Mobile Museum Brings Prehistoric Los Angeles to Life for Hacienda La Puente Unified Young Learners

Valinda Elementary School students were transported back 30,000 years during a three-day visit from the La Brea Tar Pits Mobile Museum. The traveling exhibit brought hands-on paleontology to the school site, sparking curiosity, expanding access to STEM learning, and helping students cultivate their inner scientist.

“They showed us a lot of things about animals like big dire wolves, and they even let us touch real bones, which was so cool,” Valinda first-grader Emiliano Acevedo said. “I hope the museum comes back!”

Led by educators from the La Brea Tar Pits Museum, students became junior paleontologists as they examined real fossils, excavated simulated tar pits, and learned about extinct animals such as dire wolves, saber-tooth cats, and giant ground sloths.

"We want students to feel a sense of safety, wonder, and belonging in STEM learning spaces like this,” Mobile Museums Manager Ashley Rowley said. “This program brings the museum to the community, making science fun and helping students see that becoming a scientist is an opportunity available to everyone.”

The mobile museum transformed into a “time machine.” Students were immersed in flickering lights and a dramatic soundtrack that set the scene before a wall opened to reveal a mural of prehistoric Los Angeles, transporting them into the sights and sounds of an Ice Age environment and its animals.

“Hacienda La Puente Unified is committed to providing innovative learning opportunities, and programs like the Mobile Museum make enriching experiences accessible to all students,” Hacienda La Puente Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Alfonso Jiménez said. “These programs allow students to bring classroom learning to life through hands-on interaction and real-world application.”

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Valinda Elementary School students examined real fossils on the La Brea Tar Pits Mobile Museum. 

Students cultivated their inner scientist and examined real fossils, excavated simulated tar pits, and learned about extinct animals on the traveling exhibit.