P's in a Pod: A Dino Adventure

I had the fortunate chance of taking the kids for a trip over to Victoria to see the Dinosaurs Exhibit at the Royal BC Museum this past weekend. I LOVE this museum and think we are so fortunate to have such a marvelous facility to visit.

We went with my cousin and her son, Aidan, and boy, did the kids enjoy themselves. I was quite taken right away by the welcome at the front door of the huge display statue... the kids ran after a stray seagull. But once inside, the fun began. We followed some dino-sized prints all the way up the escalators to the special exhibit. There were huge models and bones displayed, from the brontosaurus to the stegosaurus. The kids were able to poke their fingers into select displays and feel the fossilized dinosaur bones. They were most taken by the mechanical model of a walking dinosaur. Brea exclaimed as she ran up - "look Mommy! That dinosaur is on an exerciser!".

We visited most of the permanent exhibits as well. Old Town is an especially favourite of mine. The kids enjoyed walking the cobbled streets and we spent a bit waiting for the train to arrive in Port Moody Station. My cousin and I had a blast showing the children some of the "artifacts" we grew up with. We had a laugh at the changes in cell phone technology - they had a honking huge one there - it looked ghastly when she held her iphone next to it. Aidan couldn't believe we ever used something like that. Brea was taken by the My Little Ponies and wanted to know if I had any still that she could play with. Finally, there was the Wooly Mammoth. Aidan ran up to the diorama and climbed onto the rocks to touch the waterfall. The guides there didn't seem to mind. "Brrrr... I'm so cold now!" he said. Brea reached for a feel and also shivered. My cousin and I looked at each other smiling at their wild imagination. Mr. Me Too (aka. Rhys) at this point also wanted to take part so I lifted him up. As I reached with him, I realized it was REAL ice in the display, the whole wall filled with icicles and a frozen waterfall was real! When I inquired, it turns out they have a giant freezer behind that wall that keeps the water frozen and they didn't mind kids touching it because they always get a kick out of the parents who all think the kids are making it up until they touch it too.

It was a great weekend... mostly... you'll have to wait until the next post to get to the real fun that followed .