This morning we took our boys to the Beaty Biodiversity Museum at UBC. We have been meaning to take our children out to UBC, as that is where my husband and I met. While the boys found the idea of mom and dad meeting rather funny, they were fascinated by the Beaty Biodiversity Museum.

I must admit to a complete lack of reconnaissance prior to our arrival. Traditionally I hop on to a location’s website merely to determine the location of washrooms and any family-specific activities. Today I threw caution to the wind and went in blind. A little bit of research would have been a good idea, if for nothing more than being prepared to discuss the dead animals on display. Oops! It was a moment that called for parenting-on-the-fly!

Once we stopped to talk to our boys about the animals they were seeing, and why, they were fascinated. Clearly the most impressive specimen is the blue whale skeleton in the atrium of the museum. It is positively astounding. There is a 45 minute movie telling the story of the blue whale skeleton; we didn’t take time to view it on this visit.

Beaty museum 2The Beaty Biodiversity Museum has displays of hundreds of land and water skeletons, fossils, and plant matter. Days could be spent in the museum and there would still be much to see.

At 11am, a puppet show started in the Family Zone. Molly the Garden Snail and her human friend Sabrina entertained the 10 or so families present. While sitting on comfy chairs and cushions we learned how Molly the Garden Snail, and other animals, prepare for winter. The puppet show was 15 minutes long; kudos to Molly, she mastered great physical expressions with only her mouth and antennae.

After the puppet show we explored the Discovery Lab. The museum had a number of items on display for the children to touch and examine with a magnifying glass. Everything from a hawksbeak sea turtle to butterflies to voles were laid out on tables for the kids to experience.

This is a museum that we will visit numerous times; our kids will get more and more out of the experience each time we go. It is a fascinating place; your family is guaranteed to be intellectually stimulated.