All Aboard the Dinosaur Train

On Monday, the brand new show Jim Henson's Dinosaur Train airs on Nick Jr in the UK.  Dinosaur Train is set in a whimsically realistic pre-historic world of jungles, swamps and volcanoes.  The show stars Buddy, a little T-Rex whose egg accidentally ended up in a Pteranodon's nest.  Adopted and loved, as one of the Pteranodon family, Buddy goes in search of his species, helped by his Mum and his siblings Shiny, Tiny and Don.  Buddy is intelligent, curious and questions the world around him.

Image from Nick Jr

Together, the family rides the Dinosaur Train in search of answers to Buddy's questions.  Buddy comes up with a hypothesis and with help from the conductor, his mum, other passengers on the train and the dinosaurs he meets at their destination, Buddy discovers answers and explores his ideas.  They have fun adventures as they explore different species of dinosaur and learn about their lives, similarities and differences.  The train can travel anywhere and anywhen!

This programme is aimed at 3-6 year olds and is really educational.  Made in conjunction with palaeontologists, science teachers and early years' education experts, it does not patronise little ones.  Instead it encourages scientific thinking and an interest in natural science.

We have had a sneaky peek at the first two episodes of the series.  I have to admit, I learned some things that I didn't know about dinosaurs!!  Have you heard of a Stygimoloch?? Freddy enjoyed the antics of the Pteranodon triplets and their adopted T-Rex brother.  The theme tune is really catchy and the animation is appealing.  This show revolutionizes how children learn about dinosaurs with detailed science delivered perfectly for kids!