Latinx Gifted and Talented Family Science Series

In the spring of 2022, the ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Museum of Natural History partnered with to engage the families of gifted Latino students in four with science and nature. Topics covered included birds, insects, plants and the relationships between them from millions of years ago in the fossil record up until this very moment. These programs paired object based learning with at-home observation. These virtual exhibits are curated by the families who participated as a reflection on these interactions. This program was generously supported by high school volunteers in the Spanish language programs in BVSD and graduate students in the ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Museum & Field Studies program.

Please note: these labels are written by young students and at times their fanciful interpretations do not reflect accurate science.

Emilio Maclaurin
Archaeopteryx fossil cast
I chose this because it looked interesting. One of the oldest birds, the size of a crow, from the late jurassic period. Yo elegí este porque se veía interesante. Uno de los pajaros más viejos, tamaño de un cuervo, es del Jurásico tardío.

Gabriela and Abigail
Monarch and a Viceroy Butterfly
Monarch butterflies migrate from Canada to México. When they arrive in Mexico they hybernate all winter. The ones that survive return to Canada in the spring. Las mariposas monarcas migran desde Canada hasta México. Cuando llegan a México hibernan por todo el invierno. Los que sobreviven regresan a Canadá en la primavera.

Calyssa Downs, age 5
Racoon Skull
I picked it because of the curve around the eye hole. It reminds me of a dinosaur called pachycephalosaurus that bumps its head against the T-rex's leg. The racoon skull looks like it has a strong head like that.

Easton, age 5
Ostrich Egg
It's Big! It's white and oval. Easton says it will probably hatch in 6 days. Once it hatches a gigantic baby will come out! This egg is 100 years old. It was found in Colorado in a nest.

Aaron Meza, age 10
Sharp shinned hawk
I chose this brown bird wing because it looks cool and interesting. The brown brid wing belongs to a sharp shinned hawk. And its native to Colorado. Yo elegí esta ala de pájaro marrón porque se ve increible e interesante. El ala le pertenece a un halcón nativo de Colorado.

Eduardo, age 10 y Victoria, age 7
Cráneo de Búho de Granero
Owls don't eat people and they are friendly. The owls have pretty feathers. Owls sing differently than birds. El owl (búho) no come personas y es amigable. El owl tiene muchas plumas bonitas. El owl canta diferente a los pájaros.

Rubi Rydquist, Age 9
Red Tail Hawk Skull, Bat and Bat skeleton
Bird skulls are very cool to me. I like their shape and the beak is black, the structure is unusual. I love bats. Los craneos de pajaros son muy increibles para mi. Me gusta su forma y su pico es negro. Su estructura es inusual. Amo los murciélagos.

Bowie Hurricane, age 7
Canada Goose skull
I choose the goose skull because it looked like a pterodactyl skull, and I liked that. I like that Pterodactyls screech and fly. I liked that the beaks matched up. That's why I named it pterodactyl.

Matías Santiago, age 7
Cráneo de Perrito de la Pradera que Matías vió como un dinosaurio
I chose this prairie dog because they are near to our house, I called it oreo because I am hungry. Cráneo de Perrito de la Pradera que Matías vió como un dinosaurio. Lo elegí porque los perritos de la pradera están cerca de nuestra casita. Oreo porque me está dando hambre.

Tino, age 8
Iridescent butterfly and feathers
They have different colored hairs. You can see multiple colors when you look from different angles. I chose it because I like how it changes colors. Ellos tienen differentes colores de cabello. Tu puedes ver differentes colores cuando lo ves de diferentes ángulos. La escogí porque me gusta cómo cambia de colores.

Angel Antonio Rodriguez, age 6
Cráneo de Zorrillo descrito por Angel como "Zorrillo de Laguna"
The lagoon skunk is black and white. They are medium size. El zorrillo de laguna es blanco y negro. El zorillo es "talla 6" mediano.

Joel Rodriguez, age 5
Blue Morpho Butterfly
The butterfly is bright blue, medium sized, soft, iridescent, with antennas that they use to suck out the nectar in the flowers and leaves. La mariposa es azul brillante, mediana, suave, iridisencia, con las antenas succiona el néctar de las hojas y flores.

Emmanuel Rodriguez Tremillo, age 10
Sphynx moth, Chrysalis, Tomato horn worm (wet specimen) and Skunk skull
I chose the Sphynx and the fox skeleton because they are awesome. The moth starts as a caterpillar and turns into a chrysalis and then into a moth. The skunk skull is interesting because its jaw is similar to humans. It's teeth help it chew like an omnivore. The eyes are huge when you look at its skull, but when you look at an alive one it's eyes are very tiny. Yo elegí la polilla Sphynx y el esqueleto del zorro porque son animales asombrosos. La polilla se transforma de oruga a capullo para convertirse en una polilla. El esqueleto del zorro es interesante porque la mandíbula es similar a la de un humano. Sus dientes le ayudan a masticar como un omnívoro. Los ojos son enormes cuando ves el cráneo pero cuando está vivo sus ojos parecen pequeñitos.

Jace Kislowski, age 9
Monarch butterflies and clay caterpillars
Caterpillars made by Jace out of clay were colored to appear toxic and poisonous. Birds attacked the caterpillars when left outside. Caterpillars thrive off of leaves, flowers and some fruits. Las orugas de plastilina hechas por Jace tienen colores que los pájaros reconocen como venenosos. Los pájaros atacaron a las orugas cuando las puse afuera. Las orugas se alimentan de hojas, flores y algunas frutas.