CELEBRATE THE GREAT AMERICAN BACKYARD CAMPOUT INITIATIVE WITH DINOSAUR TRAIN AND PENGUIN YOUNG READERS GROUP (Review)

 

Join the Dinosaur Train Nature Tracker’s Club for FREE for fun activities to enjoy while camping out!

DINOSAUR TRAIN’s “Buddy” supports “The Great American Backyard Campout” initiative, organized by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), coming up on June 23.  The campaign is devised to remind parents and children the importance and benefits of spending time outdoors.  To celebrate, The Jim Henson Company has teamed up with Penguin Young Readers Group to offer me a chance to review two of their latest Dinosaur Train books, Dinosaur Campout and Ride with Buddy with Savannah.

“Nature,” as part of childhood, has changed to not having much nature in it at all.  The NWF provides some interesting facts about just how much times have changed, and the implications of spending less time outdoors.  Did you know, for example:

•       Children are spending half as much time outdoors as they did 20 years ago. (Juster et al 2004); (Burdette & Whitaker 2005); (Kuo & Sullivan 2001)

•       Today, kids 8-18 years old devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes using entertainment media in a typical day (more than 53 hours a week). (Kaiser Family Foundation)

•       In a typical week, only 6% of children ages 9-13 play outside on their own. (Children & Nature Network, 2008)

•       Children who play outside are more physically active, more creative in their play, less aggressive and show better concentration. (Burdette and Whitaker, 2005; Ginsburg et al., 2007)

•       Sixty minutes of daily unstructured free play is essential to children’s physical and mental health. (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2008)

•       The most direct route to caring for the environment as an adult is participating in “wild nature activities” before the age of 11. (Wells and Lekies, 2006)

Be a part of the NWF’s “Great American Backyard Campout” and set an example for children that will get them excited about the great outdoors!  

You can participate in the campaign by registering for FREE at http://www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Great-American-Backyard-Campout.aspx.   Whether or not you can participate on June 23, the website provides FREE helpful information to make your camping experience a fun one, including campfire recipes, nocturnal wildlife guides, campfire songs and games, nature activities and much more.

Buddy and the clan from Dinosaur Train want to ensure you’ll have some extra fun during your campout with these latest books from Penguin Young Readers Group.

In Dinosaur Campout, The Pteranodon family is going on a campout! This adorable 8 x 8 is perfect for a first camping trip or night away from home. (SRP: $3.99).

And in Ride with Buddy, Buddy introduces readers to his friends and family on the Dinosaur Train. This Level 2 reader is perfect for young fans who are starting to read on their own.

And don’t forget to download Dinosaur Train’s Nature Trackers Club Guide Book, available here, filled with fun activities that you can also enjoy during your campout.  The Dinosaur Train Nature Tracker’s Club is a community of young children, their families and educators committed to learning about nature and doing good things for their environment.   Nature Trackers 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. When you have completed all four activities in the Guide Book, simply mail in the form provided in the download and receive an official Nature Trackers member token!

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My Thoughts:

 

Savannah had a blast flipping through new new Dinosaur Train books, we received the other day.  And, they have quickly become bedtime book favorites. :-)   Even though Savannah is too young for camping out in the backyard, she had a campout last night, when it too hot and muggy in her bedroom, due to the heat wave we are having here in New England.  My husband rolled out sleeping bags and made a fort for them to sleep under.  And, after he finished reading both Dinosaur Train books to her, she was fast asleep, as the AC blew cold air on her face. It is hard to say which of the two books is her favorite, as she totes them both around wherever she goes, and has us read both to her.

And, if you are not familiar with the Dinosaur Train Nature Tracker’s Club, you really need to check it out and sign up for this FREE and fun, family-geared club.  We have been participating for the past two months and love being able to get out into nature and explore, while teaching Savannah about the environment, all while instilling a love of adventure and the great outdoors with her. 

Don't forget to:

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Penguin Young Readers

Penguin Young Readers Groupwww.penguin.com/youngreaders
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www.youtube.com/penguinyoungreaders

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