Mammoths, Masks, and a Megaloceros Too!

 

Another bit of "normal" restored!

Along with The Works and The Comic Book Shoppe, I can now count The Canadian Museum of Nature among some of my favourite places I've been able to return to.

This weekend, my family and I went there to see their Planet Ice exhibit. The museum's been open since September, with safety measures in place, tickets sold online, and some reduced exhibits, but with the second COVID wave hitting around the beginning of Fall, I was hesitant to go. 

Since Planet Ice is ending the beginning of January, it was now or never, so I went online and booked a time and tickets for us to see everything. 

Masks on, hands scrubbed, and keeping the width of a moose's antlers away from others, and we were good to go.

Good advice!

With COVID limiting the interactiveness of some of the exhibits, the museum had set up a scavenger hunt where visitors could search for a bird hidden in each area. Pretty good idea!

First up, of course, were the dinosaurs.

After winding our way through the museum's floors, we made it to the top and to Planet Ice where, to make the exhibit fun and interactive, yet safe, we were each given a stylus to use at certain displays and activities. Great idea!

Planet Ice was split into three parts, the first being about the cold and ice itself. We all made our own virtual snowflakes and took a heat vision family photo.

Section 2 was all about the Ice Age, and was my absolute favourite part of the day. I don't think I've gotten so many photos in one place before!

Greeting people was that mammoth at the top of the post, followed an interactive display where you could wave your hands in front of a screen, "waving" snow away to expose mammoths.

There was a similar experience later on, but with an American lion.

I got a selfie (elkie??) with an Irish Elk (aka a Megaloceros).

Looked as ferocious as I could while wearing a mask and Fall jacket with a giant short-faced bear.

Photo of a prairie dog, because they're awesome and were one of the few things on display that haven't been dead for thousands of years.

I learned that I have roughly the same body as a Neanderthal (short, smallish limbs, barrel chest, and hairy)

And saw more really awesome extinct things

The third and final part of Planet Ice was about climate change, global warming, and environmentalism. 

On the way out, we stopped by the museum's gift shop, where I HAD to get myself a souvenir. 

Just look at him!

So glad I chose to go when I did, seeing as how the province of Ontario is going into a month-long lockdown (yay...). Can't wait for the next time.

Cheers!