My 4 year old conveniently forgets things like which shoe goes on the correct foot, but can rattle off at least 10 species of dinosaurs with ease. When learning animal noises, my 18 month old was roaring like a dinosaur before he was able to imitate a dog’s bark. Dinosaurs are life in our household!
Field Station: Dinosaurs was the perfect excuse for a road trip to Wichita with my tiny paleontologists. Over 40 life-size dinosaurs, a geodesic dome ropes course for older kids, an 18-holes miniature golf course, and an extensive schedule of daily activities? Sign me up! I preface our experience by saying I fully expected my kids to be a bit taken aback by the size, sounds, and movements of the dinosaurs. However, I thought the educational experience and unique fun would far outweigh their reservations. I stand by my thinking, even now after the fact.
As I assumed, my boys were a little hesitant and alarmed initially. These animatronic dinosaurs are large and pretty realistic; they were quite the sight! I’m glad I brought the double stroller so the kids could be close and feel safe. My oldest would hop out to get a closer look whenever he was feeling brave, and sit back down in the stroller when he met his threshold of courage. The double stroller was also functional for navigating the park’s dirt roads.
It was a HOT day, and I would have done well to better prepare for that. My advice is to avoid going when it’s super toasty out. Everything is outdoors except the gift shop and Buried Treasures exhibit (which I didn’t know about until after our visit). My tips to prepare for a hot day at the dinosaur park would include: lots of water, sunscreen, hats, and portable misting fans ($4.99 at Aldi and comes with batteries! Run!). We hope to make it back in the fall, when weather is cooler. I think the kids would enjoy it even more then.
We packed lunches, which is not discouraged, as the park has limited food items for purchase. There is a picnic area, but my kids opted to eat in the stroller so the fun didn’t have to stop. And there was so much fun to be had! My oldest son loved having me read some facts about every dinosaur we saw from the information boards next to each model. We learned a lot! He also enjoyed the Paleo Playground, an area designed for younger kids to play in with a dinosaur-themed bounce house and outdoor games. There was also the Fossil Dig Site (an excavating sandbox), where we spent some time dusting off fossils and dinosaur skeletons. The “Expedition Schedule” had a detailed itinerary of the day’s events. We went to “Dinosorigami,” where my son made a paper-folded dinosaur.
There were so many more things we wanted to do and see, but just weren’t able to due to time and temperature. One of those things was “Dinosaur Daycare,” where you join the staff as they prepare for baby dinosaurs to hatch and take care of the newest arrivals. Another thing we missed out on was the Jurassic mini golf. It looked so fun, but was just too hot of a day. Rain…heat check on that!
After returning home from our road trip and taking time to process everything we saw (my kids are great thinkers, always questioning and studying), we would certainly like to return and do even more next time. It was so cool to travel back in time and enter the dinosaurs’ world. I was impressed with the trail, activities, and shows across 14 acres of environment carefully designed to mimic the appropriate habitat. What I appreciated most was the very clear commitment to educating young ones through hands-on workshops, games, and activities. They use creative ways to connect the history of dinosaurs with present day relevance, giving way to seeing extinction in a really cool new way.
Field Station: Dinosaurs is a Kansas gem that is sure to be a great time for the whole family!
