Dinosaurs at the Museum

The first place my kids always want to go when we visit the museum is the Dinosphere. The big flashy main attraction may be the T-Rex battle between two Tyrannosaurs and a Triceratops, but we have a special connection to Leonardo, the mummified dinosaur. Before ever visiting, he was the first thing we ever learned about what the Museum had to offer.

After reading up on Leonardo, we made our first visit and made a beeline past the giant croc, past the brilliant color changing sky above the battling dinos, past the sensory stations featuring fossils of various specimen and directly to the glass case displaying one of paleontology's greatest discoveries ever. I think my kids heard "mummy" and thought "Egyptian mummy." However, a dinosaur mummy couldn't be wrapped and artificially preserved, so we got to discuss how nature instead did the job of preserving Leonardo's skin, scales, tendons and even stomach contents for scientists to study today. 

After getting a good look behind the glass, we all moved on to the sensory stations to learn more about Leonardo. We found out about his diet, details of where he was found, and more about the process of natural mummification. While the kids were picking up all this information, I had to play the knowledgeable dad role and read the info panels much faster, so I could nod and say "I know, right?" and then provide a little more info when they shared their new wonder with me.

After an all-too-short visit, we headed home, to a waiting science fair project. And what does one do for a science fair project after seeing Leonardo the Mummified Dinosaur, but an epic presentation on mummified dinosaurs. Books and information were limited on other specimens, but through persistence and perseverance, we managed to find enough content to fill a complete tri-fold. Not only did the Dinosphere provide the inspiration for the project, but the excitement as well. And if my kids are excited and inspired when we walk out the doors of the Children's Museum, then I say mission accomplished! 

This post originally appeared on The Children's Museum of Indianapolis' blog. Take a look to see what amazing things are currently going on over at the worlds greatest children's museum!

Christmas Cookies

*This post originally appeared on The Children's Museum of Indianapolis' blog.


On our most recent visit to the Children's Museum, we stopped into the new Gingerbread Cafe' for a snack, and it got us in the mood for some of our traditional Christmas cookies. Every year, we gather around with cookies in hand and carols on the radio to decorate our Christmas tree. It's a tradition as old as our family, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. So this year, we converged around the table to build gingerbread reindeer cookies. They are pretty simple to assemble and easy to get little hands involved with. The ingredients are few, and the instructions very straightforward.

- Begin with gingerbread dough (we used store bought because kids love helping mix any dough, but that can get a little messy, and I like projects with less cleanup)
- You'll also need a small bag of RedHots (also called cinnamon imperials if you look in the generic section)
- Next, pick up mini pretzels (these will be used as reindeer antlers, so don't think you'll get away with using those huge soft pretzels from the mall)
- Finally, a small bag of chocolate baking chips will make up your cookie's eyes (and if my family is any indication, more than a few will also line your stomachs before the baking is done)

After you assemble the ingredients (and the help) you begin by forming the dough into a rough prism shape. Then simply slice the log into thin triangles, and let the help lay them out on a cookie sheet. Bake per the dough instructions, and when you pull them out, immediately begin pressing two mini pretzels into two corners for the "antlers" a red hot into the third corner for "Rudolph's nose", and two chocolate chips in the middle for the "eyes". If you have really little ones helping, you can remove the cookies to a cooling plate before building your reindeer. Rudolph's nose provides a little spice to compliment the sweet molasses flavor inherent in the gingerbread.

Let your reindeer cool while you do a second pan, and then it's time to get the munchies! I'm sure Santa won't mind if you eat one (or two or three) of his reindeer, just don't name them before biting off their tasty little noses!

'Tis the Season

This is our first December in Indy, and so it's our first Jolly Days at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. We went down to the museum on Black Friday to see Santa's big arrival, and got our first taste of the Yule slide, as well as our first taste of the new Gingerbread cafe. Mmmm, gingerbread....

I'm going to be honest with you, the cookies are my favorite part of every Christmas season.

Like many homes, December is full of traditions in our house. We like to kick off the holiday season by decorating our Christmas tree near the beginning of the month, and it just doesn't feel like the holidays until we have Christmas cookies to munch while we hang ornaments and listen to Bing Crosby, Burl Ives, and Nat King Cole sing our favorites. In fact, Bing and Bowie are singing their Drummer Boy duet as I type.

This year, Godzilla helped set up the tree. He's at that age where he's just enough help to be adorable while not being a hindrance to the process. We go with a fake tree for many reasons, so he got to help fluff the branches first, then took lessons in winding the lights up and around our tannenbaum. After fighting to find enough working strands of lights to fill the tree, it was ready for to get the full Christmas treatment, but as there are five of us, and Kate and I each work, time is limited. So we put off the day of decorating until the next weekend, when we could do the cookies and cocoa and carols.

New at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis: Me!

I'm so excited to be an ambassador for The Children's Museum. It is, honestly one of the coolest places for kids in the Midwest, and as someone who enjoys seeing my kids enjoy themselves, we spend a lot of time here. From the Dinosphere to the Playscape, the Chihuly sculpture to the rock wall, each of my kids is engaged on every visit.

I moved my family here from South Bend for a job in February, and the first thing I did to get my kids inspired about the move was call up The Children's Museum website and showed them what amazing things we would have access to after the move. On our first visit to look for a place to live, we took a few hours out of our day to scrape the surface of what TCM had to offer. The tease worked, and we had very little selling left to do as far as the kids were concerned.

"What amazing kids you must have" you might be saying. And you would be right.

My daughter, Nat, is 11. She loves the arts and is right at home playing "mom" to her two little brothers. When she sets her sights on something, you can count on her following through with unrelenting devotion to completing the task, if not to completing the steps she thinks will get her there. There is no denying her exploration of the world around her, and I would never dare to try.

My middle kid, Sean, 7, loves adventure. He’s at home in a cape, a tool belt, or a mud pit. Is there any more prototypical boy? He loves playing with trucks and dinosaurs or dressing up as a superhero. While his inner Indiana Jones is worn on his sleeve, his inner Einstein is seen in his eyes. Sean never tires of showing off his math skills, and will read books about science before just about any work of fiction.

Finally, there is my 2-year-old we affectionately call "Not-Sean" or "E". The Not-Sean name should be understood by any parent of more than one, and E is just a shortening of his actual name, because by the third kid, you barely have time to think, let alone pronounce your kid's full names. As a typical 2-year-old, E is the reason I drink coffee, but if there is one thing I can count on holding his attention long enough for me to do any simple task, it involves water. He will "wash" a sink full of dishes, or pour a river of water down the side of a tub. So if you every want to find us at the museum, check the water table in the Playscape first!

I've been married for a dozen years to my wonderful wife, and together we meet the daily challenges of raising a family. We love engaging their minds and watching them discover the world around them. Often, that adventure comes in the daily ups and downs of school runs, practices and such, but when we can break out of the routine and explore the different worlds places like the Children's Museum provide access to, that discovery is all the more enjoyable.

I have never wanted to miss any of my family’s adventures, so I started writing to keep the memories alive, because as they say: memories fade, but the internet is forever. The years have seen my family grow, and our experiences flourish. With the kids’ age difference, we get a taste of different stages all at the same time, and we get to enjoy the journey to discovery with each of them individually. 

I'm excited to share with you that journey and all the inspiration we find for it at The Children's Museum over the next six months. Just be sure to bring your poncho along for the ride, as inspiration this good is bound to get messy!






This post originally appeared on The Children's Museum of Indianapolis' blog. Take a look to see what amazing things are currently going on over at the worlds greatest children's museum!