Roars into Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose

Exhibit Utilizes New Research to Create Distinct Dinosaur Environments

Imagine a time millions of years ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice, the new exhibition sponsored by CEFCU, transports families back to the Cretaceous Period, where children and adults will come face to face with the prehistoric world and dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes and their habitats. The interactive exhibition opens Saturday, September 21, at Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose.

“We’re thrilled that children and families will be able to explore up close these magnificent animals that continue to captivate us to this day,” said Marilee Jennings, executive director of Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose. “This exhibit offers a unique and fascinating look at dinosaur environments compared to the many ordinary exhibits that just feature dinosaurs,” added Jennings.

The exhibit, created for children ages 3 – 10 by the Minnesota Children’s Museum, features two distinct environments and a variety of activities.  Children will step into the role of paleontologist at the Field Research Station, and uncover fossils with brushes and create drawings using fossil rubbings and tracings.

The steamy “Land of Fire” connects visitors with the prehistoric home of the Triceratops and T-Rex. Children can circle the land in insect costumes and buzz through a volcano with oozing lava. They can walk through a swampy bog and identify an ecosystem of animals and plants. No coats are needed for a trip across the “Land of Ice” where visitors meet two dinosaurs, a Troodon and Edmontosaurus, who made their homes in the cold climate of Alaska. Children can climb rocky steps, breeze down an icy slide, and hop across stepping stones in a frosty river.

Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice uses newer research about climates that identifies where dinosaurs were able to survive and thrive. The discovery of numerous species of dinosaurs in the Arctic is causing scientists to reconsider old theories about dinosaurs only living in tropical climates.  It is now known that many dinosaurs, including Edmontosaurus and Troodon, lived in cold weather climates for at least part of the year.

The exhibition was the first child-centered exhibit in the country dedicated to expanding the understanding of dinosaur habitat and range when it opened in 2010.

Hours: Open Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Tickets: $18 for adults and children; $16 for seniors; infants under one and members are free.

Purchase tickets @cdm.org.

THERE’s MORE in STORE ON THE 21ST!