick up kits from the Salt Lake City Libraries Day-Riverside, Chapman, or Glendale Branches with their curbside pick up service.

Currently, there are two different Curiosity Kits available:

Curiosity Kit: Anthropology

This kit draws connections between Utah's native cultures and the traditions of basketry and petroglyphs. The kit is all-inclusive, with instructions, materials, and resources to guide families in the creation of their own unique baskets at home.

Kit Includes:

• Basket Weaving Instructions
• Basket Weaving Template
• Yarn for Basket Weaving
• Beads to accentuate your Basket
• Petroglyph Coloring Sheet

Utah is fortunate to have a wealth of cultural resources, which include intricate basketry and breathtaking petroglyphs. Unfortunately, there is only a limited amount of these artifacts in existence; every time one is destroyed, we lose it and the story it could have told us forever. That’s why it is so important to protect, respect and preserve these important objects.

With our Anthropology Curiosity Kit we encourage families to take the first steps in reliving these ancient traditions and customs that have flourished in indigenous communities throughout Utah in past and present.

Once you’ve created your own basket, go further and check out our exciting Behind The Scenes event. Meet the scientists who’ve studied these baskets and find out where these baskets came from, what they are made of, and what new and old stories they can tell us.

Curiosity Kit: Paleontology

This kit introduces Antarctic Dinosaurs both past and present through a naturalist styled Antarctic Handbook in which you can meet the stars of our current special exhibit. Furthermore, this kit comes with Build-A-Dinosaur cut outs that let you make your very own Antarctic dinosaur!

Kit Includes:

• Antarctic Adaptations Handbook (Español)
• Build-A-Sauropodomorph
• Dinosaurs All Around Us

Antarctica was not always the frozen desert of modern times. In ancient eras it teemed with unique life. Like Utah, it was once home to ferocious and awe-inspiring dinosaurs! Learn about some of the recent Antarctic discoveries and about the avian dinosaurs that still live with us today!

Once you’ve become an Antarctic Dinosaur Expert, be sure to come visit the special exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Utah. Also, be sure to tune in to Behind The Scenes, where you can learn about dinosaur discoveries both local and internationally and meet the scientists who are involved in the most up-to-date dinosaur research!