Thursday, November 8, 2012

Celebrate Thanksgiving with Buddy and friends from Dinosaur Train! “PJ’s, Slippers and Holiday Book” Review




"Crispness can be felt in the cool autumn breeze, signaling that Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  In addition to kick-starting the holiday season and gathering the family together, Thanksgiving is also a wonderful way to introduce your youngsters to different foods and healthy eating habits as well as family traditions and the customs that mark the various holidays’ celebrations.

As you prepare for your family’s Thanksgiving dinner, involve your child with the menu planning and shopping list. This experience can reinforce counting and basic math skills, provides a visual example of how we can combine things to make something totally different, and can also be used to invite picky eaters to try new foods.

In fact, the Dinosaur Train webpage has a fun family project called Hungry Herbivores (http://www.pbs.org/parents/dinosaurtrain/activities/hungry-herbivores/) that can be used to construct a Thanksgiving dinner for modern day animals that enjoy a plant-based diet (herbivores). This fun project can also be used to encourage your child to eat Thanksgiving dishes like squash, green beans and other vegetables, just like the animals in the project.

One Thanksgiving tradition that is practiced in many homes throughout the nation is the expression of gratitude. As you sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, take a moment to go around the table and ask everyone to share what they are thankful for, young and old alike. The responses can sometimes surprise you, and often remind us of the little things we forget over the course of a year.
You can also use post-Thanksgiving dinnertime to discuss plans for the rest of the holiday season. Put the young ones in some cozy Dinosaur Train themed pajamas and slippers and read one of the many holiday-themed stories that they love:

Dinosaur Train Buddy & Pteranodon Friends Pajamas from American Marketing Enterprises (AME)


SRP: $20.00 This style available at: webundies.com, with alternative styles,including the Dinosaur Train Infant & Toddler Boy's Footed Pajamas at Kmart and Kmart.com. 

Now your little guy can get comfy with Buddy, the curious T-Rex and his Pteranodon pals Shiny, Tiny & Don! The pajama bottoms have an all-over print of Tiny posing on some prehistoric leaves in a primitive camouflage. The short-sleeve top features the dingo friends with contrasting sleeves. These 100% polyester pajamas are flame resistant for safety. Covered waistband. Machine Washable; Easy Care. Imported. Sizes 2T, 3T, 4T.

Dinosaur Train Infant & Toddler Boy's Footed Pajamas from American Marketing Enterprises (AME)
SRP: $14.99. 

Available at Kmart and Kmart.com

Little ones will love to stomp around and roar in dreamland adventures when they wear these adorable infant and toddler boy's footie pajamas from Dinosaur Train. These cozy, colorful pajamas are made of soft fleece and have an easy zip closure, and non-skid footed bottoms. These 100% polyester pajamas are flame resistant for safety. Sizes: 12 months, 18 Months, 2T, 3T, 4T, 5T. 

Dinosaur Train Buddy the T-Rex Toddler Boys Moccasin Blue Slippers from Wiesner Products Inc.

SRP: $18.00
Available at: amazon.com


Perfect for any Dinosaur Train fan, these Buddy the T-Rex moccasin slippers feature cuddly soft uppers and an appliqué of Buddy with interesting T Rex facts. The thick, padded soles
are covered in a striped material with textured nubs for slip resistance. Sizes S, M, L.

Dinosaur Train "Buddy & Tiny" Black Toddler Boys Sock-Top Slippers from Wiesner Products Inc.

SRP: $16.00
Available at: amazon.com

It's always a learning adventure on the Dinosaur Train! Buddy and Tiny are featured on these adorable Dinosaur Train "Buddy & Tiny" sock top slippers. Cuddly and soft, the slippers feature ribbed knit cuffs and soft plush uppers with an exciting image of Buddy and Tiny on the toe. Textured soles are slip resistant. Perfect for any Dinosaur Train fan! Sizes S, M, L. 

A Holiday with Buddy, a new paperback from Penguin Young Readers Group!


This colorful 32-page paperback book is great for read-aloud holiday fun as it follows Buddy and his family on their search for the biggest Cretaceous conifers, better known to us as Christmas trees, they can find to decorate for the holiday. 

The story is guaranteed to get everyone in the holiday spirit (and makes a wonderful holiday gift, too) and can be used to discuss when your family will decorate your home for the holidays and the significance of those decorations. For ages 3 and up. MSRP: $3.99. Available wherever books are sold.

