Former Glenbow Museum educators Cory Gross and Ashley Johnston are proud to be once again offering indoor, in-class "safari" programs tailored to the Alberta Programs of Study and tour groups to Alberta. Our information-packed 60 minute programs take you on an adventure through Alberta's ancient past from the comforts of your own facility!
Our programs can be adjusted to any age level and clientèle, from elementary-aged children to seniors tour groups, and may include an information and activity package written by your educators.
We pride ourselves on demystifying science and making complicated subjects fun, exciting, and easy to understand.
Indoor Safaris:
Sandstone Prehistoric Safaris Calgary currently offers programs based on the new K-6 and existing 7-12 Alberta curriculum for:
- Grade 3 Science: Earth Systems
- Grade 4 Science: Space
- Grade 4 Science: Scientific Methods
- Grade 6 Science: Earth Systems
- Grade 6 Science: Space
- Grade 6 Science: Scientific Methods
- Science 7: Planet Earth
- Grade 4 Social Studies: History
- Aboriginal Studies 10
Alberta curriculum:
- Grade 3 Science: Earth Systems
- Science 7, Unit E: Planet Earth
The Rock Cycle makes the world go 'round! Students will learn about the three different kinds of rock, what they are made of, how they form, and fascinating stories about our "Sandstone City." Together we will look for the clues to identify kinds of rocks, using real samples scoured from across Western Canada and North America. This program also looks at the five different kinds of fossils and how they are preserved, with samples collected by the educators themselves.
This program includes a printable rock identification chart for your students and a group-based hands-on rock identification component.
Alberta curriculum:
- Grade 4 Science: Space
- Grade 4 Science: Scientific Methods
- Grade 6 Science: Space
- Grade 6 Science: Scientific Methods
Find out why the Moon makes the Earth so special! The cataclysmic collision between Earth and a Mars-sized meteor 4.5 billion years ago created the Moon and tilted the planet, leaving behind the life-sustaining world we know today. We’ll explore how the Giant Impact Hypothesis explains the speed of the Earth’s rotation, the changing length of our days, the cycle of the seasons, and our view of the constellations. Students will learn about our solar system, hear Blackfoot sky stories, and see first-hand an authentic sample of lunar rock!
Alberta curriculum:
- Grade 3 Science: Earth Systems
- Science 7, Unit E: Planet Earth
Let’s dig! Using our imaginations, photos, and real specimens of rocks, fossils, and meteorites, we will pretend to excavate beneath the city of Calgary. Participants will learn to read a "table of geological formations" as we investigate what Calgary was like during the Ice Age and the Age of Dinosaurs, learn how Alberta’s vast oil reserves formed, and gaze back to the origins of life and the beginnings of the Earth itself! We will also learn the methods used by scientists to understand the earth’s ancient past, and how they apply to our everyday lives.
For tour operators: This is the perfect introduction for tour groups arriving in Calgary and interested in our local geological history.
Alberta curriculum:
- Grade 3 Science: Earth Systems
We’ve been to the Grand Canyon, and now we’re bringing the Grand Canyon to you! Through photos and real specimens of rocks and fossils from Arizona, your students will join our educators on a hike through the depths of the greatest canyon on Earth. We’ll learn about how the Grand Canyon’s layers were formed and what they tell us about the great upheavals of the Earth’s landscape hundreds of millions of years in the past, from ancient volcanic mountain ranges to tropical lagoons to desolate coastal deserts. We’ll go beyond the Grand Canyon to nearby sites that pick up the story of Earth’s history where the top of the canyon leaves off. And we’ll learn about how the canyon itself formed from water, erosion, and geologic faulting over the past 50 million years.
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| Hiking inside the Grand Canyon. |
NEW FOR 2023/24!
Dawn of the Dinosaurs: Exploring the Triassic Period
Alberta curriculum:
- Grade 3 Science: Earth Systems
Let’s go back to the Triassic! From the edge of the Grand Canyon to the foot of Alberta’s Mount Rundle, we’ll explore what happened in North America after the worst mass extinction event in Earth’s history. 351 million years ago, 80% of marine species and 70% of terrestrial species went extinct, leaving behind a new world for dinosaurs, marine reptiles, crocodilians, and the ancestors of mammals. Your educators have been to Arizona and the Triassic outcrops of Alberta, and have brought rock and fossil specimens back for your students to investigate!
Alberta curriculum:
- Science 7, Unit E: Planet Earth
What are the Canadian Rocky Mountains? How did they form? And how do we know? In The Canadian Rocky Mountains: An In-Class Geology Field School we will learn about the history of the Canadian Rocky Mountains, how they developed from ancient coral reefs through the end of the last Ice Age, and common geologic features that reveal this fascinating story. Students will come away with a knowledge of the types of rocks and fossils found in the Canadian Rockies (using real hands-on samples collected by your educators!), as well as being able to recognize folds, faults, glacier-carved mountains, and other famous formations found throughout Banff and Jasper National Parks, Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, and Kananaskis Country.
