The Life Before Dinosaurs exhibit is fit for all ages and is especially exciting for children. It explores the lost world of Permian monsters with hands-on dig pits, fossilized skeletons, and models from the time period.
“A lot of these Permian monsters are full-size animatronics. They have motion sensors. People will walk by, and one of them will turn his head towards you and wink at you almost, and start roaring,” said Camille Farac, director of marketing with the Museum of Idaho.
She said it feels like you are walking through a Disneyland attraction. It’s fun, visually compelling and educational all at the same time.
Camille said the exhibit is unique and brings a forgotten time period to light.
“These creatures represent a turning point in evolution. These creatures look like dinosaurs, but they weren’t actually dinosaurs. They were early ancestors to mammals,” she said.
According to the Museum of Idaho’s website, “The Permian ended with the largest extinction the planet has ever known, wiping out 90 percent of all species. Recent discoveries point to global warming triggered by massive volcanic eruptions, setting off a chain reaction that reshaped life on Earth.”
“This is a period that many people just don’t know much about. It’s kind of mysterious and alluring, which is interesting. I’d say, especially for people who are really interested in paleontology, prehistory, and, of course, dinosaur lovers, this exhibit will really surprise you,” Camille said. “You’ll definitely leave learning something you didn’t know before.”
Along with the exhibit, there’s a pop-in program where kids can learn about weather in a prehistoric world. It’s on Saturday, Aug. 29, from 1pm to 5pm. Pop-in programs are free with museum admission.
“Anyone can just pop in to our education center and can do fun hands-on ‘STEAM’ activities, so science, technology, engineering, art, and math. It’s particularly great for kids, but anyone’s welcome to pop in. It kind of provides a supplement to the exhibit, which is pretty cool,” Camille explained.
Participants can explore what Earth’s weather was like during the Permian Period. The program will investigate ancient climates, shifting seasons, and how changing temperatures affected the plants and animals of the time.
They will also learn how scientists studied rocks and fossils to understand weather patterns.
“All the continents were joined into one called Pangaea. The weather was pretty extreme there, especially in spots that were far from the ocean, which helps regulate the weather. So very dry, hot, and intense,” Camille said.
“It focuses on prehistoric megafauna, like mammoths, and the archaeological research done here in Idaho. It focuses on rocks and gemstones, and then animals, but also, pioneers, settlers, the native inhabitants, modern innovation, and much more,” she said.
Camille added that what’s worth seeing is a locally curated exhibition inside the museum commemorating America’s 250th anniversary. It’s called ‘Declaration: 250 Years of Us.’ It features a collection of Revolutionary War-era artifacts and objects from local collectors.
“We revisit the story of the Declaration. Also, we provide these character cards. You can go through and look at all these amazing artifacts from local collectors, which is really interesting, and through your character cards, there are ties to Idaho,” Camille said.
If you are interested in visiting the Museum of Idaho and checking out all the exhibits, including Life Before Dinosaurs, which runs until Sept. 6, you can find hours of operation and admission prices online at museumofidaho.org. Camille said that they offer reduced admission for people who have SNAP and WIC cards.
“We want to make sure the museum is accessible for everyone,” she said.
Something to look forward to after Life Before Dinosaurs is an exhibit that will be all about Galileo, known as a scientist, astronomer, and visionary.
“It showcases Galileo’s contributions to science, particularly his impact on our understanding of physics, astronomy, and the scientific method, but the exhibit is very hands-on, so it has interactive experiments,” Camille said.
See Life Before Dinosaurs before it’s gone, the new exhibit arrives on Oct. 3.