Giant T-Rex balloon sculpture bursts into ROM for weekend

No doubt a visit to the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) will be on the list of Family Day Long Weekend activities and the attraction is ready for families. Just for the occasion, master balloonist Mark Verga has created an amazing 39-foot (11-metre) T-rex sculpture made out of 1,400 balloons. This must-see sculpture will be on display from Friday, February 13 until Monday, February 16 in the Hyacinth Gloria Crystal Court. The ROM's Family Day Long Weekend programming is inspired by the opening of the Teck Suite of Galleries: Earth's Treasures and the current Nature of Diamonds exhibition. Children can design their own gemstone crowns and tiaras and construct scientific diamond models to take home, sift through mine gravel for gems, and pan for gold. Canada Court will be buzzing with activity all weekend. Here, children can design their own gemstone crowns and tiaras and construct scientific diamond models to take home, sift through mine gravel for gems, and pan for gold. The Hands-on Biodiversity Gallery is filled with interactive fun, including touch tables and live bees, frogs and fish. In the CIBC Discovery Gallery young visitors can try on armour and costumes, and dig for dinosaur bones.  In addition to the giant T-rex balloon sculpture, a diamond-themed ice sculpture will be carved on the Bloor Street Plaza on Saturday afternoon. Family Day activities are included with general admission. For more information, see www.rom.on.ca.