Idaho Museum of Natural History announces docent training schedule for fall

Beginning Sept. 29, the Idaho Museum of Natural History will hold docent training classes for individuals interested in working with the museum.

A docent is a volunteer teacher who learns about the museum's exhibits and presents the information to visitors and school groups. Docents at the Idaho Museum of Natural History will learn about Idaho's past through the rocks, landscape, fossils, prehistoric peoples and wildlife.

The docent training is scheduled 1-4 p.m. Sept. 29; Oct. 6, 13, 20 and 27; Nov. 3, 10 and 17; and Dec. 1 and 8.

The instructors will be Rebecca A. Thorne, IMNH Education Resource Manager; Ben Rendall, Geosciences graduate student; Jesse Pruitt, IMNH Earth Science Division intern; Mary Thompson, IMNH Earth Science Division Collection Manager; Janet Bala, IMNH Live Sciences Division Collection Manager; and Amy Commendador, the Earl H. Swanson Archaeological Repository Manager.

Specific themes that will be covered in these training sessions include "Welcome to the Museum! Docent Orientation," "Geologic Formation of Earth: Getting the Ball Rolling," "Kingdoms of Life: A Who's Who of Living Things," "Geologic Building Blocks: Minerals and Gem Stones," "Designing Effective Docent Tours," "Heliocoprion: The Sharks Amongst Us," "Utahceratops and Dinosaur Cousins," "Process of Fossilization and the Pleistocene Mammals," "Masks and Shamanism in South American Native American Cultures," "Native Plants of Idaho" and "Small Mammals of Idaho: Owl Pellets."

For more information, contact Thorne-Ferrel at (208) 282-2195 or thorrebe@isu.edu.

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