Dinosaur Train Buddy and the Nature Trackers Board Book Review & Giveaway

An all-new season of Dinosaur Train kicked off on PBS KIDS this January with a one-hour special called "Nature Trackers Adventure Camp", in which Buddy, Shiny, Tiny and Don travel to different ecosystems and learn about erosion, tree lines, rainforests and canyons. If you missed the premiere on January 20, be sure to watch repeats on the morning of January 25 or January 26. Please check local listings for the showtime.

Nature Trackers are those who "enjoy exploring and having adventures, respecting their environment, collecting things, tracking and observing plants and animals, and challenging themselves to get outside and make discoveries every day." Your little one can become a Nature Tracker too by joining the Dinosaur Train Nature Tracker’s Club (free of course)!

To get started, download the Nature Trackers Club Guide Book here, complete the suggested activities, and then mail in the enclosed membership form to receive an official Nature Trackers member token. You may get your kids to make a New Year's resolution to get closer to nature and take the monthly challenges inside the 2014 Nature Trackers Calendar.

For even more Nature Trackers’ Fun, you may get your kids a copy of the fun-filled Buddy and The Nature Trackers book from Readers Digest Children’s Books! I received a copy of this book for review. It includes over 45 flaps to lift and a learning activity on each spread. Both of my boys love the book very much! As they follow the adventures of Buddy, Tiny, Shiny and Don and make exciting discoveries under the flaps, they learn concepts like colors, action words, counting, matching, and opposites. The book is not only filled with beautiful bright-colored pictures, but is very sturdy and durable, perfect for young children who are active and inquisitive! The book retails for $9.99 USD/$10.99 CAD, available wherever books are sold.

Dinosaur Train's Dinosaurs A to Z Book Review & Giveaway

While your kids are enjoying their carefree summer days, are you concerned about the significant learning loss they might be experiencing due to the lack of participation in educational activities? To help kids learn through entertainment, PBS KIDS kicked off their summer learning initiative in early June, which features 10 weeks of themed programming along with a variety of free and educational resources designed for kids 2-8. The "Dinosaurs A-Z" programming special is being aired on July 8 and July 9 as part of this initiative, encouraging kids to practice the alphabet as they learn about the diversity of dinosaurs.

Here's the schedule (please check your local TV listings for specific times):

July 8
Part One: Dinosaurs A to Z The Big Idea
Part Two: Spread the Word

July 9
Part Three: Dinosaurs A to Z Classification
Part Four: Dinosaurs A to Z Picnic

These fun episodes begin aboard the Dinosaur Train where Tiny gets the idea to gather all the dinosaurs in the "Dinosaurs A to Z" song for a picnic at Troodon Town. The conductor agrees, and as the Train starts picking up dinosaurs, Tiny, Buddy, Shiny and Don, help keep track of how many of the different species have come on board. They learn about classification and organize the dinosaurs by their species, features, and size. When all 26 dinosaurs finally come on board, the Train has more extra cars than ever before and they need an additional engine to help pull it! Once they arrive at Troodon Town for the picnic, Tiny leads the 26 different "A to Z" dinosaurs in a fun, rousing, and historic singing of the "Dinosaurs A to Z" song!

Random House Children’s Books has kindly provided us with a review copy of Dinosaurs A to Z by Andrea Posner-Sanchez and illustrated by Terry Izumi. It's a colorful 30-page board book with padded cover. In the book, Buddy, Mr. Conductor, and the other Dinosaur Train characters from the hit PBS KIDS animated series introduce 26 dinosaurs, one for each letter of the alphabet. My son is super excited to find out what each dinosaur looked like, where it lived, what it ate, and what special traits it had. The names are mostly long, but luckily the book tells us how to pronounce them. The book is absolutely fun to read for both young children and their parents!

A great companion to the book is the Dinosaurs A to Z song--

You may download the lyrics here.

