Long Island Children’s Museum’s new “dino-tastic” exhibit, Age of the Dinosaurs, is a hit with children and parents alike. Since opening January 22, visitors are having a roaring good time stepping back in time to explore the animatronic prehistoric creatures that look, move and make sounds as they did when they roamed the earth thousands of years ago. The exhibit will be in residence through May 29, 2022.
As visitors step back into the Mesozoic era, they’ll view dinosaurs in their natural habitats, complete with scenic backgrounds, plants and ground cover as they:
- Hear two Protoceratops in 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.
“We’re excited to bring ‘Age of the Dinosaurs’ to LICM visitors,” says LICM Director of Education Aimee Terzulli. “Dinosaurs are fascinating teaching objects as children learn to compare and contrast size and shapes, consider concepts of time and build vocabulary as they learn complex names.” Additionally, she notes that a child’s fascination with dinosaurs is often the starting point for individual interests and hobbies. “It’s an opportunity for children to become experts and share knowledge with the grownups around them.”
While seeing and hearing these animatronic wonders is exciting, the exhibit also offers the interactive components that LICM visitors expect. Age of the Dinosaurs offers visitors 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.
Special Addition
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.
Public Programming
LICM will offer free public programs to complement the exhibit experience throughout its run, including:
- Dining Dinos (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.
Dinosaurs went extinct 66 million years ago, but LICM is bringing them back to life for your enjoyment with Age of the Dinosaurs through May 29, 2022.
New Winter Hours: 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. 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.
