Any ‘Friends’fan worth their salt will know exactly what a Paleontologist is and last week the kids and I got to try our hands at being one when we visited the Dinosaurs In The Wild exhibition currently on location at the Greenwich Peninsula. I call it an exhibition because I don’t know how else to name it but really it’s much more than that… Immersive experience? Perhaps that’s a better phrase… I don’t know but it’s blooming brilliant and left us with eyes wide open as if we were actually taking part in some sort of film. You know ‘LARPing’ right? Where people go and re-enact events from history like a certain battle? I think the ‘LARP’ stands for ‘Live Action Role Play’ – well I guess it’s a BIT like that only you are kind of thrown into the situation of being sent back in time, rather vigorously and by a super realistic simulator, and end up in the age of the dinosaurs!
The kids thought it was fantastic and though they clung on to me a little bit tighter than usual for the first bit they soon got into the swing. You are moved with actors guiding you from room to room starting out at the HQ where lots of scientists are doing experiments on the dinosaurs and are reassured of your safety at all times. As you go through the building you get to see the lab where you can get your hands on some of the investigations like having a muddle through some dino poo, watch a dinosaur autopsy, see some of the sedated creatures being looked after by scientists and up in the building hub watching the dinos outside as they move around in their natural habitat. I mean you don’t obviously because that would be crazy but it certainly looks like you do and feels like you do and you come away having learned a heck of a lot more about dinosaurs than I ever did with many visits to the Natural History Museum… We also came away a bit exhausted – it was totally thrilling!
This is an expensive experience but I have to say worth it. You can reduce the price by going at off peak times and booking on line so I’d thoroughly recommend doing that but I’d also thoroughly recommend going. It’s fun, educational and also not quite like anything else! I think it should be on school’s radars for them to bring children on trips but I also think it’s a brilliant family day out!
Get yourself to Greenwich and see first hand what I’m talking about, you won’t regret it!
We were invited to take part in the experience for the purpose of review.
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