The Giveaway

The Jim Henson Company and Random House Children’s Books have generously offered to give one of my lucky readers a copy of Dinosaurs A to Z valued at $11.99!

Dinosaur Train Valentine's Day Giveaway: Dinosaur Train Make A Match Game

~~The giveaway is now CLOSED. Congrats to winner Christine!~~

Celebrate Valentine’s Day with Buddy and the entire Dinosaur Train clan! The Jim Henson Company is offering Dinosaur Train fans FREE access to exclusive Dinosaur Train Valentine’s Day cards. Feel free to download these adorable free cards and share them with your family and friends this Valentine's Day!

In addition, you may find the “perfect match” with the Dinosaur Train Make A Match game from Pressman Toy! Buddy and his friends sharpen children’s memory skills in this special matching game that features a Buddy figure. To begin play, 48 game cards featuring favorite Dinosaurs from Dinosaur Train are shuffled and laid face down in 6 rows of 8 cards each. Players take turns turning over any two cards—so all players can see them—to find a matching pair. The game features “Take Buddy” cards, “Wild Cards” and “Lose a Pair” cards to add to the excitement. Players count their matching card sets at the end and add extra points for the player holding Buddy to determine who wins. The Dinosaur Train Make A Match Game is for 2 to 4 players, ages 3 to 6, and is available at Toys “R” Us stores nationwide for just $9.99.

For more Valentine’s Day fun, please check out the new Flying with Buddy game that reinforces counting skills as Buddy collects seashells. Players use the mouse to control the flight of Buddy, Don and Tiny. Move the mouse UP and Buddy raises his legs, and Don and Tiny fly higher. Move the mouse DOWN and Don and Tiny fly lower, and Buddy reaches to grab the shells on the ground. After one minute of gameplay the characters return to their nest to count the treasures they collected. Ah yes, it's FREE too!

Don't forget to watch Dinosaur Train daily on PBS KIDS and visit the show's official website for more fun games and activities to help your kids learn through play!

The Giveaway

The Jim Hensen Company has generously offered to give one of my lucky readers a Dinosaur Train Make A Match game! I'm sure your little Dinosaur Train fan will have fun with it!

Required Entry: Leave a comment telling me who you would like to win this game for. (Please leave a valid email address in your comment or make sure one is visible in your blogger profile).

Extra Entries (optional): please make sure you do the required entry first! Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry, i.e. 1 comment=1 entry.

• "Like" Jim Hensen Company on Facebook and leave your FB name (1 extra entry)
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• "Like" Pressman Toy on Facebook and leave your FB name (1 extra entry)
• Follow Pressman Toy on Twitter and leave your Twitter handle (1 extra entry)
• Follow my blog publicly via Google Friends Connect (1 extra entry)
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• Follow Me on Twitter AND tweet the following message (1 extra entry per day) Yes! You may tweet once daily to increase your chances:

RT @luckytoddler #Win Dinosaur Train Make A Match Game @hensoncompany @pressmantoy! http://bit.ly/dtvdy #contest #giveaway #sweepstakes
Please leave the link to your tweet in your comment.

• Join itsThoughtful via this link and leave your user name (5 extra entries) New signups only. You must confirm your membership for your entry to count. 
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• Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post. Then leave the link in your comment (1 extra entry for mentioning this giveaway on your blog; 3 extra entries for a separate blog post).

Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm Central Time on 2/14/11

Open to US Residents Only

Winner will be chosen using random.org and will have 72 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Thanks for entering and good luck!

Disclosure: I did not receive any form of compensation for hosting this giveaway. Product description was provided by the PR agency. The sponsor will be solely responsible for shipping the prize directly to the winner.

Dinosaur Train Footed Pajamas Giveaway

~~The giveaway is now CLOSED~~

The all-new 2011 episode of the PBS Kids hit show Dinosaur Train premiered on Monday, January 17. Did you have a chance to watch it? Dinosaur Train is certainly my son's favorite TV series. He keeps humming the theme song every day!

