Dinosaurs all day – in English
It is time for Dinosaur Day once again this coming Sunday. For the third year in a row, the Museum of Evolution will offer a special day of lectures and activities for all ages – entirely in English.
The programme, which will run from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., usually attracts a large crowd.
"Last year we had 200 visitors, making the event one of our most successful for the year," says curator Jan Ove Ebbestad.
New this year is an exhibition relating to the animals in the film Ice Age, including woolly mammoths. Genuine mammoth hair will be on display. Activities for children will include drawing and building dinosaurs and solving mysteries as "dinosaur detectives." A lecture for young people and adults entitled "From Hammers to Death Rays: Revealing the Hidden Secrets of Fossils" will be presented at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. The day will end with a walk among the dinosaurs – lit only by flashlights – for those who dare.
Dinosaur Day, a collaboration with the language consulting company Everything in English, is being held for the third year in a row. The company, jointly run by Morven Smith and Janet Ahlberg, organises social events in Uppsala oriented towards the non-Swedish-speaking population, including families new to town looking to make new friends.
"Dinosaur Day has already become a tradition for a number of families," says Janet Ahlberg. "Many bring bag lunches and stay the whole day. The atmosphere is usually very pleasant."
Jan Ove Ebbestad is himself pleased with the collaboration. One bonus has been a higher international profile for the Museum of Evolution.
"The collaboration has led to all of our informational material being translated to English," he says. "Tourists, guest researchers and other non-Swedish-speaking visitors have been highly appreciative."
Annica Hulth