ALL NEW EPISODES

And coming up at PBS Kids on December 10 is a week of all-new episodes. New characters will be introduced – The Grandparents! Have your little ones snuggle up in their PJ’s and Slippers with the entire family to watch these fabulous new episodes! On December 10 tune in to PBS KIDS for “Tiny and the Crocodile”/“Meet the Grandparents” and on December 11 for “The Egg Stealer?”/ “To Grandparents Nest We Go!” the new episodes continue on December 12 with “Double-Crested Trouble”/“Erma and the Conductor” and “Dome-Headed Dinosaur”/”Treasure Hunt” on December 13.

Tiny and the Crocodile/Meet the Grandparents
Team Pteranodon travels to Dienosuchas Swamp to meet Deanna Dienosuchas, a 40 foot crocodile with many big teeth, and a crabby attitude. Tiny leads the way to warm up Deanna who turns out to be more friendly and less scary than our kids imagined. 

The Pteranodon kids have special visitors – their Grandma and Grandpa!  The kids delight in realizing they share similar traits with their grandparents (laughs, expressions, and interests), and love showing Grandma and Grandpa around the nest area and playing some games they all like.



The Egg Stealer?/To Grandparents' Nest We Go!

Buddy and Don stumble upon a mystery when they find unhatched eggs on their beach,
The mystery grows when some of the eggs are stolen. Don and Buddy become detectives and suspect that maybe Tiny, Shiny, or other friends may be stealing the eggs. They’re not. Soon, all the kids join in to solve the mystery, as they figure out that the eggs belong to an over-protective, caring mom named Olivia Oviraptor who is just trying to keep her eggs safe. 

Buddy, Tiny, Shiny, and Don have fun spending a special day with their retired Grandma and Grandpa at their cliffside nest.  The kids get to see things from their Dad’s childhood nature collection, and afterwards they play games and fish with Grandma and Grandpa."

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My Thoughts:

If you follow my blog, then you know that my daughter, Savannah, goes crazy for the hit PBS Kids show, Dinosaur Train.  She was even Tiny for Halloween. :-)  But, what made her week was receiving a package in the mail that contained a pair of Dinosaur Train pajamas and slippers.  You would think that she would have pajamas and slippers, being such a huge fan, but I could never find them in the girls' aisle at the stores.  And, the ones that were offered for boys never came in her petite size. :-)  I am surprised at this as this animated series appeals to both boys and girls.  Yes, girls get excited about dinosaurs, too -- thanks in part to Dinosaur Train.

So, when I received the goodies for Savannah, I couldn't wait to show her.  As soon as she saw the slippers, she blurted out "cool shoes."  Then, when she saw the pajamas she began singing her rendition of Dinosaur Train theme song -- well, she kept repeating "Dinosaur Train --Choo Choo --- close enough. :-)

Just look how cute my daughter looked decked out in her dinosaur train pajamas and slippers:


Isn't she cute?  I think she could be a spokesperson for Dinosaur Train and show that even girls love this show, just as much as little boys do. Even though I loved seeing Savannah get excited about her new outfit -- yes, she chose to wear it all day and fought to keep it on for bedtime -- which Daddy gave in and let her wear -- slippers and all :-), my favorite part of the goodie package we received was the holiday storybook.  After I dressed Savannah in her new outfit/pajamas, her little sister woke up from her afternoon nap.  And, like always, she shouted, "Sissa's awake," letting me know to go and get her.  Savannah always runs ahead to great her in her crib, and this day was no different.  She couldn't wait to show off her Dinosaur Train pajamas.  "Sissa, Dinosaur Train, Choo Choo, Tiny and Dawn," she shouted, as she pointed to her shirt and slippers. :-)  I wish I captured that on video.  But, the best part  happened next.  After I brought Arabella out into the living room, Savannah ran and grabbed the new book, and sat next to her little sister and read it to her.  Well, she didn't actually read it to her, but she used her secret sister language and babbled on about the illustrations, as she flipped the pages.  They both sat there side by side, not only enjoying each other company, but enjoying Savannah's rendition of the story.  The bonus for them came at the end of the book, when Savannah stumbled upon a page of stickers -- her favorite.  And, for the next half hour, they decorated our wall, which has become Savannah's sticker album, and admired their new Dinosaur Train stickers.

With the holidays fast approaching, I can't wait to pick up additional Dinosaur Train pajamas for the girls.  I was excited to see that they are available in Arabella's size, too.  Now they can sit together and watch the new episodes airing in December of one of heir favorite PBS Kids shows, while decked out in their Dinosaur Train attire. :-)

Why not surprise your little Dinosaur Train fan (boy or girl) with a pair of pajamas or slippers this holiday season?  I can only imagine how excited they will get, after seeing how Savannah reacted.  Now every morning she gets out of bed and puts on her cool shoes. :-)

    
Disclosure: I was sent samples from the vendor in order to write up an honest review.  The views above are mine and mine alone. 

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