Spring Break Fun at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis

Bucky the T.rex raised his short little arms to the sky and roared with delight when learning that SUE the T.rex would be visiting for spring break and staying until the summer.

T.rex Spring Break Frenzy

The Field Museum is sending a full-sized cast of SUE the T.rex (one of the largest, most complete and best-preserved Tyrannosaurus rex ever unearthed) on a mini vacation to the world’s largest children’s museum. At more than 40-feet-long and 13-feet-high, SUE is remarkable because of size, completeness and quality of preservation. It will be a nice way to show little ones the differences between a teenage dinosaur and a full-grown one. 

Grown-ups can use prompts like: “My, what big feet you have,” to talk about how the big dinosaurs supported all that weight, how they walked and how many toes they had. “My, what big teeth you have,” is a great way to talk about how they were meat-eaters. “My, what a wild life you led,” opens the door to talk about how these beasts were predators but often had broken bones and scars and other crazy things. SUE will be in Indy from March 6 through July 25.

Super Heroes Unite

Dinos aren’t the only ones who face tough times. Little ones often struggle to discover who they are as individuals and what their best traits might be at a very early age. Toddlers and early elementary aged children are learning about strengths and weaknesses, and how to emphasize one while minimizing the other. Comic book heroes like the ones they will see in DC Super Heroes™ can help them imagine what super strengths they might possess. 

Imaginative play is something The Children’s Museum’s Early Education Director Susan Michel says is important to help kids discover their own abilities. “As children continue to play and discover, they are becoming more comfortable and confident in their own self identify — giving them a sense of empowerment, control and comfort when they are acting and trying out new experiences, roles, and situations,” Michel says. 

In this exhibit, opening this spring/summer, families can work alongside their favorite superheroes to find clues, complete missions, and defeat villains, all while finding the super powers they possess. 

You Can Be Anything 

Tiny tots can explore powers in a different way in the Barbie™ You Can Be Anything™ exhibit that is at The Children’s Museum through 2021. Kids can learn about more than 200 jobs Barbie has had, including an airline pilot flying high above the clouds, a fearless surfer catching a wave, a robotics engineer putting a robot to work, or a wildlife photographer taking pictures from a jungle jeep. “This exhibit breaks barriers and beliefs about careers and what children can do and be when they grow up,” Michel says. “It is important for young children to not only see the people who look just like them in these careers, but it is also important for them to understand various jobs and how others worked to achieve their dreams and goals to be who they are today.”

DC Super Heroes™ is presented by Central Indiana Honda Dealers and supported by OneAmerica and Delta Dental. Barbie™ You Can Be Anything™ is presented by Subway® and supported by KinderCare Learning Centers and Franklin Pest Solutions