We are huge dinosaur fans in my house and whenever a new dino-themed exhibit comes to the Long Island Children’s Museum, we always want to go. This new exhibit, called Age of the Dinosaurs, will be exhibited until May 29, 2022. The exhibit features animatronic prehistoric creatures that look, move and make sounds as they did when they roamed the earth. We got the chance to check it out recently and found it the perfect compliment to this fun, child-centric museum.
It features dinosaurs from the Mesozoic era and kids will love seeing the dinosaurs in their natural habitats, complete with scenic backgrounds and plants.
These are the highlights:
- Kids will hear two Protoceratops from Asia roar in joy while their eggs hatch.
- Stand beneath a ferocious Tyrannosaurus rex as it lowers its head to attack.
- Watch a long-necked Apatosaurus and long-frilled Chasmosaurus roaming North America with their young.
- Gaze up at a coastal Pteranodon soaring over a leisurely Stegosaurus looking for plants to eat.
- Witness dinosaur family ties interactions – from parental care and herds, to predation.
There were several interactive stations that kids will love engaging with. Vsitors the chance to operate an animatronic T. rex using a remote control, discover fossils while digging through the sand and create their own fossil rubbings. In addition, exhibit guests can listen to different dinosaur sounds and take a photograph riding a Triceratops or inside the deadly jaws of a T. Rex.
In the lobby, visitors will be able to view the cast of a juvenile Apatosaurus fossil found more than 80 years ago in Oklahoma in the Museum’s lobby. The cast is one of 20 created by the staff at The Sam Noble Museum at the University of Oklahoma and shared with researchers across the country. Paleontologist Michael D’Emic, Ph.D. (Associate Professor, Biology, Adelphi University), research assistant Steve Finch and LICM STEM Initiatives Program Director Claire D’Emic have been working on reconstructing a three feet tall and 10-foot long dinosaur for display during the exhibit’s stay at the Children’s Museum. After LICM, the cast will be used for teaching and research at Adelphi University.
Our Thoughts: While this is definitely aimed for kids under 10, my 11 year old and 14 year old loved seeing it (they are serious dinosaur fans). It was engaging and definitely worth your time.
Upcoming Special Activities at LICM
LICM will continue to offer free public programs to complement the exhibit experience throughout its run, including:
- Dining Dinos (Sunday, February 27, and Sunday, March 27 from noon to 2 p.m.) – create your own hungry dinosaur with a movable mandible.
- Jurassic Jars (Sunday, February 13 from noon to 2 p.m.) – make a light-up jar with a prehistoric landscape, complete with some very special dinosaur friends.
- Fascinating Fossil (Sunday, February 20 from noon to 2 p.m.) – mold a clay fossil impression.
- Over the Top Triceratops Puppet (Monday, February 21 through Friday, February 25 from noon to 2 p.m.) – design your own hand puppet of this most recognizable dinosaur, complete with its unique frill and three horns.
- Ponder with a Paleontologist (Saturday, February 26 from noon to 2 p.m.) – Meet paleontologist Dr. Mike D’Emic as he explains his job and why he made a career out of dinosaurs.
- Musical Dino Shakers (Sunday, March 6 from noon-2 p.m.) – Stomp on in to make a brightly colored musical brachiosaurus shaker to take home.
- Happy Hatchlings (Sunday, March 13 from noon-2 p.m.)- Come make a hatching baby dinosaur to take home.
Winter Hours: (Beginning January 22, 2022): Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The first hour of every day (10-11 a.m.) is reserved for LICM members only.
All activities will be held at the Long Island Children’s Museum, 11 Davis Avenue, Garden City, NY. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Masks must be worn.
Museum admission: $15 for adults and children over 1 year old, $14 for seniors, FREE to museum members and children under 1 year old. Additional fees for theater and special programs may apply. For additional information, contact 516-224-5800.
About the Long Island Children’s Museum
The mission of Long Island Children’s Museum is to connect all our communities’ children, and those who care for them, to a life of wonder, imagination and exploration. At LICM, children discover their passions and their relationship to the world we share. The 40,000-square-foot museum welcomes nearly 275,000 children annually. The private, not-for-profit institution chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, offers museum-based educational programs and cultural experiences, as well as an extensive community outreach program offered in schools, libraries and youth centers across Long Island. The Museum is the recipient of the 2012 National Medal for Museum & Library Service, the highest honor conferred on museums for extraordinary civic, educational, economic, environmental, and social contributions.
Long Island Children’s Museum
11 Davis Ave.
Garden City, NY 11530
We were not paid for this post, but were given complimentary admission.
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