Annie loves herself some princesses, but she’s also still very interested in dinosaurs. I find her interest in dinosaurs pretty cool because I also loved dinosaurs when I was her age. My love for dinosaurs wasn’t nearly as sophisticated as Annie’s, though. Whereas I was mostly impressed by their size and how scary the T-Rex was, Annie actually wants to learn about them.
Annie doing her dinosaur “roar” face.
Last week Annie asked me to put a “dinosaur video” on the iPad, but when I played her a cartoon she shook her head and told me she wanted a “real dinosaur video.” The next thing I knew she was watching a video on YouTube that had a professorial narrator discussing the dinosaurs. I figured she was just watching the video and not listening, but then later that night she said, “Dad, did you know T-Rex’s were carnivores?” I told her I did, then asked her if she knew what it meant to be a carnivore. Without missing a beat she said it meant to eat meat! I have to say, I was pretty impressed.
Before you think she’s a little dinosaur genius, however, I should mention that Annie definitely understands all of this from a three-year-old’s vantage point. Last weekend, for example, Annie said, “Dad, what do they mean when they say dinosaurs are extinct?”
“Where did you hear that?” I asked.
“On the iPad. It said the dinosaurs are ex-stink. What does it mean?”
I could’ve lied and told her it meant dinosaurs used to be smelly (or something similarly easy to understand), but that didn’t seem like the right thing to do considering how inquisitive she is about dinosaurs. So, I did my best to explain in simple language that the dinosaurs became extinct because a meteor hit earth and triggered the Ice Age. Annie nodded when I finished and said she understood.
At dinner that night I told Heather that Annie was a smarty pants who understood why the dinosaurs were extinct. Heather looked to Annie, impressed, and said, “You know why dinosaurs are extinct?”
Annie nodded and said, “Yeah. A rock fell on them and they all got squished.”
She doesn’t have it quite right, but for now it’s pretty good, if you ask me.
Karen says:
Well, yeah – they got “iced”. lol.
Maris says:
Cute story
Steph says:
What a smart little girl! She is soaking up info like a sponge.
Patricia! says:
This made me laugh so hard! Gotta love a three year old’s logic!
miriam says:
If you haven’t already, check out Dinosaur Train. It’s a cartoon, but they have paleontologists give Dinosaur facts. It’s highly entertaining, or so I have heard.
Kristin says:
My 4 year old son LOVES dinosaurs (and all animals for that matter). He enjoys Dinosaur Train, but he also loves “Walking with Dinosaurs.” I believe BBC is the distributor and I think you can find it on the Discovery Channel or National Geographic, etc. Anyway, if Annie doesn’t scare too easily, it’s a great show with a TON of information on different dinosaurs and species during that time. It’s neat to see kids that age soak up all kinds of information and surprise us with their knowledge My son definitely educates me on dinosaurs lol
Rah says:
Great to hear from you again, Mike. So how’s the new job going?
Mike says:
It’s going well, thanks! I really enjoy it!
Lanie says:
Better than pretty good – Annie is one smart little girl! Hope all is going well with the new job!
Lisa says:
That is awesome!
wendy says:
here’s another vote for Dinosaur Train (on netflix). My 4yr old daughter LOVES it and is learning sooooo much! love hearing her pronounce all the long names.
cj says:
that was so funny!! thanks to both you and your wife for sharing your lovely family.
Paula says:
They most definitely got squished and then some.
Jane says:
I recommend “I am a Paleontologist” off of the AWESOME album Here Comes Science by They Might Be Giants. Terrific cd of science songs for kids, done by this terrific group. I find myself singing the songs too; not because they are stuck in my head in some sort of Barney nightmare, but because they are actually good.
AudNoL says:
Mike- love the dinosaur logic- but skipped over here from my Sunday morning coffee- having just clicked on a amusingly titled buzz feed post a friend linked and did a little cheer to see your name on the byline. Thanks for the morning giggle.
Mike says:
Aw, thank you!
Autism United says:
Cute story!
Does your daughter let the dinosaurs eat her dolls yet. My grand daughter always has a dinosaur with a barbie head hanging out of its mouth.
She says it is because they are hungry and barbies are the tastiest.