HADDONFIELD -- In preparation for a day-long celebration of the history and science of dinosaurs on April 5, borough teachers are incorporating a number of new activities into their school studies,

	Photo: Hoag Levins
	Dinosaurs of all sorts will be making appearances around Haddonfield on April 5.

according to Denise Sellers, coordinator of the HATCH Dinosaur Sculpture Committee's children's programs.

HATCH is the civic committee that will unveil an eight-foot-high bronze statue of Hadrosaurus foulkii in the center of the town's business district in Oct., 2003.

As a prelude to that, the committee has declared April 5 to be an area-wide "Dinosaur day" featuring a variety of dinosaur-related educational and fun activities for children of all ages.

School Programs
Sellers said the Haddonfield Child Care after school programs have added "Dino Clubs" to their planned activities for the school year, and the program is providing a number of new dinosaur related games and books for the children "to help them get into the spirit."

Dinosaur Day will include performing science educator Mike Weilbacher's "Rollickinš Dinosaur revue" in two performances in the auditorium of Haddonfield Memorial High School.

In addition, popular children's author and columnist Don Lessem, will be "author in residence" for the day, bringing with him two brand new dinosaur books to be released by Candlewyck Press in March.

Noted paleontologist
Dr. James Gallagher, noted paleontologist from the Trenton State Museum and author of the book, "When Dinosaurs Roamed New Jersey," will speak in depth for older dino aficionados.

A variety of other activities, from digging for dinosaur bones with the Garden State Discovery Museum, sponsored by EIRC, to decorating dino egg-shaped cookies, sponsored by the Girl Scouts, will take place along Kings Highway, Sellers said.

The Academy of Natural Sciences has promised to bring artifacts and maybe some live relatives of the dinosaurs. Tours will take visitors out to the Maple Avenue site where the historic Hadrosaurus foulkii fossil was unearthed in 1858, and visitors are also likely to get a glimpse of the new sculpture itself, which should be completed in its clay stage and ready to go for its casting in bronze.

'Save-a-Saurus'
Equity Bank plans to distribute "Save-a-Saurus" banks, so that children may begin saving "dimes and dollars for dinosaurs" in support of the HATCH project, said Sellers. Children returning their filled banks will receive passes entitling them to participate in many of the "Dino Day" activities for free.

Watch Hadrosaurus.com for further details on the bank program as well as other Dino Day activities for children as more details are firmed up.