MIDLAND, MICHIGAN, NITED STATES, April 29, 2015 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Where’s the family heading for vacation this summer? The usual places, like theme parks or amusement parks? You can go, stand in lines, and come back with a stuffed animal or sunburn, or both. But what if, on this year’s family vacation, you had the chance to go back 50 million years for a vacation that’s not just an endless round of buying tickets, eating overpriced food and purchasing expensive souvenirs to prove that you were there?

Did you know that there are other options for spending time with your family, and if you’re looking for a way to learn more about fossils, there’s a crowdfunding project that’s bound to attract your attention. The world that we live in now was very different millions of years ago. We all know that. We’ve seen the museum exhibits and the movies. But this summer, what if you can do more than just wait for Jurassic World to open in theatres? Joseph “PaleoJoe” Kchodl knows that families are always looking for things to do together, and he has a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign that’s perfectly tailored to entertain, teach, and avoid long lines. He’s seeking to raise $2000 by May 23 in order to produce Fossils Across America, a video series that highlights locations where people can go to dig fossils and keep almost everything that they find. Doesn’t that sound a lot more meaningful than a stuffed Mickey or Shamu? Film and video are a great passport preview for the exciting opportunities that await families who are looking for something that equals quality time for everyone.

Fifty million years ago, the United States was more than a vacation destination to Disney World, Busch Gardens, Sea World and Cedar Point. The second video in the PaleoJoe series, Fossil Fish of the Lost Lake, will lure fossil hunters to southwest Wyoming where they can learn about a time when the unique conditions of the region created an environment that gives the term Magic Kingdom an entirely new meaning. There was a lake where prehistoric fish were able to thrive. The lake dried up, time moved on, but after the marine life lost its battle with nature, beautifully preserved fossil fish were left behind. Most of the specimens are yours to keep unless you find a rare species that will remain with the local museums. Imagine a place where you can enjoy the majesty of the untamed Wyoming wilderness while exploring a sample of prehistoric life.

PaleoJoe understands the allure of fossils. He began collecting at a young age, when he was a young boy living in the Niagara Falls area, a region that’s rich in fossils. He donated his collection of marine invertebrates to the Schoelkopf Geological Museum. Later, after his military service ended, he began to specialize in collecting Trilobites, the ancient salt water creatures that used to thrive when tropical seas covered Michigan, Ohio, and New York.

He’s used his degree in education to expand his dinosaur boundaries, teaching classes on fossils in many elementary and middle schools after moving to Midland, Michigan in 1993. His fossil exposition Trilobite Treasures: Arthropods of the Ancient Seas evolved from a small collection into a traveling museum exhibition currently touring the United States. This exhibit, the largest and most comprehensive exhibit on the Paleozoic's renowned ancient creatures, contains more than 200 actual specimens and artifacts. He has collected fossils not only in Michigan and New York, but also in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Alabama, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, Ontario, Canada and the Czech Republic.

PaleoJoe’s expertise and ease make him the perfect host for a family trip back in time. His children’s books reflect his knowledge of the subject as well as his understanding of children. PaleoJoe’s Dinosaur Detective Club series begins with The Disappearance of Dinosaur Sue, the first of what will be a 16-book series for children in grades two through six. The main characters are two students who help PaleoJoe solve prehistoric mysteries while keeping him out of trouble. The title of each book is based on a different prehistoric creature. Dinosaurs are a great way to encourage reading in children. He’s also written books for adults including A Pictorial Guide to North American Trilobites (published as a companion guide to his Trilobite exhibit) and A Complete Guide to Michigan Fossils.

Travel back 50 million years with PaleoJoe and find out what you’ve been missing in family fun.

About Fossils Across America:

Award-winning paleontologist Joseph Paleo Joe Kchodl (www.paleojoe.com), a real-life dinosaur digger, is also a storyteller and a children’s book author. He shares his knowledge and love of prehistoric life with children through his school visits across the United States and the summer reading programs that he presents at public libraries. A developer and curator for three traveling natural history museum exhibits, PaleoJoe imparts the mystery of prehistory to fossil fans of all ages.

Joseph PaleoJoe
PaleoJoe
www.paleojoe.com
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