The Canadian Rocky Mountains: A Natural and Cultural History
Alberta curriculum:
- Grade 4 Social Studies: History
What are the Canadian Rocky Mountains? How did they form? When did human beings first arrive in them? Explore the natural and cultural history of these majestic Canadian icons in this dynamic presentation. Together we will learn about the geology of the Canadian Rockies, how they developed from ancient coral reefs through the end of the last Ice Age, when the First Nations came to this area and their stories about the mountains, the early European explorers with the fur trade, the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway and the creation of Canada's first National Parks.
For tour operators: This is the perfect introduction for tour groups arriving in Calgary for a trip through Banff and the Rocky Mountain National Parks!
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| Mount Rundle, Banff National Park. |
Alberta curriculum:
- Grade 3 Science: Earth Systems
- Grade 4 Science: Scientific Methods
- Grade 6 Science: Earth Systems
- Grade 6 Science: Scientific Methods
- Science 7, Unit E: Planet Earth, Unit A: Interactions and Ecosystems
From the biggest dinosaurs to the smallest clam, discover what life in Alberta was like 70 million years ago! Together we will learn how geologists and palaeontologists reconstruct our ancient history - including how to read geological features, stratigraphic charts, and geological maps - and by examining real hands-on fossils. By using the same process of investigation as professional scientists, we will build a picture of our province's coastal swamp and shallow inland sea environments during the Late Cretaceous period.
For tour operators: This is the perfect introduction for tour groups arriving in Calgary for a trip through Drumheller and the Alberta Badlands!
Ice Age Alberta: An Indoor Prehistoric Safari
Alberta curriculum:
- Grade 3 Science: Earth Systems
- Grade 6 Science: Earth Systems
- Science 7, Unit E: Planet Earth, Unit A: Interactions and Ecosystems
- Aboriginal Studies 10
Take an in-class safari through Southern Alberta's recent geological past with the author of The Ice Age in Western Canada! In Ice Age Alberta, you will learn about what an Ice Age is, what causes them, what amazing wildlife were here at the end of the most recent Ice Age, what happened to them, and finally, what studying the past can tell us about climate change, extinction, and the environmental impact of human activities in the future. We will not only investigate famous Alberta archaeological sites, but also learn about the methods scientists use to reconstruct our ancient history.
In this program, your students will experience a dramatic visualization of Alberta's ecosystems 13,000 years ago and our most recent extinction event, using models and real fossils.
Alberta curriculum:
- Grade 3 Science: Earth Systems
- Science 7, Unit E: Planet Earth
Cinder cones, lava flows, and untold pyroclastic fury! Volcanoes are not just the stuff of faraway tropic islands and ancient primeval worlds. One of the largest volcanoes in the world is only driving distance from Calgary! This virtual field trip will take your students to the corners of North America (and Hawaii) to learn about the different kinds of volcanoes and volcanic rocks. You'll join your educators on their own adventures hiking up the cinder cones of Arizona, flying over the stratovolcanoes of BC's Lake Garibaldi, and driving through the Yellowstone caldera. We'll even discover unique Canadian volcanic features found nowhere else on Earth!
A Brief History of Alberta
Alberta curriculum:
- Grade 4 Social Studies: History
From the formation of planet Earth to ancient Devonian Era reefs, the Age of Dinosaurs, and the Ice Age to the arrival of Indigenous peoples, the fur trade, North West Mounted Police, Canadian Pacific Railway, and the Calgary Stampede. A Brief History of Alberta showcases the events, institutions, and people who shaped the identity of this amazing province, including family stories from your first generation Albertan educators.
For tour operators: This is the perfect introduction for tour groups arriving in Calgary for an introduction to our city and to Western Canada.
Custom Educational Programs
Sandstone Prehistoric Safaris Calgary has a wide base of knowledge in earth sciences and regional history. Whether you're interested in dinosaurs, oil and gas, the Ice Age and global climate change, or First Nations and fur traders, we may be able to design a program to suit your needs. From scouts and guides groups to corporate team builders to professional tour operators, Sandstone Prehistoric Safaris Calgary can help!
Contact us through the "contact form" to the right to discuss what we can do for you.
To enquire and register for programs, please contact us through the form to the right!
The fine print...
Indoor programs are suitable for classrooms, meeting halls, and other similar facilities. Programs require a projector supplied by the organization/leader. A fee up to 100% of program cost may be charged for cancellations with less than 2 weeks notice. Sandstone Prehistoric Safaris Calgary reserves right to cancel programs at any time prior to the scheduled program with full refund, or during the program for just cause with no refund. Just cause may include, but is not limited to: chronic misbehaviour, illegal activity, threats of a verbal or physical nature, etc. Program participation is considered to be agreement to waive liability against Sandstone Prehistoric Safaris Calgary. Groups of children require sufficient adult supervisors (a minimum ratio of 1 adult per 5 children is recommended). Sandstone Prehistoric Safaris Calgary does not assume responsibility for program participants in lieu of leaders.
Programs cost $160CAN for a group of up to 35. Extra fees may apply for additional participants. A $60CAN surcharge will be added for programs outside the Calgary city limits. Payment accepted via Interac e-mail money transfer, Paypal, cheque or cash. Payment is required up to two weeks prior to the first program. To book these tours, please use the "contact form" to the right.
