Elizabeth
and I have tried to instill in Elliot (and now Eleanor) a love of nature and
science. One of the ways we have been able to do this rather easily is by
visiting the Greensboro Science Center as much as possible.
The Science Center opened in
1957, and has grown over the years to include a pretty neat little zoo, an aquarium
complete with penguins and an octopus, and a rotating group of exhibits
covering a wide range of science and nature topics. A National Historic Battlefield Park
surrounds the center, and there are times where you can walk the trails and
suddenly hear the roar of a tiger (not something you’d expect to hear in the
woods of North Carolina). The newest exhibit opened
up at the end of last year and was a big favorite of Elliot’s when we visited
yesterday.
Realm of Dragons is a housed in a
newly renovated wing of the center. Here’s
what it used to look like:
 |
| "I've got a big head, and little arms!" |
And
here’s what it is today:
Its
first attraction is Komodo dragon named Drogo (the nerd in me appreciated
this). What surprised me most about Drogo was how fast he was. So many
animals in these kinds of exhibits end up sitting in a corner or moving slowly
if they do move at all. Not Drogo. The nearly 8 foot animal sprints
from one part of his enclosure to another. It makes me rethink my travel
plans to the island of Komono, where over 2,000 of Drogo's brothers and sisters
live...
 |
| Khal Drogo... |
The exhibit
continues on to feature huge dinosaur statues, and attempts to make connections
between animals of today and their prehistoric brethren. The connections may be lost on Elliot, but he
still thinks it’s pretty cool to run around and point out his favorite dinos
(T. Rex has captured his imagination in a way few other things have, despite my
efforts to get him on to Team Triceratops).
It
must be hardwired in our collective consciousness so that when we are little,
we can’t help but think that dinosaurs are cool. I know that Elizabeth and I
caught the bug (we still have it) and Elliot absolutely has been bitten by the
bug as well. I don’t know when they teach it, but he, like every other kid in
his classroom, knows that all the dinosaurs say “ROAR!” and shows this skill
off whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Eleanor makes her know growling
sounds, so I’m so sure her love of these prehistoric behemoths is on its way.
It is really convenient that we have this little gem of a
museum/zoo/aquarium right here in the city. Sure, it’s not the
Smithsonian, but it’s just enough to keep the kiddos (and us) entertained for
an afternoon. We have season passes, which means that we can
take a short trip up there like we did yesterday and not feel like we have to
see everything. If the kiddos just want to see
the penguins or the sharks or the wallabies or, of course, the dinosaurs, and
then duck out that’s great, we don’t feel like we wasted the money or our day.
I saw a birthday
party going on up there yesterday, and I’m excited to have some of Elliot and
Eleanor’s celebrations up there as well. It’s wonderful to watch their
imaginations grow and get inspired by learning, and Elizabeth and I hope to
surround them with that kind of environment.
We just can’t
fit the dinosaurs in our home, so for now, we’ll have to go to the Science
Center to see them.
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