We were looking for something fun to do …
As my son is getting older and continues to appreciate any opportunity to learn about new things, I thought, What better way to embrace this than to take him on a family outing to the Beringia Centre? We have been there before, for special events and trips with visiting relatives, but he had always been a little too young to really explore the centre. The engaging exhibits, which showcase an important part of Yukon history, had always gone over his head, but I was hoping this time it might be a little different.
Sure enough, when I told him where we were planning on going, he seemed excited to check out the large animals they had on display that he recalled from the previous time we visited—especially the mammoth family, which had brought a big smile to his face. He insisted on taking a photo while sitting on top of the baby mammoth, and he still talks about it to this day.
And sure enough, the mammoths were the first thing he was eager to run to as we pulled into the parking lot and got out of the car. It brought me a lot of happiness that he was proudly describing them as mammoths, this time around, as last time we experienced some difficulty with explaining to him that they weren’t a family of elephants (a tough task with a stubborn preschooler).
I do have to say, though, that the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre does a great job at providing an immersive experience, right away, by introducing you to historical creatures as you walk on the little wooded path towards the main entrance. Together we read the plaques, scouted for wildlife and even took a photo of Little Buddy giving the giant beaver a hug. It was definitely a great way to start the visit.Once inside, I was pleased to find that the exhibits had continued to be well set-up and included a new child-play area since the grand reopening in June. The play area consists of a cave-like structure that my boy enjoyed climbing in and out of as he explored the colouring activities and animal figures and plushies that they provide for young ones to play with. His favourite had to be the scimitar cats, which he had a great time role-playing with.
It was also a treat to watch him experience the hands-on stations that the centre provides. We had so much fun exploring skulls; inspecting the fossilized pollen, with magnifying glasses; and checking out all of the tools that the First Peoples of Beringia had used in order to survive, all those years ago.
The exhibits are well laid out and it was a breeze to take my three-year-old around the centre to see everything. It doesn’t take too long to explore all of the displays and exhibits, and my son was entirely mesmerized by the fossils and bones that we spotted throughout. There was so much to see and learn about that his little brain was firing on all cylinders as we both learned new things about the land we live on and how much it has changed.
The part of the outing that really surprised me the most, though, was how engaged my child became with the short documentary that was played in the main theatre of the centre. This child will very rarely sit through anything that isn’t Paw Patrol or Spongebob, right now, but as soon as we walked into the beautiful theatre, he was pulled in. He grabbed himself a seat in the back row and watched the video in its entirety while enthusiastically pointing out the animals we had been discovering in the rest of the centre. It was a wonderful experience, and it was a great way to end our visit.
I have to say that if you haven’t already checked out the Beringia Interpretive Centre, or even if it’s been a little while since your last visit, I would certainly recommend checking it out with your children. Heck, even if you don’t have little ones, it will make for an interesting afternoon. Plus, being a stone’s throw away from the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport, the Beringia Centre is easy to get to from anywhere in the city.
Overall, I’m glad I was able to take some time to check out this incredible museum again. My son and I had a lovely time and we can’t wait to go back. It really is a fun and captivating way for all of us to learn about natural science, archaeology and paleontology in the Yukon, as well as the vast history of the landscape that was Beringia.
