All Aboard the Dinosaur Train: World Tour Week

We DVR only a few shows for my son and one of them is Dinosaur Train. He loves the show and I think it’s a great choice, too. If you’re already a fan of Dinosaur Train then you’ll be psyched to learn about the brand new episodes airing this week, and if you’re new to the show the “World Tour Week” is a great time to tune in and see what it’s all about.

Dinosaur Train

I blame this PBS show from the Jim Henson Company for single-handedly turning my 3 year old into a dino-freak (and that’s not a bad thing!). Each episode includes two CG-animated segments featuring the Pteranondon family (including adopted T-Rex son Buddy) and a live action segment with paleontologist Dr. Scott. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that kids are like sponges and pick up everything and, in my book, you can’t go wrong engaging a kid’s interest in dinosaurs while teaching at the same time. I wasn’t all that surprised when my son recently started telling me stories about “therapots” (aka theropods) and explained to me what they are in 3-year old language. (I googled to see if he was right and they are, in fact, dinosaurs that walk on two hind legs.)

Like anything, TV for kids is best in moderation but if my son’s going to watch anything I much prefer it be something like Dinosaur Train where he learns about things that interest him and can, in turn, school me about all things dino. As a mom, in addition to the fact that he learns fun dino facts, I like that my son also learns nice life lessons (whether he realizes it or not). My favorite example is the fact that Buddy the T-Rex is adopted into the Pteranondon family without question. Mrs. Pteranondon says, “This is your family and I’m your mom. We may be different but we’re all creatures. All dinosaurs have different features.” I mean, really, how cool is that?

World Tour – New Episodes

Like many families, the Pteranondon family is taking off on their summer vacation. The Dinosaur Train is taking the dino clan on a world tour to meet new species, encounter new adventures in Asia, Europe and Africa and, of course, have some fun.

Here are the synopses of this week’s new episodes:

• “Pteranodon Family World Tour;” “Gilbert the Junior Conductor” - The entire Pteranodon family embarks on a roaring, exploring, World Tour adventure! The Pteranodon family continues with Gilbert, the Conductor’s nephew.
• “Confuciusornis Says;” “Tiny’s Tiny Doll” - The next stop on the Dinosaur Train World Tour takes the Pteranodon family to Confuciusornis Gardens, where they meet a very wise old dinosaur. During a stop on the Pteranodon family’s World Tour, Tiny accidentally leaves her beloved Tiny Doll behind in Velociraptor Valley and it takes several new dinosaurs to return it to her.
• “Iggy Iguanodon;” “Shiny Can’t Sleep” - The Pteranodon family continues their World Tour and meets Iggy Iguanodon, a large, four-legged chap who shows them his unique way of walking. During the World Tour Shiny is homesick and having a hard time falling asleep on the train so Mrs. Conductor and Dad help her discover all of the wonderful nighttime surprises on the  Dinosaur Train.
• “Kenny Kentrosaurus;” “Don and the Troodons” - As the Pteranodon family’s World Tour continues, they travel to Africa to meet a Stegosaur named Kenny Kentrosaurus. The Pteranodon family oversleeps and has to hurry to make another guided walk on their World Tour!

We received a screener of the four new episodes airing this week (staring May 24) and have watched them more times than I care to admit. It was a life-saver on our recent plane flights and has been my son’s number one requested show since we received the DVD. My daughter isn’t old enough yet to watch TV with any interest, but I know that girls like dinosaurs, too, so don’t shy away if you only have a girly girl.

Dinosaur Games Online

The Dinosaur Train website has several games to entertain little ones, including the brand new Dino Tracks, a pattern game where kids look at dinosaur foot prints in the mud to figure what comes next. The All Aboard game, launching soon, is a chance for your little one to be Mr. Conductor and drive the Dinosaur Train.

Watch! Whether you’re an old fan or new to the Pteranodon family, the all new “World Tour Week” episodes of Dinosaur Train that air this week are definitely worth checking out. Dinosaur Train is on during the PBS Kids Preschool Destination and you can visit PBSKIDS.org to find your local TV listings.

Disclosure: Thank you to PBSKids for providing a screener DVD for the purpose of this post.