Since 2011, the Ratón Pérez Collection has been organizing educational workshops for preschool and elementary school children, with the goal of introducing them to the fascinating world of dental research and anthropology, as well as promoting healthy oral hygiene habits.

Through the character of Ratón Pérez, young children discover the scientific value of teeth and learn—in an educational, interactive, and fun way—what teeth are like, what information they reveal about people, and how they help us understand our past. During the workshops, they also explore the differences between the teeth of modern humans and those of our ancestors, while learning the importance of taking care of their dental health.

These workshops, organized periodically in collaboration with various schools in Burgos, are the origin of the Ratón Pérez Collection itself. This pioneering initiative was created with the aim of sparking scientific curiosity from an early age and, since its inception, has brought together science, education, and outreach through a figure as familiar to children’s imaginations as Ratón Pérez.

These workshops originated as part of the “La ciudad también enseña” initiative launched by the Municipal Institute of Culture of the City of Burgos, in collaboration with the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT), and have continued over time thanks to the positive response from the schools that have participated in them, as well as the willingness and outreach capabilities of the CENIEH Dental Anthropology Group.