Dino Tales: 826LA Students Take Over the Natural History Museum

“If a dinosaur was alive then I would ask the dinosaur, could we be friends?” -Caleigh

Over the summer, 826LA students visited the Natural History Museum for a behind-the-scenes look at the work of a paleontologist. After exploring the Dino Lab and the Dinosaur Lab for inspiration, students took to pen and paper to do some imaginative excavating. Noah C., 6th grade, was wary of the dinosaur’s true intentions:

“If a dinosaur came to life I would ask it why it has tiny arms. I think he’ll say he has a medical problem issue. Another question is will you eat me? I’d think he’d say no but then betray me. 1 percent chance he’ll say he will be my friend and 99 percent chance he’ll say no and just eat me.”

Noah’s sister, Caleigh, 4th grade, was a bit more optimistic about becoming friends with a prehistoric creature:

“If a dinosaur was alive then I would ask the dinosaur, could we be friends? I guess the friendly dinosaur will say yes. Are you a girl or a boy would be my second question. I think the dinosaur will say, I am a girl because I have little teeth. But I still could eat meat. Boys have a little bigger teeth than girls.”

On September 24 and 25, the Natural History Museum hosted their first annual Dino Fest. All weekend long, museumgoers enjoyed an array of hands-on activities such as dig pits and paleo sketching. They also had the opportunity to chat with experts, collectors, and writers about their dinosaurs experiences.

Among those who spoke were 826LA students in a segment called Dino Tales With Students from 826LA! Reading their creative and humorous short essays to the crowd of adults and children, students shared works that were inspired by their visit to the museum back in August.

826LA thanks the Natural History Museum for their generous support, which gave 826LA students the chance to fly like pterodactyls, touch fossils, and share their stories!

Do you want to help students write about a chance encounter with a T-Rex? Become a volunteer! Also, you can check out more photos from our field trip to the Natural History Museum here.