Mammoths and Mastodons at Fernbank Museum of Natural History

Win tickets to Fernbank Museum

If you haven’t been to Fernbank Museum of Natural History lately, it’s time to go back. From the opening of the interactive outdoor WildWoods play area to exciting new programs and events, this Atlanta favorite is better than ever. It’s easy to spend an entire day here – especially when you make time for the new temporary exhibit, Mammoths and Mastodons.

Watching the film “Titans of the Ice Age” in the Giant Screen Theater is a fantastic way to begin the adventure. This overview of how ancient species survived and fell to extinction as Earth’s climate changed gives young visitors vocabulary in context, which will allow them to learn even more from the exhibit. I watched the film with two eight-year-old boys, and their favorite fun fact was the tusks of mammoths and mastodons grew in rings, a little each year, just like a tree!

Then we made our way to the exhibit, where touchable models and colorful graphics were placed alongside actual fossils – including tusks. This arrangement helped us imagine what these animals and their lives were really like. The exhibit includes several interactive stations to help kids learn about how animals adapt to their environments, including manipulating a robotic elephant trunk. And of course, the “match the poop to the animal” station was a hit.

The exhibit helped kids connect the familiar – elephants and buffalos they have seen – to creatures that have been extinct for tens of thousands of years. It gave us an opportunity to talk about modern climate change in a relatable and tangible context. It was an enormously fun day getting to learn about giant animals!

– Sherry V. Crawley

Explore the world of mammoths and mastodons through fossils, artifacts media and the story of the most complete and best preserved baby mammoth ever found. June 17-Aug. 27. Mon.-Sun. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Adults, $18; ages 3-12, $16; ages 2 and younger, free.