Add To Your Bucket List: Dozin' With The Dinos At The Field Museum

By Marielle Shaw in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 25, 2015 4:25PM

Kids get some science! Photo by Marielle Shaw

Just behind the doors of the James Simpson Theatre, cheers erupt on a Friday night. Suddenly, the doors fling open and 600 kids, their parents and chaperones stream out, bouncing with pure energy as they bound toward Stanley Field Hall.

This is the beginning of a Dozin’ With The Dinos night at the Field Museum and it’s very exciting. Dozin’ is a program that’s been going on for years but started off a bit smaller than tonight’s numbers. It allows kids the opportunity to get a real “night at the museum” filled with activities, exhibits, movies and more, and honestly? We’re a little jealous we weren't able to do this ourselves as kids.

By 7 p.m., everyone’s dropped off their bags in their designated, carpeted exhibit halls. They've been to an orientation and once released, they’re headed for a stretch of free time that they can use to explore all of the workshops and exhibits they’d like. Scientists on staff at the museum (some we've met before, even) are at their stations helping kids with various activities, from dissecting owl pellets to looking at fossils and even meeting insects up close and personal.

One of our favorite stories from the night centered on the very popular Jim Louderman and his pair of Chilean Rose-haired tarantulas. One of them rides atop his head at all times and the other gets to meet and greet kids and parents, who approach the meetings with varying levels of trepidation. There were many spider-selfies taken by brave kids and parents. But it was when one girl decided there was no way she could do it and began to walk away that the heart of the night emerged. Louderman, still bearing a spider, approached her and said that he also used to be afraid of spiders, but that his furry friends are in fact not deadly and really, very tolerant. You could see the disbelief at first, but then she asked some questions about the spider on his hand which was now at eye level. She didn't know that spiders have eight eyes and it seemed like it helped out her fears by learning something about them. He asked her again if she’d like to hold one and she agreed, still nervous. Once the spider settled in on her open palm, a huge smile stretched across her face.

Spider-selfie time! Photo by Marielle Shaw

It’s this kind of thing that makes this night so important. Staff and scientists at the Field Museum are introducing kids to science in a tactile, exciting way. They’re educators and not just entertainers, creating a one-of-a-kind experience that kids who have “dozed” before still remember years later. And it’s no wonder. Once the workshops wind down, there’s still snack, 3D movies, games and a flashlight tour of the Egypt exhibit to look forward to. We couldn't help but drag our feet a little when we left hoping to stick around for more fun.

If you’d like to attend (and be the cool aunt/uncle or mom/dad forever), then check out the Dozin’ schedule here. Kids must be between 6 and 12 to attend and chaperones must be at least 21. Groups are also welcome. The cost is $63 a person, unless you’d like to upgrade to a premium package, which at $76 includes a behind-the-scenes tour and a chance to sleep in the Evolving Planet exhibit where Sue’s friends hang out. In either case, it’s likely less than the cost of staying in a downtown hotel and much, much more memorable.