Español
As parents, we are always looking for engaging activities with an educational angle for the kids, right? So when my boys and I recently visited The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and had so much fun, I wanted to share about it.
We were on our way to see the museum’s fantastic special exhibit on Pterosaurs, but even as we made our way through the museum’s galleries on our way to the Pterosaurs, we had so much fun.
First, we stopped in a room called the Nature Lab. It had real scientists doing real work for the kids to see. The scientists were looking through microscopes and separating insects collected for the research. My kids watched as a real-time image of the microscope’s view was projected on the wall. The kids were able to ask the researchers questions about what they were doing.
In the same room, the boys explored exhibits of native plants, butterflies, birds, and other animals. They smelled plants, watched rats, observed insects. We spent quite awhile in that Nature Lab and the boys were engaged with it all.
Dino Fest
Next, we made our way through halls of prehistoric giants like the T-Rex in the above photo. The museum has an impressive collection of dinosaur fossils and exhibits. I have to say there’s nothing that says big quite like comparing the size of your own head to the teeth of a T-Rex.
In fact, I wanted to mention, before I forget, that this weekend, Sept 23rd-24th, 2016, is the perfect time to go because it’s Dino Fest. Dino Fest is a celebration of all things dinosaur, with world-renowned paleontologists and special events in the lab, in the collections, in the field, and in pop culture.
Pterosaurs
After making our way through most of the museum’s galleries, we made it to the Pterosaurs, which was the reason for our trip in the first place. If you go soon, you can still see this spectacular special exhibition, too. It’s wonderful. Find out about flight in the age of dinosaurs, see life-sized replicas, try interactive flight simulators, learn about pterosaur discoveries, and see how something the size of an F-16 fighter could take off without jet engines. But get there soon because it is scheduled to end October 2nd.
Be sure to reserve timed tickets to secure your entry at a specific time and skip the line.
Enjoy!
Thank you to the Natural History Museum for admission to the museum to facilitate this post.
- Ponche Fruit Atole Recipe - March 3, 2023
- Quince Agua Fresca - November 21, 2022
- Yes, I’m Silvia Martinez, Winner of The Great American Recipe. Yay! - July 11, 2022
