Royal Ontario Museum Blog
Monthly Archive: December
Judging a Book By Its Cover: ROM Images in print
![912.1.24 <i>Half Breeds Travelling</i> (oil on canvas), 1849-1856 by Paul Kane An oil painting by Paul Kane depiciting Plains Métis travelling](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/rom2010_11471_6_0.jpg?itok=ZdCf-LhS)
The LEGO Maya Pyramid that 5000 kids built
![The LEGO Maya Pyramid that 5000 kids built The LEGO Maya Pyramid that 5000 kids built](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/aprilpyr.jpg?itok=OsXtSXyG)
For our March Break programming this year I wanted to mark the 50th anniversary of the excavation of an incredible ancient Maya site - Altun Ha, Belize
Hands on in the Archaeology Lab at University of California, Merced
![Kay Sunahara leading ceramic petrology workshop at UC Merced. Kay Sunahara leading ceramic petrology workshop at University of California-Merced, Dept. of Anthropology](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/sunahara_cali4_1.jpg?itok=7V9l11J0)
Kay Sunahara introduced students to the study of archaeological ceramics using petrographic analysis.
A bird in the hand... by Mark Peck, Ornithology Technician, ROM Biodiversity
![A bird in the hand... by Mark Peck A bird in the hand... by Mark Peck](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/mark_flap.jpg?itok=fQ6Vj6mg)
Every year, thousands of migrating birds encounter urban environments on their way to breeding or feeding grounds. Birds mistake the reflection in buildings for habitat during the day, and are attracted to light at night - both situations cause an estimated 1 million bird deaths per year in Toronto alone.
Bring on the Welcoming Committee: Doni the Komodo Dragon is Here
![Here's Doni! A close-up of the Komodo Dragon in the Life in Crisis: Schad Gallery of Biodiversity](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/dsc04662.jpg?itok=vO5y0y42)
It's taken over a year to get this specimen ready, but the newest addition for the Schad Gallery was worth the wait.
Better than Saturday morning cartoons
![One-year-old Peter One-year-old Peter](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/letsrom_blog.jpg?itok=TMA7j0xJ)
One-year-old Peter likes looking at the paper with his parents on Saturday mornings (or better yet, ripping it apart, says his dad). This past weekend he went straight for the latest copy of Let’s ROM and started flipping through it with a look of intense concentration on his face. The ROM’s March Break offerings (and the chance to meet dino mascots Gertie and Gordo) must have appealed to Peter and he wasn’t alone; the Museum welcomed 66,006 visitors—a March break attendance record— this past week for its special interactive programming.
Komodo Dragon Preparation, Step 3: Cleaning and Articulating the Bones
![Removing the last of the tissue from the Komodo Dragon skull A volunteer cleans the remaining tissue from the Komodo Dragon skull](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/dsc02458.jpg?itok=TS4aODN0)
The final stages of preparing Doni, the Komodo Dragon for display
Travels in India, part 5
Senior Preparator, Bob Walsh was asked to give a talk on his specialty, exhibit lighting design, by the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, India.
Travels in India, part 4
Senior Preparator, Bob Walsh was asked to give a talk on his specialty, exhibit lighting design, by the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, India.
Travels in India, part 3
![In the Old City of Ahmedabad In the Old City of Ahmedabad](https://www.rom.on.ca/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/blog_post/thumbnail/p1100971.jpg?itok=DHSlNNNl)
Senior Preparator, Bob Walsh was asked to give a talk on his specialty, exhibit lighting design, by the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, India.