The Flint Hills Discovery Center (FHDC) will host Dino Day on Saturday, August 22, from 10 am to 2 pm. Families are invited to step into a prehistoric world of fossils, games, crafts, and more.This dinosaur-sized hands-on event is designed to encourage children to become real-life explorers for the day.
Families can learn how fossils form with Emporia State University STEM Outreach, then dig for their own. Sunset Zoo will have a paleontology activity identifying carnivores, herbivores, and omnivores through different skulls. Visitors can go on a “Lost Bone Quest,” a scavenger hunt through the first-floor exhibits. Find the fossils, complete the word puzzle, and turn it in for a prize. Additional activities include assembling giant 3D puzzles, including a 5-foot-tall Tyrannosaurus rex; creating a dinosaur puppet, and enjoying dinosaur-themed books.
A highlight of the event will be the opportunity to see a Tylosaurus fossil recently discovered in Kansas by 12-year-old Corbin Bullard. Visitors can meet Bullard and hear the story behind his remarkable find.All attendees are encouraged to join the Dino Dash, a short dinosaur stampede into the Discovery Center at the beginning of the event. Participants who wear an inflatable dinosaur costume and compete in the dash will receive free admission for the day. Runners should meet in front of the FHDC by 9:45 am to participate.
In addition to Dino Day, guests will not want to miss the temporary exhibit, Roar and Explore with Dinosaurs, featuring breathtaking animatronic dinosaurs, each displayed in its own vivid habitat with lifelike movement and sound.
All activities are included with admission or FHDC membership.