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Preschoolers (ages 3-4) get a close-up look at the new dinosaur exhibit at the Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center. Jung Woo Park, left, Kieleah Hill, Kalen Kurahashi Takenaka and Ooji Givens sit underneath one of the dinosaur models, an Edmontosaurus (duck-billed dinosaur).
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Families will be transported back in time as "Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice," an interactive exhibit, opens at the Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center.
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LAND BEFORE TIME
“Dinosaurs: Land of Fire and Ice"
>> Hours: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays to Fridays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, through Dec. 16
>> Where: Hawaii Children’s Discovery Center, 111 Ohe St.
>> Admission: Cost is $10, $8 military and kamaaina; children under 12 months old are free.
>> Info: Visit www.discoverycenterhawaii.org or call 524-5437.
>> Extras: During this exhibit, visitors can schedule dinosaur-themed birthday parties, with activities such as volcano-making and fossil excavation.
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The exhibit, which focuses on the Cretaceous Period (145 million to 65 million years ago), is designed for children ages 3 to 10, but Liane Usher, president of the Discovery Center, said, "it will be appealing to kids of all ages."
The exhibit is divided into two environments: The "Land of Fire" introduces visitors to the prehistoric home of the Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus Rex. Children can explore the land in insect costumes, travel through a volcano with oozing lava and walk through a swampy bog to identify an ecosystem of animals and plants. The "Land of Ice," which houses a Troodon and Edmontosaurus, two dinosaurs that lived in Alaska, lets kids climb rocky steps, experience an icy slide and hop across steppingstones in a frosty river.
"Our goal is to teach kids about science, natural history and paleontology. We want to largely focus on getting children excited about science," Usher said.
"The unique feature of this particular exhibit is that all of the components are fully touchable. You can see what dinosaurs may have felt like. It allows families an opportunity to explore and investigate."
Kids can even climb on some of the dinosaurs, she added. "Science is a challenge. We are taking a popular theme and sneaking in the educational components."
