Taking the Kids: Calling all dino lovers

If you are looking for an outdoor experience, do what Colorado families do and head to Dinosaur Ridge just west of Denver where you can follow a trail with hundreds of dinosaur tracks. (There are also online activities.)

Another good bet: Dinosaur National Monument on the border between Colorado and Utah (at the confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers) where you can still see some 1,500 bones still encased in the rock at the Dinosaur Quarry Exhibit Hall and hike the Fossil Discovery Trail. We visited pre-pandemic, and the region is known as “Dinosaurland” because of all the dinosaur fossils that have been discovered there.

“Dinosaurs represent a fantastic way to connect with kids and get them interested in science and nature at a young age,” said Dr. Frederic Bertley, CEO and president of COSI, the Center of Science and Industry in Columbus, where a unique collaboration between the American Museum of Natural History and COSI focuses on the latest scientific findings about the evolution of dinosaurs.

While COSI remains closed, visitors can take a 360 virtual tour of the Dinosaur Gallery. “The pandemic catalyzed more opportunities for us as an industry to engage people around the globe in new and creative ways regardless of geographic location,” Dr. Bertley explained.

The American Museum of Natural History in New York City is open with COVID-19 protocols (the famed dinosaur halls have long been a must-see). The museum’s online offerings also are a great bet for young dino lovers, including Ology, a science website for kids, and the chance for a virtual tour of the museum’s dinosaur galleries and other iconic exhibits with the free Explorer App.

Denver Museum educator Jennifer Ross Logan noted that families can also look to science museums’ social media pages, which include mini presentations from scientists.

If you can’t visit the Field Museum, learn more about the museum’s dinosaurs from home; Join Field scientists and SUE the T. Rex online for SUE Science Saturdays.

Check out the dinosaurs under the Big Sky virtual tour and activities at the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana. The museum is a center for active research as fossils have been found across much of Montana and many are on display, including numerous dinosaur eggs and babies.

Because of the pandemic, observed COSI’s Dr. Bertley, “people have a new and different appreciation for the different ways they can have museum experiences.”

And that’s a good thing for sure.

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(For more Taking the Kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and also follow TakingTheKids on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments. The Kid’s Guide to Philadelphia, the 13th in the kid’s guide series, was published in 2020, with The Kid’s Guide to Camping coming in 2021.)