Friday, September 4, 2009

Dinosaur Train boards on Labor Day



This Labor Day, a brand new show will be coming to the PBS line-up: Dinosaur Train. Two of kids' favorites have been paired together to introduce children to the world of paleontology and adventure.

Riley and I had the pleasure of visiting the Jim Henson studio for Riley to tape one of the live action segments of an upcoming episode (don't know when yet, but you'll know when I know). I grew up on The Muppet Show and Sesame Street, so I was thrilled for this opportunity.

Riley saw a special preview of Dinosaur Train, and has already fallen in love with the characters. While she's older than the targeted audience (ages 3-6), there was still plenty for her to learn and enjoy. Dinosaur Train goes well beyond T-Rex, and includes some related species.

Dinosaur Train is mostly an animated show, where the characters' mission is to meet all of the different types of dinosaurs. Of course, their adventures also give them (and the viewers) the chance to explore and learn about other aspects of life science.

Dr. Scott Sampson is the paleontologist that hosts the live action segments, and is clearly passionate about his mission to educate children. He is a great asset to the team of PBS and The Jim Henson Company.

Dinosaur Train has an accompanying website, which allows children to play games and print out coloring pages and a field guide, early childhood educators can download lesson plans, and there are even activities for parent and child to do together.

While Riley and I were invited to participate, I only said yes because of my trust and admiration for PBS and The Jim Henson Company and their proven commitment to quality children's programming.

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