I loved dinosaurs as a child, as so many kids do, and I’ve maintained my interest in those amazing animals even as an adult. This may not be too surprising, considering my background as a science educator. But it’s not unusual for kids – even teenagers – to continue to find the mysteries of the Mesozoic beasts who dominated this planet for hundreds of millions of years to be quite interesting.

Paleontology has experienced a golden age of discovery during the past several decades. Compared to the image of dinosaurs as slow, plodding reptile-like creatures unable to adapt to environmental change – you know, the picture we probably got back in the 1980s and before – it’s now clear that dinosaurs were extremely successful organisms.

Two television productions now available bring those creatures to life as nothing before ever has.

If you have Apple TV+, please consider watching the five-part series Prehistoric Planet. The series, hosted by the legendary David Attenborough, will astound you with its incredible portrayal of dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and marine reptiles.

Over on PBS, Nova broadcast a two-part series in May that focused on the end of the dinosaur age. Dinosaur Apocalypse: New Evidence and Dinosaur Apocalypse: The Last Day are available for viewing on the PBS website and, if you have a PBS passport membership, may be seen on television.

If your child finds himself or herself intrigued enough to learn more after watching the PBS Nova episodes, encourage them to read this wonderful article in The New Yorker.

Who knows? Maybe you’ll end up with an aspiring paleontologist on your hands. Or, at least, some interesting conversations about some of the most awe-inspiring life forms ever to exist on this planet.