Overnight with dinosaurs

The Museum of Natural History is one of the oldest in London. The once part of the British museum, he separated and began an independent life at the end of the 19th century. Its collection includes more than 70 million exhibits and is divided into five main sections dedicated to botany, zoology, paleontology, mineralogy and entomology. In addition to a unique exposition, the museum is famous for its library and research center. A beautiful building, laid out by decorative terracotta tiles, is located in the Saut-Kensington area.

... A summer night on Friday, Cromwel-Road Street, where the museum facade comes out, resembled a road leading to the place of tourist rally. Crowds of school -age children, loaded with sleeping bags and backpacks, walked along it; Adults came across there. People went to the "night with dinosaurs" - so the events were dubbed, arranged in the Museum of Natural History once a month.

The couple, accompanied by a small but noisy group of boys, spoke about her plans this evening.

Woman : We brought six children. My husband will stay with them, and I'll go home.

Man : Yes, I stay - pulled out a short match. This was conceived as an unusual gift: our son has a birthday. Then we decided that the guys may learn something new. And finally, for them it will be a kind of adventure.

Boy : I really love science - this is my favorite subject at school. Maybe we will be shown this thing, such a new one ... uh ... a telescope, which has a very strong increase, so you can consider very small items.

Man : We were told what rules are there, what can be done, what to expect, but we do not know exactly what will happen. They ordered to bring a bed, sleeping bags, food - you have to have a bite to eat ... That's perhaps that’s all. Actually, I am also quite interesting to me, I always loved adventures.

Woman : It would be good if we both could stay, but it is impossible, such a group is allowed to accompany only one adult. And so I would go if there was such an opportunity. It is a pity we have no girls - I could pass with them. But we brought some boys alone; After all, we have two sons, so only the guys were invited ...

... Participants of the night gathered in front of the side entrance, whose guard was on duty. When asked whether it is possible to talk with any of the organizers, he waved his hands and ordered the museum administration-already, of course, closed for the weekend. He himself, according to him, did not know anything about what was happening, except that no interview here, within the museum fence, is not allowed to take. However, the partner who replaced him was more accommodating and led me inside, where he introduced one of the employees. He, in turn, explained that he could not say a word without coordination with the press service. Apologizing many times, he completed his speech with the words: "Even if this is a completely innocent conversation, I will still have major troubles, it is worth recognizing the authorities."

Such a policy of the museum is probably explained by the nature of the event. In the current atmosphere, this does not surprise the growing hysteria - recently, any movements towards minors are often perceived in Britain with a considerable degree of suspicion. Nevertheless, I decided again to try my luck on the street, where there were more and more children. Without suspecting danger, they jumped, shouted and did not obey adults. The latter, forgetting about vigilance, were happy to talk with anyone about the upcoming test.

Man : Why did we decide to come here? Indeed, why?

Boy : Because I really liked the Museum of Science then - we were there once at night - so I decided that here, probably, it would be interesting. Was I here before? No ... I don't remember something.

Man : How is it not?! You and I have been here so many times!

Boy : It would be great to see all electrical dinosaurs!

Man : You know, you have to do such things for the sake of children. Nothing, this is normal. And about whether I like it or not, you better ask me in the morning ...

... 300 tickets are sold for each night, and all of them are usually sold out. If you believe the information published on the museum’s website, the participants are waiting for fascinating classes that will continue until midnight. Then, after the end, those who came to settle down right on the floor in the museum halls; In the morning they will declare a rise, and the fun will begin in a new one. None of the audience knew the fact that for entertainment would be offered to the public this time, but everyone hoped: for sure something is informative.

Woman : We have been in the museum itself many times, but we came to the night for the first time. My daughter has a birthday, so we gathered her friends about this. Daughters like science, some of the girls are also fond of natural science. For some reason, my dinosaurs are especially interested. Therefore, we came - we hope that the evening will be interesting. We do not really know how everything is organized here. They say that the two halls are allotted for this: the main and one more, in the new wing - in the Darwin Center. We were not warned about anything, they only said that there would be different games, classes. We took the sleeping bags with us, pillows - I think this is enough ...

... dinosaurs clearly had to become a nail of the program. In the central hall of the museum there is a giant skeleton of the diplodok, attracting universal interest in the afternoon, not to mention the watch when the dark room is illuminated by some flashlights. The children were looking forward to the complete events of the night, while their parents, judging by the appearance, were somewhat regretted that it was impossible to spend the end of the working week somehow differently.

Among those who came, there were many school groups, as well as scout detachments, accompanied by counselors. These people in ties, similar to pioneering, aroused special sympathy: they came here with other people's children, voluntarily and completely free (or rather, paying for their ticket). Probably, the education of the younger generation is their vocation. Another is a shame: many of them, choosing such a role, did not imagine how many all kinds of bureaucratic checks they would have to go through to earn this right - to spend the night under one roof with dinosaurs and young lovers of natural science.