Tim Seeber, also known as Mr. Bones, a “Paleo” puppeteer, guided his foam wearable tyrannosaur fossil Sunday as he greeted crowds pouring into the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
The puppet, a replica of the extinct reptile’s skeleton, opened a toothy mouth above the heads of visiting children.
“It was cool,” said Malakai Bowyer, 7, who came to the museum with his parents, Christine and Rob Bowyer, and brother, 6-year-old Maverick.
“The kids are having a blast,” said Rob Bowyer, 28.
As many as 10,000 people attend each of the 12 free days that the museum holds each year, said Jennifer Moss Logan, a museum program coordinator.
“This is our way of saying thank you to the community for supporting us,” she added.
In the museum’s Space Odyssey exhibit, visitors tried to guide models of the space shuttle into position to dock with a space station. Nearby, an actor dressed as Galileo Galilei, considered by some as the father of modern astronomy, gave a humorous presentation of the scientist’s experiments in mass and motion.
“I have been wanting to bring the girls for a long time,” said Brenda Rodriguez, 27, as she guided her sister, Ariana Hernandez, 10, and daughter, Yaida Rodriguez, 5, through the Hall of Gems & Minerals.
“During the week it is very hard to get here,” Rodriguez said. “I love the museum, I thought it is something for the girls to do.”
“I learned we should be grateful for what we have here in Colorado,” Ariana said of the gems and minerals exhibit, which features minerals from the Rocky Mountain region and around the world.
At a computerized tilt table that allows viewers to view satellite images of Earth, Richard Smith, 50, brought the Great Wall of China into view and then zoomed in on McKayla Hursc’s home near Havana Street and Mississippi Avenue.
“What better way to spend a Sunday than learning,” said Larissa Hursc, 32.
Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671, tmcghee@denverpost.com or
