Mummy, where did the first person come from?

We took the children to the Natural History Museum last Saturday and had a great time. There was a bit of a queue to get in, aptly summed up by a staff member who stated: "Sorry for the queue folks, but it's the summer holidays and there are dinosaurs inside!"

The dinosaurs sparked an enthusiastic reaction in our 2 eldest children. Sutherland who is 2 jumped up and down and did a little dance when he saw a moving roaring t-rex. Four year old Alabama was quietly cautious of the roaring beast, but has since been asking some thoughtful questions. The most challenging of those was "Mummy, where did the first person come from?"

I had to admit that I wasn't entirely sure, but that scientific discoveries had given us certain clues. We enjoyed a philosophical discussion on the origins of man and then moved on to lighter topics such as whether the extinction of dinosaurs was caused by meteors, dust or other phenomena.

I'm sure many of you will have better answers to the origins of man but when put on the spot I shared some thoughts on the theory of evolution as well as the idea of intelligent design. I also shared how the process of science works so that we look for clues to piece together evidence.

Let me know your tough questions and your clever-mum answers!

Drawing dinosaurs after a visit to the NHM