I often get asked why I have products about dinosaurs and how they fashion into the umbrella of "learning about the world". Or why kids immensely love them unnecessarily allowing us to fuel to this bizarre love.
True one might arguably feel that this is a lot for a child. But is it really? Studies and research have shown that sustaining interests on conceptual domains (example obsession with dinosaurs, bug collection, insects, animals etc) in young children between 2-6 can lead to a number of benefits for learning—increased knowledge and persistence, heightened attention and deeper levels of processing.*
My 3.5 year old son is obsessed with Dinosaurs. Earlier it was just names and anatomy, now he questions why they are different from each other. He understands what it means when a tiny velociraptor though fierce and mean by nature, is too small to handle large preys so they hunt in packs. These kind of conversations open new dialogues, we explore why dinosaurs don't live anymore or how old the earth is.
I get asked "what is an era? why are different dinosaurs not found at the same time? Is the present world we live the same? are there any dinosaurs that has become a mammal or reptile from our time?" It's funny that we think children don't grasp such concepts. But one day they just come at us and surprise us by saying something like this "thats not an elephant or tiger. When they play with my dinosaurs they are wooly mammoth and sabre tooth tiger ".
Dinosaurs teach us our history and how the future was shaped. Understanding them has also taught us about adaptation and extinction. We think that dinosaurs are a great lesson of what happens when you fail to adapt to changes around us. These creatures of marvel broke all our beliefs in a creature's physiological prowess, speed and versatility. Be it the intelligent Troodon (who is the beloved conductor from Dinosaur Train cartoons), fiercest Tyrannosaurus Rex, little compsognathus or the massive Argentinosaurus of titanic size, they are all amazing example of breathtaking creatures with precise adaptations (spines, claws, talons, horns, fins) across diverse environments (water, earth and air).
Thats why we love dinosaurs, maybe thats why kids love them too. They are the best storytellers of how our world came to be ! The past may very well be the key to our better understanding of the future.
(the featured image is of The Museum für Naturkunde, home to the world's tallest mounted dinosaur skeleton. The Brachiosaurus stands at 41 feet, 5 inches and is a Guinness World Record holder)
* Short report - The development of conceptual interests in young children Joyce M. Alexander a,∗, Kathy E. Johnsonb, Mary E. Leibhamc, Ken Kelleya
If you were unaware , these are our cool Dinosaur products :
https://wildpaper.in/collections/flashcards/products/catch-me-if-you-can-flashcards
https://wildpaper.in/collections/non-tearable-posters/products/dino-non-tearable-poster
Other amazing resources that have worked for my family are Dinosaurium https://eatplayread.in/product/dinosaurium-welcome-to-the-museum/
Usborne Questions and Answers about dinosaurs https: https://www.amazon.in/Very-First-Dinosaurs-Book-Books/dp/1474931723/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3APHDOI0SS75Q&dchild=1&keywords=usborne+dinosaurs&qid=1606472564&sprefix=usborne+dino%2Caps%2C278&sr=8-1
Will come back to about another post on amazing Indian animals soon :)