In the new episode “The Good Mom:Diamond Anniversary”, Mrs. Pteranodon meets fellow mom Millie Maiasaura, who is a little too over-protective of her kids. The two moms share some time comparing mothering methods in a play date at the Big Pond. And, Mr. and Mrs. Pteranodon decide to surprise each other with gifts on their anniversary.

The new character Maiasaura, which means "good mother lizard", was a large duck-billed dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous. There is evidence that Maisaura lived in large nesting colonies and that the parents diligently cared for their young.

In the meantime, you may find the all-new “Dinosaur Train™ Striped Footed Pajamas” at Kohl's. They are exactly what a “good mom” dresses her toddlers in to keep them warm and cozy during the winter months! The dinosaur appliques and striped pattern on these footed pajamas offer timeless touches, and the footed design keep toes toasty. They are available in sizes 2T-5T, with a SRP of $26.00.

If you missed the TV broadcast of “The Good Mom: Diamond Anniversary” you can view it on PBS.org. Don't forget to check out the online games and activities while you are there.

The Giveaway

The Jim Hensen Company, producer of Dinosaur Train, has generously offered to give one of my lucky readers a set of Dinosaur Train Striped Footed Pajamas in size 3T! I'm sure your little Dinosaur Train fan will love it.

Required Entry: Leave a comment telling me what you like best about the show or what Dinosaur Train themed products you already own. (Please leave a valid email address in your comment or make sure one is visible in your blogger profile).

Extra Entries (optional): please make sure you do the required entry first! Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry, i.e. 1 comment=1 entry.

• "Like" Jim Hensen Company on Facebook and leave your FB name (1 extra entry)
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• Follow my blog publicly via Google Friends Connect (1 extra entry)
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• Follow Me on Twitter AND tweet the following message (1 extra entry per day) Yes! You may tweet once daily to increase your chances:

RT @luckytoddler #Win adorable Dinosaur Train Pajamas @hensoncompany @pbskids! http://bit.ly/dtsfp #contest #giveaway #sweepstakes
Please leave the link to your tweet in your comment.

• Join itsThoughtful via this link and leave your user name (3 extra entries) New signups only. You must confirm your membership for your entry to count. 
• "Like" me on Facebook and leave your name (1 extra entry)
• Follow me on Networked Blogs and leave your name (1 extra entry)
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• Grab my button and tell me where to find it (1 extra entry)
• Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post. Then leave the link in your comment (1 extra entry for mentioning this giveaway on your blog; 3 extra entries for a separate blog post).

Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm Central Time on 2/4/11

Open to US Residents Only

Winner will be chosen using random.org and will have 72 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Thanks for entering and good luck!

Disclosure: I did not receive any form of compensation for hosting this giveaway. Product description was provided by the PR agency. The sponsor will be solely responsible for shipping the prize directly to the winner.

Get Ready For Kindergarten Month with Dinosaur Train Huge Prize Pack Giveaway

~~The giveaway is now CLOSED~~

August is “Get Ready for Kindergarten Month." To celebrate, The Jim Henson Company has provided some fun activity ideas on the Dinosaur Train website for parents to ease the stress of this momentous first day and help their children learn some basic preschool level science concepts. Here are a few examples:

• Help your child practice the letters of the alphabet while learning about the diversity of dinosaurs that once lived on Earth with the “Dinosaurs A – Z song.” 
• Help your child learn some basic insect anatomy by creating a model of a dragonfly, and learn that some animals seen in the world today also lived at the time of the dinosaurs.
• Help your child understand and apply the term "hypothesis," investigate and make predictions about the science of color, using household basics including food coloring, clean food jars/containers, colored markers and a cookie sheet.

The company has also offered some “Get ready for Kindergarten” shopping ideas for play, learning and fun(available at major retailers).

