To celebrate the foundation of Shilin Global Geopark Museum,we organized a study tour on September 23rd  and invited 30 children whose parents have worked in the Tianqi Hospital of Shilin for a long time. It was the first time to receive such a lot of children to our new museum, so we prepared a lot.

During the study tour, we first arranged a brief introduction of historical development of Shilin including its geoscientific significance, the way to preserve the oldest stone forest karst, the preparation process in the UNESCO World Heritage application, sound management bodies and sustainable development goals.

We also prepared a series of mock-ups of the Stone Forest to introduce various karst landforms and geological evolution history of Shilin. In this way, we could explain the regional geological history of over 200 million years with successive karst landforms and geological processes of Stone Forest more vividly. We tried to depend on good guiding and interpretation skills to effectively convey knowledge of earth science to children.

The highlight of this activity was to visit the exhibition of marine fossils. We introduced the living environment, forming process and various sorts of marine fossils in Shilin. Through cartoons, pictures and physical items, we aimed to deepen their understanding of ancient sea creature fossils. After that, we invited children to find the fossils in the sand, which could give them opportunities to gain firsthand experience of touching and observing fossils.

At the end of this study tour, children could participate in some games like jigsaw puzzle on Shilin karst landform, general knowledge quiz of the Shilin UGGp and reading activities. We aim to help enhance their understanding of the Stone Forest, value the natural heritage and enrich their knowledge.