THE Yorkshire Museum, York, is inviting families to expand their horizons on a journey into forgotten worlds this Easter in a fortnight of fun-filled activities.

These will run from Saturday, April 3 until Sunday, April 18 from 10am to 4pm daily and will give children the chance to uncover the world of rocks, minerals and fossils.

Children will be able to handle real fossils and become a scientist for the day to imagine how creatures lived millions of years ago.

Young visitors can admire the skill of William Smith's first geological map, which changed the world in the 19th century, and they can discover which rocks may lay beneath their own homes.

Furthermore, they can discover the world of the moa, the giant bird from New Zealand, which was driven to extinction by human carelessness. Children are invited to help to create a replica-model moa between April 7 and 14 and to work with the artistic team from York Art Gallery to create the moa's forest home.

Admission to the Yorkshire Museum is £4 for adults, £3.50 for concessions, £2.50 for children or £9 for a family ticket (two adults and one child). Joint tickets for the Yorkshire Museum, York Castle Museum and York Art Gallery are also available. Free for York Card holders.

Updated: 08:53 Friday, April 02, 2004