DINO TRAIN T-REX BACKPACK FROM ACCESSORIES 22: The DINOSAUR TRAIN 16” backpack features our favorite T-rex Buddy. It also features adjustable padded shoulder straps and 3 easy zippered compartments making it great to carry DINOSAUR TRAIN toys and school supplies as well as mesh side pockets for markers, pencils, etc. The glossy Buddy appliqué makes Buddy virtually come alive on both the blue and brown styles. This is a definite back-to-school must have for any DINOSAUR TRAIN fan! MSRP $14.99

DINOSAUR TRAIN I AM A T-REX FROM GROSSETT & DUNLAP: Buddy has spent his whole life in a pteranodon nest. He knows he's not a pteranodon, but he's not sure what he is. When his family decides to visit a new stop on the DINOSAUR TRAIN, Buddy finally learns the truth. He's a T-rex! This simple storybook is the perfect introduction to the world of DINOSAUR TRAIN! Ages 3 and up. MSRP $3.99

TRICERATOPS FOR LUNCH BY GOLDEN BOOKS; ILLUSTRATED BY CALEB MEURER
A Little Golden Book about Dinosaur Train! The Triceratops are coming over for lunch. Do you serve them plants or fish? That's what Buddy and his dinosaur siblings need to figure out before Tank and Trudie Triceratops arrive at the train station. This Little Golden Book retells an episode of the new PBS Kids animated series Dinosaur Train. It explains to young readers the difference between herbivores and carnivores—so that the next time you're dining with a dino, you'll know what to expect! Ages 2-5; MSRP $3.99

DINOSAUR TRAIN TAKE ‘N’ PLAY ANYWHERE™ GO FISHING™ MAGNETIC ACTIVITY FROM PATCH PRODUCTS: Now kids can help Buddy and his family catch fish! They’ll practice hand-eye coordination and matching skills as they use the magnetic fishing pole to grab fish and try to land them in just the right spot. DINOSAUR TRAIN Go Fishing teaches cooperation, trial and error, or listening to and following instructions. Take ‘N’ Play Anywhere activities feature big magnetic pieces that are easy for kids to use and hard for kids to lose! Ages 4 and up; MSRP $9.99

DINOSAUR TRAIN DINOSAUR COLLECTIBLE 3-PACKS FROM LEARNING CURVE: Perfect for hours of imaginative dinosaur play, these 3-packs feature three detailed DINOSAUR TRAIN character figures and a special collector card. The 3-pack figures can be enjoyed separately or can fit inside train cars (sold separately) for more role play fun. The 3-packs are currently available in the following sets: Mrs. Pteranodon, Shiny & Derek; Mr. Pteranodon, Don & Velma; Boris, Annie & Pete; Dolores, Ollie & Oren. Ages 3 and up; MSRP $7.99

DINOSAUR TRAIN ALL ABOARD GAME FROM PRESSMAN TOY CORP: Join Buddy and his friends on the DINOSAUR TRAIN! Choose a character – Buddy, Tiny, Shiny, Don, Cory, Tank or Mr. Conductor – and try to move the fastest along the tracks. Speed through the three dinosaur eras: Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous along the beautiful scenery. Special Stopwatch spaces will help you get closer to the nest, while Dinosaur Crossing spaces will send you back. The first player to reach the nest area in the center of the board wins. For 2 to 6 players; Ages 4 and up; MSRP $12.00

The Giveaway

The Jim Henson Company has generously offered to give one of my lucky readers a back-to-school prize pack including all the Dinosaur Train themed products featured in this post!  That's a $52.95 value!

Required Entry:  Visit Dinosaur Train website, and leave a comment telling me your or your child's favorite game or activity on the site. (Please leave a valid email address in your comment or make sure one is visible in your blogger profile).

Extra Entries (optional): please make sure you do the required entry first! Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry, i.e. 1 comment=1 entry.

• Enter the Dinosaur Train DVD giveaway (1 extra entry)
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• Follow Me on Twitter AND tweet the following message (1 extra entry per day) Yes! You may tweet once daily to increase your chances:

RT @luckytoddler #BackToSchool #giveaway! Win a Dinosaur Train Prize Pack! A $53 value! http://bit.ly/dtgrkm #PBSKids #DinosaurTrain
Please leave the link to your tweet in your comment.

