Cook's Nature Museum

COOK'S NATURAL SCIENCE MUSEUM

Over thirty years ago, John R. Cook, Sr., President and Chairman of the Board of Cook's Pest Control, Inc., began a collection of insects to assist in training technicians in his company. Cook’s Entomology and Related Science Course was offered to his technicians and required a 4-week, 160 hour involvement from everyone attending. The extensive nature of the collection began to attract the attention of the community and it developed into a a traveling exhibit in 1969. It was displayed as a community service throughout Alabama and the Southeast in malls, schools, libraries, and other public sites. As the collection continued to grow, Mr. Cook decided to house it in a permanent building. The Cook's Natural Science Museum opened in 1980 and continues to welcome over 30,000 visitors annually for free. It is a great reference library for identifying wildlife, minerals and insects. The exhibits include mounted birds and animals, rocks and minerals, seashells and corals all labeled with common and scientific names.

TEACHER ACTIVITIES

Throughout the many activities the teachers are going to be doing in the week-long field course, they will be exposed to wildlife, birds and other organisms that would be difficult to identify properly. This site is an excellent way to get the teachers to become familiar with the many birds, snakes, other animals, plants, insects, minerals, and rocks that they will encounter in many of the sites they are going to visit. They may take photos or notes that could help them remember the many displays.

The teachers will be able to observe closely the following displays of minerals and rocks and note the names of each type. They are going to be asked to classify them as igneous, metamorphic, or sedimentary and determine the differences among these types. They will be able to note the identification of the following:

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