Kintropy In Action

In Portland, we have a museum that everyone calls OMSI which is an acronym for the Oregon Science and Industry Museum. Robert and I love it. Gabriel enjoys it, too. Well, they just got a dinosaur exhibit in. With Gabriel getting to see the live show Walking With Dinosaurs, I thought it would be great to go to the exhibit.

Hannah had a doctor appointment downtown Portland this week, so since we were already driving downtown, we decided it would be gas-efficient to go to the OMSI too.

Hannah loved being in a new place; she looked at everything. When I tried to get her to feel some of the hands-on exhibits, she turned her head and pulled her head away. It was way too much stimulation for her. She was just happy being in her wheelchair and being pushed around.

Gabriel found a display area where the curators had made a pretend dig site. It was a walled off area full of rubber bits that looked like pebbles; within these bits were hidden great big wooden pieces that resembled dinosaur bones and could be assemble in a great, big 3-dimensional puzzle of a stegosaurus.  I think that is what it was. Gabriel went in and stared at the pieces, then looked at me. "Mom, could you help me please."

Inside I was thinking, Oh my god, he wants to do a puzzle. How totally cool! Definitely not one of his normal past times. He knows I love them though.

My father in-law was there pushing Hannah around. I looked at him. He gestured for me to go ahead and started pushing Hannah around.

I walked into the pit and got down on my knees. The pieces where big and unruly, but had numbers engraved in them to tell you which piece was which and what notch it interlocked with. I figured all we would get done was try to get it to stand up. I found the first big backbone and Gabriel started handing me ribs. I pointed out the numbers so he could start putting things on with out my help. Another mother and child came and they started helping. Soon other children were coming calling out numbers and asking me where they go. Within a blink of the eye, the pit was swarming with enthusiastic kids working together to assemble this dinosaur at a frantic pace. I looked around because we still hadn’t got it to stand without help and the other mother looked at me from outside the pit and shrugged. A worker at the museum stared at our chaos with his jaw dropped. Finally a volunteer came in and took over supporting the structure.

By the time I walked away, it was a dinosaur. I can’t believe I forgot my camera that day. I thought it was neat that all the kids saw an opportunity to help and jumped in.

--Mom