There’s two things that nearly every preschooler loves: Dinosaurs….and trains! My son has had a fascination with both since infancy, and he quickly taught his younger sister to appreciate them, as well. They gained their interest in dinos honestly….as a kid myself, many of my book choices and school research paper topics centered on dinosaurs.
I’m excited to tell you about a brand new show airing for the first time today on PBS, a show that’s soon-to-be a new favorite of preschool-aged kids! Dinosaur Train is a new CGI-animated series put out by none other than the Jim Henson Company. Each episode houses within it two 11-minute segments, perfect-sized for little minds and attention spans. (Check PBS listings for local show times.)
Dinosaur Train centers around a young Tyrannosaurus Rex named Buddy and his adoptive family of Pteranodons. Though his parents and siblings, Don, Shiny and Tiny, are of a different species, they love and include Buddy as one of their own. A colorful, dinosaur-shaped train departs daily from Petranodon Station, a train whose Troodon conductor serves up snacks and songs.
At the end of every show, (real action) Dr. Scott the Paleontologist comes on screen to give a review of the show just shown as well as expand some of the themes and emphasize the new vocabulary. He gives this add-on speech in a brief, clipped, compact way, keeping it interactive (kids appear on screen alongside him) and fun.
A couple of months ago, we received a screener DVD so we could preview Dinosaur Train before it aired for the first time. Before long, whenever I mentioned putting the show on television for us to watch, my son was running ahead of me yelling, “Dinosaur Train!? I LOVE that show!” I am not exaggerating when I saw that both of my children are still and motionless the entire time this show is on. They laugh, they learn. I learn!
Here are some of the things/themes that my kids (and yours) will learn from Dinosaur Train:
- Dinosaur species information, fascinating facts, and lesser-known trivia
- Appreciation of those who are different from us, either in how they look or how they live
- Trying things (i.e., foods) you don’t like may help you learn to like them (or figure out new favorites) in the process
- How different parts and mechanisms work on and around a train
- How to deal with feeling/being different from one’s peers
- How to deal with frustration at completing tasks
- How to come up with creative problem solving solutions
Dinosaur Train is created by Craig Bartlett (Hey Arnold!), one of animation’s most successful producers. “Ever since I saw my son put a toy dinosaur on board a toy train, I wanted to create a series that would take that interest and get kids excited about life sciences and natural history,” said Bartlett.
Check out your local listings to see when Dinosaur Train airs on your local PBS station(s). In between shows, let your children explore PBS Kids’ Dinosaur Train’s interactive web page where more fun and facts await them. Have fun!
Amber (2 years ago)
Another great thing I noticed about this show is its incorporation of adoption themes. I was pleasantly surprised when I watched a couple of the episodes with Josiah!
Keri Jo (2 years ago)
I have 6 kids. All of them have seen Dinosaur Trains. My teens have watched the show saying that they thought it was cool, and why did it take so long to have a dinosaur science show. My elementary school kids learned words like like hypothesis, herbivore and carnivore. They like seeing the different dinosaurs and learning the scientific names. My 2 year old gathers all his trains and dinosaurs each day so that he is ready when the show comes on.
stacey (2 years ago)
where can i purchase a dinosaur train dvd