It was a little windy but boy it felt great to escape the house and go on a family outing!
If you are anything like me, you have a dinosaur lover in your family. A little boy whose eyes light up when he gets to talk about dinosaurs and what they probably ate, how they behaved, and how to pronounce those huge but very cool names. I’ve got a couple dino enthusiasts in my family, so when we found out about the traveling Discover the Dinosaurs exhibit, we decided to visit.
I was in Fort Smith recovering after my surgery, and the exhibit seemed like a great chance to get out of the house for the first time in a week. It was also nice to treat the whole family to something fun since they had been so good while I was recuperating. And Adam’s birthday provided the final excuse to head out for some dino fun!
Quite possibly my kids' favorite of all dinosaurs - the fabulous T-Rex
There were a lot of dinosaur replicas in the exhibit. The kids loved being able to walk right up to them, touch them, and measure themselves against the dinosaurs to get a feel for the true size.
"This dinosaur is shorter than I am!"
Almost all the exhibits and displays had signs that identified the dinosaurs and gave some tidbits of information. From a Christian perspective, the millions and millions of years were something to contend with but easily left out of the conversation with the littles.
We used the signs for names, fossil find locations, pushing the buttons to make the dinosaurs move, but not for dates.
The moving displays were a huge hit! Especially since many of them had buttons that the kids could push to activate the movement.
Another great moving exhibit. This Sauropod was one of my favorites.
Those displays were roped off and couldn’t be touched, but being able to make the dinosaur move? Hello!
The chance to get hands on with our science discussions was great!
I liked this table with the different dinosaur heads. It created an interesting conversation about the types of mouths that animals have, and what each one is uniquely suited for.
Such intense concentration - I love it.
With the regular admission pass was access to the Dino Dig, which was a huge hit. Sandboxes with “dinosaur fossils” buried in the sand allowed the kids the brush away the sand and uncover the fossils. Evan says he thinks that would be a cool job.
Even Adam could enjoy the Dino Dig. "Cheese!" Happy Birthday, ACE!
Also part of the admission ticket is the scavenger hunt card which the kids could turn in for a little prize at the end of the tour through. The Dino Den was a little run and play area for the kids, similar to a mall playland, but with dinosaurs to climb on instead. And the kids liked the coloring area where they each got to color a dinosaur coloring sheet of their choice.
Getting hands on with the dinosaurs is perfect for kids. And dads. (aka big kids)
The other attractions, like riding the dinosaur, or mining for gemstones, were extra. And wisely enough, we had to walk through the gift store and past all the paid stuff to get to the Dino Dig area. Smart, smart exhibit people.
This area was a little noisy but everyone had a lot of fun.
I wish the music and ambient dinosaur noises had been just a little bit quieter in the exhibit areas. It was a little hard at times to have a conversation with the kids or talk to them about what we were seeing once they began to spread out and explore. But all in all the kids had a great time, and enjoyed the chance to see some dinosaurs that they wouldn’t otherwise have.
The Dino Dig - definitely one of the little kids favorite hands on activity
My kids were already in Fort Smith visiting Grammy and Papa’s house while I was recovering from surgery, and the timing was perfect for us. Living in a rural area means we love to take advantage of opportunities like this when they come by so our kids can enjoy exploring science in a hands-on way.
The Dino Den where the little guys could run and climb.
Discover the Dinosaurs travels across the United States and has more than 2 dozen stops planned for 2012 alone. I love that you don’t necessarily have to live near a museum to enjoy these replicas. Check out the list of their upcoming stops and follow them on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
It's impossible not to smile when you're this close to a dinosaur.
Do your kids love dinosaurs as much as mine do?
Note: I was given tickets for my family to explore Discover the Dinosaurs, but we paid for my siblings and parents to get in. No monetary compensation was provided and all opinions are my own.
What a FUN place for kids! I love to combine entertainment with education.
It was super fun – if they come by your area you should check it out. This is their first year so I think they’ll have even more stops next year.
We saw that and really wanted to drive down, but the baby has gotten a bit sensitive to scary things lately, in spite of (or because of?) the boys being scary things themselves 😛 Was it intense at all for little guys?
Looks like you had fun! I love how interactive the exhibit was and how much the kids were able to be hands on. My kids would love that!
That place looks like so much fun. My youngest loves dinosaurs and would get such a kick out of those moving ones.
Fun and learning mixed into a great day spent together! Love it, especially as the Mom of 3 boys.
So cool! This may be worth a road trip for us. The girls are obsessed with dinosaurs and i know they would get a kick out of it, especially seeing the different sizes.