Family Outing to the Burke Museum

Just like most other kids, our kids are fascinated with dinosaurs. Eric had the brilliant idea of taking to the Burke Museum so they could see some dinosaur fossils in person.

I really like the Burke because it isn't overwhelming large and really focuses on local history/science. We saw plenty of fossils and a number of reconstructed dinosaur skeletons, a mastodon skeleton (very cool!), plant fossils, and the kids even had the opportunity to climb into a replica of a cave that was created when a rhino carcass was enveloped by lava many, many years ago. The kids even got to measure themselves against a dinosaur leg bone to get a better perspective of the creature's size.

Both kids had a great time and were enthusiastic about what they were looking at. They asked questions about the animals and cultural exhibits and were happy to participate in the hands-on activities that were sprinkled around the museum. I think the plastic dinosaurs were probably the favorite item! 

Heading to the museum

Looking at some fossils
(our apologies to the museum staff for the amount of
hand prints our children left of the glass display cases!)

Say cheese!

That's one big mastodon

Conor inspecting some fossils

The hands-on area had a periscope for kids to "find" dinosaurs; Annika and Conor LOVED it

Annika giving Conor a boost so he could find dinosaurs

Eric explaining about the dinosaur's leg bone

Annika measuring herself against the leg bone

A piece of Native America artwork

Annika checking out a Native American sculpture

Annika counting the eyes on the totem pole

Of course, our kids were drawn to the computer and professed they had "lots of work to do"

More "work" was done on this computer, too

 After we exhausted the museum, we took a bit of a detour on the way home and stopped for a treat at a local Ben & Jerry's ice cream shop. We walked in a little hungry; we walked out full and sticky!

Conor says "YUM"

Like Annika's face paint? Eric did that for her during Conor's nap

Happy, chocolatey girl!

Conor's ice cream technique includes only licking in the middle
so he winds up with two mountains and canyon on a cone

Eric expertly reapplying the escaped caramel to his ice cream