Do you have a dino-hound on your hands? I remember when my daughter was five-year-old and was totally into dinosaurs. Now that Eve’s 10, she’s moved onto to other obsessions (thankfully not boys – yet), but like most kids, she’s still intrigued by these giants that once roamed all over Alberta. How lucky for us, TELUS Spark hosts the Canadian debut of Dinosaurs in Motion, a collision of science, art and engineering. And you could win free admission for your family to check it out!
Dinosaur Design
Made of recycled steel, 14 life-size sculptures (9 of which have connections to Alberta) have recently taken up residence throughout the science center. While they are a marvel to look at, the experience is totally hands-on. Each of these anatomically inspired prehistoric creatures can roar back to life through pulleys, levers and remote controls.
The experience at TELUS Spark
Truthfully, I didn’t expect Eve, nor the gaggle of pre-schoolers behind us to be so enthralled. They say learning through engagement is the best way to retain information, and if that’s true, I expect these tykes to become total physics geeks. With all the hands-on action, they were able to experience how levers and pulleys affect movement. And it’s a total family affair. It’s a bit of a challenge to get the 44-ft long T-Rex’s jaw moving, so this is where Mom and Dad’s can step in and apply a bit of muscle.
While the exhibit is geared for 8 to 12-year-olds, the younger set had a blast maneuvering all the mechanics to make these dinos move. Plus, there are several “work” stations with kinetic toys and fossil rubbings to occupy wee-ones between sculptures.
Home schooling and TELUS Spark
I could totally see home-schoolers being all over this, especially since these creatures hit all the STEAM (that’s science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) components that educators are focusing on these days. Layer on top of that the Alberta connection and non-homeschoolers (like me), might also feel proud for sussing out such an inspiring learning opportunity. If only Eve’s teacher read my blog, she would realize I’m not as slack of a parent as I appear.
Most importantly, “it’s so cool!” as Eve said repeatedly during our visit. And now that spring is officially here, you’ll also want to budget ample time for kids to burn off their energy outside in The Brainasium, a fantastic nature playground.
Calgary Dinosaurs in Motion information
Dinosaurs in Motion is a limited engagement exhibition at TELUS Spark. Admission is included with membership or general admission. Love how there’s no extra charge for this exhibit!
How to engage my g’kids in science?
Takethem to the Telus sparks center!!!
…haha… A trick question!!
We buy science kits from walmart and try different experiments. I also have been finding things on pinterest to try.
Congratulations, Marliane! You’ve won tickets for your family to see the dinos at Telus Spark! I’ll follow up with an email to let you know how to get your tickets. Thanks so much for commenting on and visiting Travels with Baggage!
We do a lot of science experiments – my kids have a few kits, but usually we do kitchen science based on youtube videos!
Youtube for the win! We’ve had a lot of fun trying things from there.
Evan loves science. We read science books and do science experiments at home.
We like to do a lot of experiments home last month was making slime
And this month we are growing sea creatures.
Wow! That sounds amazing!
We love experimenting with cause and effect.
Very cool!
My son is 7yrs old and he loves to read and build towers to roll down marbles. We also do small fun projects from WhizKidScience
I’ll have to check out WhizKidScience. I’d never heard of that before. Thank you so much for the rec!
From pop and mentos fun to making Tornado in a Bottle, ………… our family enjoys picking fun experiments to do as part of our family fun time.
Pop and Mentos? Now I know what I’m buying the next time I’m at the store! Thanks so much for the inspiration.
I’ve still never been to the Spark. I really must take the kids one day.
We love all the science kits at mastermind toys. Our girls also enter their school science fair each year (this years’ project – how an engine works!). My kitchen is constantly hosting weird experiments and I love watching them learn!
Books! Our son loves to explore the non-fiction section of the public library to find books on topics like dinosaurs, the solar system, fossils, archaeology and so on. It’s amazing how much he picks up and remembers and absorbs from our reading together!
My kids love to explore nature and do at home science experiments. Also I take the kids to see Telus spark and Beakerhead to spark their love of science and creativity whenever possible!
We “play” at our house to experience science. Sometimes it’s mixing ingredients in the kitchen to see what happens (oobleck, etc). Other times it’s getting outdoors to play with lenses and sunlight, hike and observe various elements of nature up close or…
Exploring the woods by our house is a great way to connect with nature and science for my little one. Letting bugs crawl on us and playing with mud are favourites. Lately she’s been into dinosaur books and toys so this would be a great prize. Thanks for the chance!
by seeing things grow outside, taking him to science centres, and nurturing his curiousity
Books. At 2, that’s all it takes to get her curious!
Fair enough!
I love the Chirp and Chickadee magazines – they have great ideas for science experiments…
We do science in our garden every spring…. from plants to worms to the growth of our vegetables! Doesn’t everyone love getting dirty??
Nevermind the kids, I still love dinosaur exhibits!
Looks like fun! Thanks for the update on a great YYC destination!
Slacker parent – I don’t think so. This actually sounds like a great exhibit and fun across the ages- teenagers excluded.
I engage my younger children through play. It’s amazing what they learn through a hands on approach. I’m trying to teach my older child to question what she learns. I find it important that she be able to think critically for herself as to why/how things happen. This is important with all the misinformation readily available through social media etc.
Dinos are such fascinating creatures. Or were I should say. I loe seeing the dino exhibits in museums.
Science is addictive when it’s hands on, just like learning history while traveling.
My kids are 7, 4 & 7 months. The big ones love science. We find experiments on the net and make them come to life in our kitchen or in our backyard. There really is nothing like hands on learning! “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is to not stop questioning” – Albert Einstein
Amazing, thanks for this – we’ll be traveling through Canada next month so will definitely stop by. I may have a 30 year old “child” traveling with me who is totally into dinosaurs still 😀
Hey, has anyone heard of “Kinetosaur”, the documentary about John Payne the man behind this exhibit? I highly recommend… My kids are super excited to see it they love science! What a wonderful caring man.
Hey, has anyone heard of “Kinetosaur”, the documentary about John Payne the man behind this exhibit? I highly recommend… My kids are super excited to see it they love science! What a wonderful caring man.