Indy Children's Museum Part 2 OR Dinosaurs!!

Annnnnnd we're back at the Children's Museum! As observant readers have no doubt guessed, this week we're talking about dinosaurs. Specifically the rather neat exhibit at the museum.

Are you ready? Doesn't matter! We're doing it anyway!

Proof that dinosaurs laugh at your unpreparedness.

At some point, like many museums across the country, the Indy Children's Museum built an OmniDome, one of those enormous movie viewing experiences that projected movies (usually IMAX) on an enormous dome designed to fit one's field of vision.

What does that have to do with dinosaurs? Well the Children's Museum soon must have learned that a far greater pull than a large dome is long dead large reptile-bird-things.

Also this makes NO sense if it's a movie theater.

Thus we have the dinosaur environment created by the dome:

The theater light and sound part of me squealed a bit in joy.

The incredible projection screen now shows various colors to give a sense of a changing sky, and the incredible sound system provides rather realistic background noises, from roars to rain that made several people reach for umbrellas (no joke!).

Ch-ch-ch-changes!

The dinosaurs paused in their meal to admire the sunset...
...proving even carnivores have hearts.

The dome itself was filled with various casts of fossils, and not just the carnivores, which as everyone knows are the blockbusters of fossils.

This is more of a romantic comedy:
A solid earner and interesting, but only to about 50% of the people.

Obviously an animated feature.

What I really liked, though, were the extras around the fossils. It wasn't just bones and fake plants. There were caves children and small people could crawl through to look out of bubbles in the middle of the exhibit.

Photo credit: My lovely and much smaller wife.

Interactive exhibits taught us about what dinosaurs may have smelled like, eaten, etc.

Also very important lessons about science:
"Since fossils can't tell us [what they smelled like], we guessed."

They also went into various aspects of the paleontological process like putting casts of skulls together.

Recommended age for this jigsaw:
25+ with at least one Phd.

Paleontologists and bachelors: The largest users of microwaves.

Despite the serious nature of the paleontologists currently working there...

Yes: Actually paleontologists doing actual work.
...and trying really hard to look serious.

...The were also willing to have fun with things.

Riddle me this, Batman?!?

As exemplified by their possible answers:

This theory brought to you by ABC and early '90s sitcoms.

Overall, it was quite an enjoyable exhibit. There were also several interactive exhibits, including one where children could put on a tail and gloves to see what it would be like to move eggs around as dinosaurs.

(I would show pictures of that, but the only ones I have are of my rock drummer brother-in-law in the getup, and I'm holding those for possible blackmail.)

But I will leave you with this final piece of awesomeness:

The Indianapolis Children's Museum is the only children's museum who got to name a new dinosaur species. And their choice made the geek in me proud.

Yes. THAT Hogwarts.

Until next week, stay fascinated!