Sammy's "Best Birthday EVER!"

Read on to hear about Sammy's best birthday ever...

What do you see when you think about the Discovery Center? A landmark...a museum...a field-trip destination? The truth is, parents, The Discovery Center is all this and much more!

Julie Moore learned this firsthand while hunting for a good spot to hold her son Sammy's birthday party. Julie had never even heard of The Discovery Center until then. "I was hoping to find something a little different, someplace that would be memorable to Sammy," Julie said. That's when she landed on the Discovery Center webpage.

"My Sammy is a major dinosaur fanatic," Julie said. "In Sammy's words, 'I want to be a scientist because scientists are COOL!'"

Sammy helps Miss Shannon during a dino lesson.
Their first visit to the Center...
Before deciding on a location for the birthday party, Julie brought Sammy to visit the Discovery Center. They just happened to stop by on a "Saturday Science" day, where Shannon Escobedo, a biologist, was teaching the class. That day, Shannon was teaching the kids about reptiles and amphibians. Julie really enjoyed Shannon's way of teaching and communicating with the children, and her interaction with Sammy was enlightening. "Miss Shannon was able to tap into Sammy's natural love of learning within minutes," Julie said.

After Saturday Science, Julie and Sammy walked around the park to see what else the Discovery Center had to offer. They saw the animals and even stayed to do some arts and crafts. What sealed the deal for Sammy's birthday was seeing Shannon doing face paintings for all the kids.

Being a huge dino fan, Sammy asked Miss Shannon to paint one on his hand. He asked for a very specific dinosaur...an iguanodon. "Miss Shannon knew exactly what he was talking about and proceeded to paint a very realistic iguanodon on his hand!," Julie said. "It looked like it could have been out of a dinosaur book! Sammy was intensely pleased!" Julie signed up to be a Discovery Center member that very day and booked Sammy's upcoming birthday party.

Want to go on a dino-dig adventure?
Sammy's big day...
When the big day came, Sammy and 10 of his closest friends became junior paleontologists for the "Dino-Mite" themed party. As the lead "paleontologist," Shannon taught the group all about the 3 ages of the Mesozoic era. She showed them all sorts of pictures and replicas of skeletons. The party-goers even got some hands-on experience by touching some of the fossils. When the party moved outside, the kids went on a dinosaur dig adventure. "They got to dig up real bones using shovels and brushes, and made fossil rubbings and dinosaur tracks," Julie said. After the party was over, some of the party-goers stayed for Saturday Science that very afternoon.

Glad that they found the perfect spot for Sammy's big day, Julie asked her son if he enjoyed his party. "Sammy exclaimed, 'This is the BEST birthday party EVER!!' That made the whole thing worthwhile for me!"

Does your child have a birthday coming up? Make this one "the BEST birthday party ever" just like Sammy's with a themed party at The Discovery Center. Click here for a list of party themes and prices.