Hours (Museum and Museum Store):
 
NOTE: closed during summer for repairs
Tues and Thursday 2-5pm
Saturday 1-4 pm
$5.00 per person at the door

 

Explore a world of  fossils from long ago including those from the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic.  Walk to more modern times with fossils of  mammoths, sabertooth cats, sloths, camels, and other large mammals.  Discover modern day animals through their bones.  Visit the Boy Paleontologist room to see how they discovered the fossils in Fremont in the 1940’s. View the Minerals and Rocks, Hall of Small Wonders and Tools of Early Humans.  Hands-on activities for small groups are located throughout the museum. 

GROUP PRICE WITH DOCENT LEAD TOUR: $300 per group  ($10 per person) Max of 30 people . Lots of special activities revolving around fossils including invertebrate and vertebrates.  Learn about what makes a fossil; identify fossils from Morrocco;  20-30 minute lecture on the Ice Age fossils; scavenger hunt with a prize  (children only). 2 hours max 

 

 Tours can be scheduled depending on availability (including weekends).

 

• Map and directions to Museum 
  Click here for more information on School Field Trips
  (510) 790-6284 or msn@msnucleus.org

 

Enter through the museum store entrance and pay at the register before going upstairs. If you are in a group larger than 10 please call and reserve a time slot. The self guided tour takes at least 1 hour so please come before 3 pm.

Remember this is a museum for children so they can interact with activities as well as observe the wonders of nature.

Not recommended for children under 4. Specimens are irreplaceable and adults are responsible to watch their children.

Call (510)790-6284 or email msn@msnucleus.org to reserve your trip; include date and time with reservation .

Recommended reading before coming to site:

• A Pleistocene Ecosystem  by Wes Gordon
• Working on the Food Chain by Cassy Fries, animated by Doris Raia
• Mammoth Mary by Cassy Fries, animated by Doris Raia

About the Museum

The Children’s Natural History Museum (CNHM) has evolved into exhibits and learning activities that challenge children and the public to think about our Earth. The Math Science Nucleus has served education since 1982 and manages CNHM. The museum is mainly used for science field trips and summer science camps, but in an effort to serve the public we have designed this self guided tour.

If you have children with you, please make sure they do not harm specimens. Most of them are real and need to be respected. Only in areas with a logo and the word “Activity” can children touch and move specimens. If the specimen is out without an “Activity” sign, you may touch but not pick up. If specimens are behind glass that means that you can only observe. We reserve the right to ask visitors that do not respect rules to leave.

The Children's Natural History Museum has several exhibits that help the visitor understand the natural history of the local area through a child's eye. The largest hall is Wes Gordon Fossil Hall that includes the Irvington Fossils, Environments through Time, Bones, and the Boy Paleontologists Room. Hall of Small Wonders is full of little creatures including foraminifers, radiolarians, and diatoms. Mineral and Rock Hall has minerals classified by their chemical families and rocks from California. Nature Hall includes specimens of different animals and shells. Tools of Early Humans looks at how Californian Native Americans used natural fibers and rocks to help them survive. Allow at least one hour for each tour.