Lanzhousaurus magnidenson show at the HK Science Museum.
It
was with some excitement that we set off bright and early one Sunday
morning to join the queue outside the Hong Kong Science Museum.
A large number of families and groups were waiting for the doors to open so we could go "see the dinosaurs", as our two-year-old succinctly put it.
He seemed to think he was about to enter a real-life Jurassic Park, complete with petting zoo and perhaps the occasional baby dinosaur to feed.
To be fair, the giant robotic dinosaurs at the entrance to the Legends of the Giant Dinosaurs did little to dispel his misconception. Amazed at first by their sheer size and realistic look, our three children jumped as the models moved.
This exhibition did not disappoint. The first part was made up of moving models and the children's favourites were found here, including the infamous Tyrannosaurus rex.
The exhibit was interactive and partly hands-on. The children found out what a brachiosaurus stomach would have felt like, and touched fossilised Euoplocephalus dung.
This alone would definitely gain our eldest son some street cred in the school playground. As he said, it doesn't get much cooler than touching "dinosaur poo" that is millions of years old.
The mechanical exhibits were also entertaining. At one point, our five-year-old daughter chatted away to an Oviraptor in much the same way she talks to her soft toys.
Designed with children in mind, the information with each exhibit is concise and interesting. Our seven-year-old was able to pick up facts as he read his way through.
The second part of the exhibition displays what's left of the real thing - the fossils.
There were many displays recreated from bones found in China, including Lanzhousaurus magnidens, whose teeth were the largest among all of the herbivorous dinosaurs.
The towering skeletons were a wondrous sight. A favourite picture from the family's morning at the museum was of our three children cowering under the skull of a T. rex.
The exhibits are broken up with high-definition short movies, each less than five minutes long, shown on big screens that illustrate how the dinosaurs may have become extinct.
Although Sunday mornings are a busy time to visit, the crowds were manageable on the day we went. To enjoy more space, it would be worth trying to make the trip on a weekday.
Verdict: the biggest dinosaur exhibit ever in Hong Kong was entertaining, interactive and educational. It would be a great way to spend an hour or two with children of any age.
My family will visit again before the exhibit ends in April. In fact, we will probably try to head back several times. Legends of the Giant Dinosaurs, Hong Kong Science Museum, 2 Science Museum Rd, TST East, HK$10, HK$20; hk.science.museum/lgd
A large number of families and groups were waiting for the doors to open so we could go "see the dinosaurs", as our two-year-old succinctly put it.
He seemed to think he was about to enter a real-life Jurassic Park, complete with petting zoo and perhaps the occasional baby dinosaur to feed.
To be fair, the giant robotic dinosaurs at the entrance to the Legends of the Giant Dinosaurs did little to dispel his misconception. Amazed at first by their sheer size and realistic look, our three children jumped as the models moved.
This exhibition did not disappoint. The first part was made up of moving models and the children's favourites were found here, including the infamous Tyrannosaurus rex.
The exhibit was interactive and partly hands-on. The children found out what a brachiosaurus stomach would have felt like, and touched fossilised Euoplocephalus dung.
This alone would definitely gain our eldest son some street cred in the school playground. As he said, it doesn't get much cooler than touching "dinosaur poo" that is millions of years old.
The mechanical exhibits were also entertaining. At one point, our five-year-old daughter chatted away to an Oviraptor in much the same way she talks to her soft toys.
Designed with children in mind, the information with each exhibit is concise and interesting. Our seven-year-old was able to pick up facts as he read his way through.
The second part of the exhibition displays what's left of the real thing - the fossils.
There were many displays recreated from bones found in China, including Lanzhousaurus magnidens, whose teeth were the largest among all of the herbivorous dinosaurs.
The towering skeletons were a wondrous sight. A favourite picture from the family's morning at the museum was of our three children cowering under the skull of a T. rex.
The exhibits are broken up with high-definition short movies, each less than five minutes long, shown on big screens that illustrate how the dinosaurs may have become extinct.
Although Sunday mornings are a busy time to visit, the crowds were manageable on the day we went. To enjoy more space, it would be worth trying to make the trip on a weekday.
Verdict: the biggest dinosaur exhibit ever in Hong Kong was entertaining, interactive and educational. It would be a great way to spend an hour or two with children of any age.
My family will visit again before the exhibit ends in April. In fact, we will probably try to head back several times. Legends of the Giant Dinosaurs, Hong Kong Science Museum, 2 Science Museum Rd, TST East, HK$10, HK$20; hk.science.museum/lgd
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