SC DNR at Calhoun County Library

 The Summer Reading Program is winding down at the Calhoun County Library, but it was still in full swing when representatives from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources engaged older children with experimental archaeology and little ones enjoyed a dinosaur-themed puppet show! Thursday, July 23, 2026, children of all ages were having fun at the library!

For ages 5 and under, the staff at the Calhoun County Library presented a rendition of Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems. We were greeted by a momma dinosaur, a daddy dinosaur, and “some other dinosaur who was visiting from Norway” who were all trying to set a trap to catch a snack. They set the trap inside their house and left it unlocked for easy access. A sassy little girl named Goldilocks appeared and seemed to be completely carefree. She found the door unlocked and barged right into the house. She was lured by the trap of delicious chocolate pudding and ate until she was miserable and sleepy. As the dinosaurs phrased it, she was “like a chocolate filled bonbon!” After finding the oversized beds, she realized that this house did not belong to bears. It belonged to a family of dinosaurs! She ran out of the house screaming and we all learned a lesson from the moral of the story. Special thanks to Mrs. Mary Jo Springs for helping out with the puppets!

While the puppet show entertained the younger children, representatives from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources engaged the older kids with a hands-on STEM activity. Participants constructed a simple bow drill using popsicle sticks, string, and wooden skewers. By moving the string up and down, the center skewer rotated, allowing them to drill a hole through a piece of Smarties candy. This activity demonstrated how a bow drill works and illustrated the type of tool archaeologists use to collect and analyze artifacts during fieldwork. It was a fun, educational workshop.

Everyone who attended these programs shared plenty of laughs, learned something new, and, most importantly, had fun. The activities combined education with entertainment, creating memorable experiences for participants of all ages. 

This event was made possible with the support from the South Carolina State Library and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.⁠ We would also like to thank the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources for coming to put on this program and teach for our Summer Reading Program!

Hatching Dinosaurs

            We had an adventurous time with The Story Ship at the Calhoun County Museum on Thursday, July 16, 2026, for our Summer Reading Program. A baby dinosaur hatched, and we were able to help find its mother by using fossils to save humanity!

The Story Ship is a new program to join our Summer Reading Program and they did not disappoint! The entire show was active, entertaining, and full of crowd-participation. As the world was ending at 10:30 AM, the children were engaged with helping scan fossils and figuring out the difference between all the dinosaurs that once lived around the baby dinosaur egg. It was amazing!

Porkchop Productions Dinosaur Sighting

            The Calhoun County Library I partnership with the Calhoun County Museum to host a fan-favorite group last week: Porkchop Productions. The stage was full of jokes, laughs, and lessons!

On Thursday, July 9, 2026, at 10:30 AM, Porkchop Productions put on a rendition of a classic fable but with a Summer Reading Program twist. Dinosaur, Dinosaur, Wolf! is The Boy Who Cried Wolf, made specifically for the topic of our theme “Unearth A Story.” Same story, just more dinosaurs, teeth, scales, and attitude! Jamie, the main character, is a bit of a prankster who likes to joke around to get attention. One day, they find out that dinosaurs are running rampant in an archeological dig site and that is the BEST way to get attention! That is, until no one believes a word coming out of their mouth!

We don’t want to give away too much, but the performance was very fun and full of laughter. It taught us all that honesty is always the best policy. What happens if a dinosaurs shows up and no one believes you because you lie too much? That’s not good!

We will say that the hit of the show was when the old professor came out at the end and started to dance to “Walk the Dinosaur” by Was (Not Was)! It was absolutely hilarious!

Bones and Stones Science Camp

            The Calhoun County Library had an exciting week exploring stones and bones digging deep into archeology and paleontology for the 2026 Science Camp! The students were able to look at the basics of human and plant life in unified stories of bones and stones. There were class discussions, hands on demonstrations, and a real-life simulated archeological excavation!

Science Camp started on Monday, June 22, 2026, and went all week through Friday, June 26, 2026. Each class lasted approximately an hour. They were for ages 8 - 14. Dr. Lesa Rice-Jackson, a retired chemist, used her previous experience to teach this class everything she knew about the study of archeology and paleontology.

Day One, we learned about room safety, student tool safety, and how to properly set-up a laboratory notebook (including a few dinosaur doodles). Once the notebooks were finished, we began learning about the terms we would be using all week. They included taphonomy, archeology, paleontology, and fossil. Then it was time for the activity! The class was assigned to groups to create the timeline of the earth. Students designed cards about the world’s beginning 4.6 billion years ago, when the first complex life started at 541 million years ago, and when the dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago. It was beautiful to watch everyone help put together the timeline!

Day Two of Science Camp was about ancient bones. We find records of human and animal bones in museums and schools. These bones are used to study human and animals and how they lived. Dinosaurs are the same way! Dinosaur fossils are the most exciting of all! They teach us about a time when these giant creatures roamed the Earth. After watching a few short videos on fossils, and different types of dinosaurs, each scientist got to choose a dinosaur to design. They began with a blank cardboard cutout of any type they wanted (raptor, t-rex, etc.) and started drawing what they wanted them to look like. They added scales, teeth, and funny eyes. One young lady even added lipstick on hers! Dr. Lesa Rice-Jackson wanted to make sure the dinosaur facts stuck in the heads of our paleontologists, so she had them also write a couple of facts on the back of their dinosaurs. It was brilliant watching both their creative, analytical brains remember such interesting details, like a t-rex had a bite force of 8,000 pounds!

Day Three was all about excavation. We learned to use all the proper tools: hammer, chisel, and brush. After going over the important safety procedures, it was time to begin chipping away at clumps of clay. All of our archeologists were stunned and excited to find glass, stones, and even coins from other countries! We watched closely as all of the students used scientific techniques to retrieve the artifacts from the clay.

Day Four, another professional arrived to educate and demonstrate us. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources came to simulating a hands-on dig! The students got real collection bags that stated the date, dig site, and how far down the artifact was found. They used the tools from the day prior and began excavating until they revealed pieces of plates and bowls. In a real dig, these pieces would tell the archeologists about the people that lived there. The process encouraged the students to want to learn even more about how it would be as a career!

On our final day, we had to celebrate all the hard work that went into the week. Each student received a certificate for attending Science Camp; a few students accepted special awards such as best dinosaur, best field technician, and best excavator. Our students presented a few facts they learned throughout the week and a group picture was taken to commemorate an excellent time together!

This Science Camp has been one of the most exciting that we have had so far. We learned much more than we could write about, and we know our little scientists ‘dug’ it! We can’t wait until next year!