The Bone Hunters

Bone Hunters is an immersive, hands-on exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History that brings the thrill of paleontology to life. Through excavation, fossil identification, and preparation, young visitors become junior paleontologists—learning by doing, imagining, and storytelling.

Value for Visitors: Interactive Learning
Tangible interactions enhance learning by facilitating discovery, connection-making, and concept mapping, which leads to better absorption and retention of knowledge.

Value for the Museum: Enhanced Engagement with Current Exhibits
Bone Hunters transforms passive observation into active participation. By combining physical activities, digital interactions, and storytelling, the exhibit cultivates curiosity, encourages repeat visits, and strengthens visitors' connection to the museum's scientific collection and research.

Experience Breakdown
The exhibit scaffolds learning about the paleontological process through various stages of interaction.

Step 1: Fossil Discovery – Children dig and uncover fossil replicas like a real paleontologist. They begin at the dig site using tools to uncover hidden fossils.

Step 2: Bone Identification & Preparation – Children scan their fossils to discover what animal the fossil belongs to, learn about its anatomy, diet, and sounds. At the Bone Preparation station, they prepare fossils simulating the jacketing process used by real-life paleontologists in the field.

Step 3: Bone Matching – To connect this experience with the museum's permanent collection, each child receives a puzzle piece and must locate the corresponding real fossil exhibit. When they place the final piece, it activates the discovered animal sounds and reveals interesting facts about it—completing the visitors’ educational journey.

Experience Principles & Pillars : Leaning into the phenomenon of “Play”
Our approach was carefully crafted to embrace the principles of free play.
* Guided: Provides audio-visual cues to help navigate the experience
* Flexible: Can be interacted with minimal instruction
* Phygital (Physical + Digital): Tangible interactions to reinforce learning concepts

Our design allows sequential and independent interactions. It combines physical and digital artefacts to accommodate diverse learning styles, ensuring accessibility for all. By extending learning beyond the physical space, Bone Hunters transforms museum learning into an immersive adventure inspiring future explorers.