PBS Kids Dinosaur Train TV Show Review
Kids TV Program Teaching Children Science & Critical Thinking Skills
Sep 13, 2009
PBS Kids Dinosaur Train, the new CGI-animated series from The Jim Henson Company, is an educational tv show designed to help preschoolers develop an interest in science. Its prehistoric characters, such as Tiny the Pteranodon and her adopted brother Buddy the Tyrannosaurus Rex, model scientific thinking skills, critical thinking skills, and an interest in paleontology while time traveling between the periods of the Mesozoic era on an exciting dinosaur train.
From watching the animated segments about the characters' adventures exploring their prehistoric world and the live action segments starring Dr. Scott the paleontologist, preschool viewers ages 3 to 6 will learn about dinosaurs and see examples of how to use the science skills and critical thinking skills necessary to think like a scientist and do well in science class.
Dinosaur Train Educational TV Show on PBS Kids
This educational tv show about dinosaurs follows the adventures Buddy and Tiny have in their own Cretaceous Period and while traveling with their mother, Mrs. Pteranodon, to other stops along the route of the time-traveling dinosaur train. Mr. Conductor, the troodon who runs the Dinosaur Train, serves as both a teacher and a friend to the young dinosaur and flying reptile as they make discoveries about their prehistoric environment.
The plots of the computer-animated segments focus on different dinosaur species or other aspects of life in the prehistoric world. Each story is followed by a live action segment hosted by Dr. Scott Sampson (a dinosaur paleontologist who serves as the paleontology consultant for Dinosaur Train), in which Dr. Scott reteaches and expands upon the science content that has just been introduced.
Teaching Children Science as They Learn About Dinosaurs
Buddy and Tiny want to learn about dinosaurs, plant life, and other aspects of their world. From watching Buddy and Tiny meet other dinosaurs and observe, discuss, and compare their features, preschoolers will learn basic science content knowledge about prehistoric animals and plants. The makers of Dinosaur Train hope that by teaching children science knowledge about dinosaurs and the prehistoric world, they will provide preschoolers with the foundation necessary to be able and motivated to continue to explore the fields of life science, natural science, and paleontology.
Dr. Scott helps this learning goal by using his segments to highlight what viewers should have just learned about prehistoric creatures and the Mesozoic era. For example, he shows diagrams of each creature being discussed and has children repeat the names to emphasize the correct pronunciation of each scientific term. He also reviews what Tiny and Buddy have just learned about the creature and then models how to compare and contrast features of prehistoric creatures with those of live animals from the present.
Teaching Science Process Skills and Critical Thinking Skills
This educational PBS Kids show also focuses on teaching science process skills and critical thinking skills. As the PBS parents Web site describes it, the Dinosaur Train characters model "asking questions, making observations, making predictions, making connections, forming hypotheses / developing possible explanations, investigating and exploring the natural world, drawing conclusions, and sharing findings with others."
Over and over Tiny is shown asking "Why?" and Buddy is shown forming a hypothesis, or "an idea you can test." They compare their features with those of other dinosaurs and are always seeking answers to new questions about the world around them. Specifically, Buddy and Tiny's actions introduce skills related to the scientific process such as observing, classifying, inferring, collecting and interpreting data, and especially forming and testing a hypothesis. The two young dinosaurs also model critical thinking skills such as generating ideas, expressing ideas, applying what they have learned in one situation to another situation, and using everything they have learned to solve problems.
Dinosaur Train Can Teach Social Skills
Along with teaching scientific thinking and science skills, Dinosaur Train can also teach social skills to preschoolers. Various episodes cover themes like accepting one's features and appreciating the way one dinosaur differs from another, the importance of teamwork and figuring out how to use one's unique talents to work together to solve problems, and learning how to deal with times when one friend feels left out. Watching how Tiny and Buddy interact with their siblings Shiny and Don and with the different dinosaurs they meet can teach children interpersonal skills that will help them interact more easily with their own siblings and peers.
Dinosaur Train Review
Overall, Dinosaur Train combines a clever, engaging premise with an episode form that follows a set pattern to present new information to capture preschoolers' attention and teach them paleontology and scientific thinking skills in manageable chunks. Teachers and parents that wish to extend the learning can visit the PBS Parents and PBS Teachers Web sites to find preschool science activities that are themed to connect to material from Dinosaur Train episodes.
Preschoolers interested in kids tv programs for teaching the scientific method may also like Busytown Mysteries (Hurray for Huckle), while Disney's Little Einsteins is another preschool educational tv show that models problem solving techniques.
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