• Join Crowtap via this link and leave your registered name (1 extra entry)
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• Blog about this giveaway and link back to Dinosaur Train and Me. Then leave the link in your comment (1 extra entry for mentioning this giveaway on your blog; 3 extra entries for a separate blog post).

Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm Central Time on 9/1/10

Open to US Residents Only

Winners will be chosen using random.org and will have 72 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Thanks for entering and good luck!

Disclosure: I did not receive any form of compensation for writing this post and the sponsor will be solely responsible for shipping the prize directly to the winner.

Dinosaur Train: Dinosaurs Under the Sea DVD Giveaway

~~The giveaway is now CLOSED~~

This Friday, August 20, PBS KIDS® will premiere Dinosaur Train Under the Sea, a new one-hour television special from the hit CGI-animated preschool series DINOSAUR TRAIN™ from The Jim Henson Company. Children of all ages can join Buddy, a preschool-aged Tyrannosaurus Rex, and his adoptive family of Pteranodons aboard the Dinosaur Train as they embark on their first underwater adventure to meet all kinds of dinosaurs in different eras and learn fascinating new facts about these incredible aquatic creatures.

In addition to the new special episode, PBS KIDS and Paramount Home Entertainment will release the Dinosaur Train: Dinosaurs Under the Sea on DVD on August 24. The DVD includes eight entertaining and educational adventures, as well as interactive games, coloring pages, a dinosaur reference guide and information for parents. The DVD runs 120 minutes and has a suggested retail price of $14.99.

The Giveaway

The Jim Henson Company has generously offered to give one of my lucky readers a free Dinosaur Train: Dinosaurs Under the Sea DVD! Be among the first to watch the new show!

Required Entry:  Leave a comment telling me your favorite Dinosaur Train Character. If you haven't seen the show before, you may meet the characters here. (Please leave a valid email address in your comment or make sure one is visible in your blogger profile).

Extra Entries (optional): please make sure you do the required entry first! Please leave a separate comment for each extra entry, i.e. 1 comment=1 entry.

• Vote for me here daily (1 extra entry per day)
• Vote for me here daily (1 extra entry per day) Different from above! 
• Follow my blog publicly (1 extra entry)
• Subscribe to my feed via email and leave your email address (1 extra entry)
• Follow Me on Twitter AND tweet the following message (1 extra entry per day) Yes! You may tweet once daily to increase your chances:

RT @luckytoddler #DVD #giveaway! Win a Dinosaur Train: Dinosaurs Under the Sea DVD! http://bit.ly/dtsea #PBSKids #DinosaurTrain
Please leave the link to your tweet in your comment.

• Join Crowtap via this link and leave your registered name (1 extra entry)
• Sign up at EZWin via this link and leave me your username on the site (3 extra entries)
• Print this Morton Salt coupon and leave the email your used (1 extra entry)
• "Like" me on Facebook and leave your name (1 extra entry)
• Follow me on Networked Blogs and leave your name (1 extra entry)
• Add me as your friend on Facebook and leave your name (1 extra entry)
• Make a purchase at eShakti using discount code "icefairy123" (10 extra entries)
• Grab my button and tell me where to find it (1 extra entry)
• Add icefairy's Treasure Chest to your blogroll and leave the link (1 extra entry)
• Blog about this giveaway and link back to this post. Then leave the link in your comment (1 extra entry for mentioning this giveaway on your blog; 3 extra entries for a separate blog post).

Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm Central Time on 8/26/10

Open to US Residents Only

Winners will be chosen using random.org and will have 72 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen.

Thanks for entering and good luck!

Disclosure: I received a screener copy of the TV special, but wasn't able to watch it due to technical difficulties. No monetary compensation was offered and the sponsor will be solely responsible for shipping the prize directly to the winner.