Children may instinctively know that a T. rex would happily consume them as an hors d'oeuvre, but it doesn’t matter. The protective curtain of make-believe offers joy, awe, and safety.
When we imagine the reign of the dinosaurs and its “terrible lizards,” who seem to have been fed a diet enriched by plutonium, our home planet was… cinematic. If we were to travel to this Brobdingnagian realm, as popular movies have shown, we humans would be in big trouble.
But that’s not how children see it. For kids, this is the stuff of birthday parties!
Many youngsters crush on dinos, starting around the age of four (in my case, I was six or seven, but it was true love). They’re figuring out their place in the world. Because everything is new, they’re bubbling over with curiosity and discovery. Rattling off multi-syllabic dinosaur names is part of the fun of occasionally besting their parents. (I used to happily correct my second-grade teacher when she mispronounced a dinosaur species.) Every day, children expand their vocabulary, and find a thrill in using “big words.” Seeking to control the narrative, in its way, permeates even this innocent phase of life.
Children may instinctively know that a T. rex would happily consume them as an hors d'oeuvre, but it doesn’t matter. The protective curtain of make-believe offers refuge from what’s scary and offers joy, awe, and safety instead.
When kids—of any age—learn about dinosaurs, they embrace the adventure of science. It’s not a chore, as it might be in school. It’s a romance. Information-gathering is positive, so reading brings pleasure. Writing offers awareness. And expertise bestows respect.
Exquisite Eons, with its line of brooches, bibelots, notecards, and journals, appeals to those special humans who hold fast to prehistoric magic. And every item we sell, in part, supports the not-for-profit American Association for the Advancement of Science. To learn more about their work, visit AAAS.org.