LEARN ABOUT FOSSILS AND PALEONTOLOGY WITH THE LAUNCH OF A NEW VIDEO SERIES

EARTH STORIES", Initial Title In The Launch Paleontology", Takes Viewers On A Fun-Filled, Fossil-Finding Adventure. Available Direct-to-Video September 16, 2003 from Mazon Productions.

Northbrook, Illinois (PRWEB) September 3, 2003 -- With the guidance of a computer-animated rock hammer named CHIP, children learn about fossils, paleontology and the history of our planet in the new, adventure-filled, Earth Stories, which launches direct-to-video September 16 with the initial title in the series, Paleontology." Produced by Mazon Productions, best-known for their multi-award-winning video programs, I Dig Fossils" and Astronomy 101," each 30-minute video in the Earth Stories series will be available at a suggested retail price of $19.95 and is recommended for ages 5-9.

Filled with humor and loaded with fascinating facts, the computer-animated and live-action learning adventure, Paleontology" introduces the rather flexible" and amusing CHIP as he helps young viewers understand the basics of paleontology and fossil collection, and answers such questions as:

• what exactly is paleontology?
• what are fossils and how are they created?
• what are Geologic columns?
• what kinds of tools are needed for fossil-finding?       

First, a fun visit to the Paleontology Lab where a magic display board mysteriously helps CHIP present basic terminology and concepts while colorful 3-D animation clearly illustrates information about how scientists read the layers of the earth to keep fossils in some kind of order. Then tag along to two real fossil digs in Argentina and Illinois, where paleontologists discover fossils hundreds of millions of years old.

In a barren moon-like region of Argentina, CHIP narrates the expedition as scientists and volunteers search for, find and preserve fossils from the Triassic Period some 245 million years ago. In the Mazon Creek area of Illinois, amateur paleontologists dig up hidden treasures from the Carboniferous Period 320 million years ago. CHIP explains how these fossils come to be hidden inside spherical rocks called concretions. Then young viewers are shown how to break these concretions open (freeze the concretions, then plunge into boiling hot water), followed by a montage of Mazon Creek fossils. Credits list resources and links for kids to find out more about paleontology and fossils.

Earth Stories videos are produced by Scott Doniger, for Mazon Productions, a company he founded in 1994 to produce science oriented programming for elementary ages. Future topics in the Earth Stories series include Volcanoes, Geology and additional volumes of Paleontology to be released in 2004. Earth Stories is animated by Doug Aberle of Aberle Films, who, before creating his own company, spent 18 years at the Will Vinton Studios working on claymation projects, including the Emmy® Award-winning program for CBS A Claymation Christmas Special."

To order Paleontology" please call toll free 1-800-332-4344 or visit www.earthstories.net.

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