A landowner near Groundhog Reservoir provided students from the Children's Kiva Montessori schools with memories dating 80 million years.

Fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders took a recent tour to Ceri and Robert Peterson's property to hunt for fossils, and they were not disappointed.

"They found ammonites, brachiopods, and sharks teeth from when this area was covered by a shallow sea," said Kiva instructor Caitlin Munroe. "It was amazing, and the kids were in awe."

The trip was part of the science curriculum where students learn about the formation of the earth and universe - from the Big Bang, to the formation of our solar system, and Earth's early geography.

During the Cretaceous Era (145 million years ago to 65 million years ago), what is now North America was divided by the Western Interior Seaway.

The class learned about the process of fossilization, and how layers and layers of sediments are deposited over millions of years change the landscape.

"My son Skyler had been finding them on our property and told the teacher about it," Peterson said. "We offered our land as a classroom because it fit their curriculum. We're learning as well. Fossil hunting is addicting."

The students are researching their finds, writing narratives and poems about their experience, and creating artwork based on the fossils.

"It is a good jumping-off point for writing and working on fluency and word choice," Munroe said.

The plan is to host a showcase presentation on their research, writings, and artwork about local fossils. Teachers also plan to have an audio show produced by the students to air on public radio.

"The Earth has an amazing past. Our kids are appreciating that and the excitement of going out in the world and being in nature," Munroe said. "Our message is knowledge is all around us, but you have to work to get it."

jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com