DVD Review & Giveaway: Dinosaur Train-Dinosaurs in the Snow

Dinosaur Train: Dinosaurs in the Snow

DVD SRP: $14.99

DVD Running Time:  Approximately 120 Minutes

AVAILABLE NOW from the Jim Henson Company, PBS Kids and Paramount Home Entertainment

This new-to-DVD release includes eight Dinosaur Train learning adventures.  It also includes an interactive game, coloring pages, a dinosaur reference guide and parent information.  The “Dinosaur Train” television series is a 2010 Parent’s Choice Award Winner.

Our Thoughts:  Dinosaur Train is one of Kieran’s favorite shows, and it’s one that I also enjoy watching with her.  In the episodes, Buddy, Shiny, Tiny and Don form a hypothesis and search the answer by hopping on the Dinosaur Train and visiting another time period via the “Time Tunnel”. Every episode is educational and introduces concepts such as physical properties of matter, life cycles of trees and evolutionary adaptations of dinosaurs.  Being a science major in college, I love that this show accurately introduces the life sciences, natural history and other scientific terms in a fun, no pressure way.  I had the pleasure of reviewing Dinosaur Train: Dinosaurs in the Snow. Here’s our synopsis of each episode:

Dinosaurs in the Snow

Buddy and friends take the Dinosaur Train to the North Pole and learn about snow, some features of nocturnal animals and what an omnivore is.  They also meet a “Northern Trolodon” that has feathers, an adaptation to keep them warm in the colder climate.

Cretaceous Conifers

Mrs. Pteranodon talk about her favorite holiday, Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. The Conductor also teaches all the dinosaur kids about the life cycle of a conifer, from little seed to the tallest trees in the world.

Night Train

Mr. Pteranodon takes the kids on the “Night Train”, and they learn about what it means to be a nocturnal animal from the Conductor, who takes them on a “Spooky Scavenger Hunt”.  They are scared at first, since the only one among them that can see in the dark is the Conductor.  The Conductor also teaches about nocturnal animals using other senses at night.

Fossil Fred

Buddy and friends find a ‘very old tooth’ and the Conductor teaches them about fossils.  They learn about how a bone becomes a fossil and decide to take the Dinosaur Train to go look for more fossils.  They come across some, and decide to dig for more, uncovering a complete fossil from the Jurassic Period.

King Cryolophosaurus

He’s the singer of the popular “Dinosaur Train” theme song.  Buddy hypothesizes he is a King because he has a crown on his head, which is actually a crest made of bone on top of his head.. They all hop the train to go the Jurassic Period to meet him.  By the way, King Cryolophosaurus talks like another famous King, thankyouverymuch.

Dinosaur Block Party

Mrs. Pteranodon have all the species from the neighborhood over.  They decide to make it potluck, so there will be something for all the carnivores, herbivores and omnivores in the neighborhood.  In addition to learning about what people eat, Buddy hypothesizes that all the plant and animals depend on one another to survive.  The Conductor chimes in and defines the term ‘habitat’ for them, and even sings a song about it.

Surprise Party

The Pteranodons throw a surprise party for Buddy.  They convince Buddy he needs to ride the train that day so he can learn more about the beetles he finds in the sand.  When he gets on the train, all of his trains are there to greet him, including his good friend Annie Tyrannosaurus.  And lucky Buddy, he gets a birthday cake in the shape of a Dinosaur Train in his favorite flavor—meat!

Flowers for Mom

It’s Mother’s Day in this episode, and Buddy and friends head to the Cretaceous Period to get her flowers.  Along the way, Buddy and friends learn that not every time period had flowers.  They also learn to look out for bees, and learn about how they spread pollen.  They were also able to find flowers to bring to Mrs. Pteranodon without picking them, so they would last longer!

The DVD also comes with an interactive game called “How Big”, which works on spatial skills and counting.  For example, the Conductor asks “How many dolphins long is this stegosaurus?”.  You can also print the dinosaurs after you are done, or click the “Play Online” link, which takes you to the pbskids.org Dinosaur Train homepage.  It also includes .pdf files of coloring pages and the “Dinosaur A to Z” song–which by the way both my daughter and I love!

– That’s IT Mommy friends, Heather and Kieran

GIVEAWAY:  The PR team for PBS Kids and Paramount Home Entertainment is offering ONE (1) That’s IT Mommy Reader a copy of Dinosaur Train: Dinosaurs in the Snow. Ends 11/10.

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This giveaway will run through midnight on November 10, 2010 (PST). Winner will be chosen using Random.org from all valid entries and notified via email. Winner will have 48 hours to contact us before another winner is chosen. Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only (18+).

* We did not receive monetary compensation for this review. That’s IT Mommy received a copy of the DVDs to facilitate this review.
 This will in no way sway our opinion of the product or service.
The review is in our own words and is our opinion. Your results and opinions may differ.