TKD Kid Review: Time For Kids Dinosaurs 3D Book

Thank you to Time For Kids for providing a complimentary book sample for us to base this review upon. All opinions expressed are my own.

Time For Kids Dinosaurs 3D is an incredible 3D book.  A 3D book is book that you need 3D glasses to look at the pictures.  The book may or may not have 3D words.  I own another 3D book by Time For Kids called Time For Kids Zoo 3D.

This book is about all the kinds of dinosaurs, where they lived, when they lived, and how they died.  One of my favorite pages is the one about the Spinosaurus.  This page is one of my favorites because it has a really cool picture.  I like the picture because in 3D it looks almost real, especially the trees and plants.

The page about the Tyrannosaurus Rex is also one of my favorites.  This page is one of my favorites because there are some really cool facts.  Some of the cool facts are that the T-Rex was one of the fiercest hunters that ever lived and it may have croaked like a bullfrog.

The 3D effects in Time For Kids Dinosaur 3D is amazing!  The 3D images are much better than the images in Zoo 3D.  It's fun to read the book with a friend because the book comes with two pairs of 3D glasses.  I have one complaint about the book . . . the packaging for the 3D glasses keeps ripping when I put the glasses back in because it is made out of paper.

I think this book would be great for kids 7 to 11 years old.  It would also be good for classrooms.

New Episodes of Dinosaur Train Are Headed Your Way

Dinosaur Train is an Emmy-nominated educational show on PBS Kids about a family of dinosaurs who encourage preschoolers to get off their couches and explore the world. Created by The Jim Henson Company, Dinosaur Train has been entertaining millions of children since its debut in 2009. Its mission is to introduce children to paleontology and discovery.

The kids here and I really love watching Dinosaur Train on PBS and can’t wait for the new season, beginning Monday, November 14th. We can’t wait to see what adventures lay ahead for Buddy, Shiny, Tiny, and Don. We will also be joining the Nature Trackers Club to get free activities and receive a free Dinosaur Train surprise. If you love Dinosaur Train, check out their website to get that information and make sure to tune in to the new season of Dinosaur Train on PBS Kids beginning this week.

Giveaway & Review: Dinosaur Park 3-Dimensional Wooden Toy Play Set (ARV $60) [CLOSED]

My children have always thought that dinosaurs were . . . okay.  They hardly played with the few dinosaur toys we have owned in the past, even the battery-operated ones.  So I was a little hesitant to review the Dinosaur Park Play Set from Constructive Playthings.  Although it looked like it would be a cool toy for any dinosaur fan, I wondered what my children's reaction would be.

It turns out the way this toy is designed makes it interesting to my children.  The wooden structure creates a 3-dimensional terrain that is unlike anything they currently own.  I believe it really sparked their imaginations because they are now not limited to acting out stories on a flat surface.

(Click any image to enlarge)

The Dinosaur Park Play Set comes with a laminated cardboard mat, which serves as the ground.  Also in the box were wooden pieces, some printed on one side only and some on both, that were carefully packed to protect the images.  There were also 12 individually wrapped plastic dinosaurs of various types and sizes and printed instructions for assembling the structure.

This toy is recommended for children ages 3 and up, but an adult or an older child would need to assemble the wooden structure, especially if you would like it to appear exactly as pictured on the box.  The assembly itself was not difficult, but you do have to be able to match the many pieces up with the printed instructions.  What I like about this toy is that the structure completely disassembles and can be stored away in the box it came in.  This would not be true if this structure had been built of molded plastic.  If you do have the space to leave this play set out all the time, then you may want to consider permanently gluing the pieces together to avoid any of them getting lost.  The pieces can be slid apart somewhat easily by a child.

Ultimately, my children enjoy playing with this toy.  It does raise their interest in dinosaurs slightly, but I do believe that soon, there will be little green army men and Star Wars action figures joining these dinosaurs in their adventures.

You can purchase the Dinosaur Park Play Set and many more imaginative toys on CPToy.com .  Currently as a 3G2S reader, you can save 15% off your entire Constructive Playthings purchase by clicking on the animated button on my sidebar.

Thank you to Constructive Playthings for providing a complimentary product sample for us to base this review upon and for providing a second product as our contest prize.

What you can win:
One lucky reader will receive a Dinosaur Park Play Set (ARV $60).

Limitations:
This giveaway is open to U.S. & Canadian entries only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address and be age 18 years or older. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.

How to Gain Entries:

Browse the selection of toys offered by CPToy.com by clicking the button below. Then leave a comment telling me the name of a toy your child would love to receive (aside from the toy reviewed in this article). You MUST do this to be eligible to win this contest.

Extra Entries:

1)  For 5 extra entries, leave a relevant comment on one of my non-giveaway posts. Then leave FIVE separate comments with the name of the post on which you commented. You will earn 5 extra entries for each different non-contest post you comment on.


2)  For 5 extra entries, enter one of my other contests. Leave FIVE separate comments here telling me which contest you entered. You will earn 5 extra entries for each contest you enter.

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6)  Follow me on Twitter. Then leave a separate comment with the link to your Twitter profile.

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(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)


Random Drawing:

This contest will be closed on Monday, February 7th, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.

Good luck in the drawing!

Review: Dino Squad & Prima Princessa DVDs

Easter is only one week away! If you still need some last minute items to fill those baskets, here are two affordable DVDs for that special little boy or girl. Neither of these DVDs are mainstream, so they won't be just more of the same. Also, these DVDs will interest grade school-aged children who can be difficult to buy for sometimes.

The DVD Dino Squad: Mutant Mayhem was my 6yr old son's first experience with this show, which had aired for two years on television. He actually did not want to watch this DVD after seeing the cover because he thought it looked scary. I told him that I would stop the DVD if he found it to be too frightening, so he decided to give it a go. It turned out that this DVD was right up his alley. It was about teenagers who turned into dinosaurs in order to capture and revert mutant dinosaurs back into their original animal forms to the dismay of the villain Veloci who was attempting to create a mutant army.

When I first found out that the main characters were seventeen, I was concerned that the show would not be appropriate for a 6yr old. After watching Dino Squad with my son, I realized that there is nothing about the three episodes on this 66-minute DVD that was inappropriate for a child my son's age. I think this DVD would be perfect for children ages 6 to 10.

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The next one is from a dance DVD series my children are already familiar with . Last fall, I introduced them to Prima Princessa Presents: The Nutcracker. Both of our twins (a boy and a girl) enjoyed that DVD very much, so they were happy to oblige when I invited them to watch Prima Princessa Presents: Swan Lake with me.

This DVD intermingles clips from the Paris Opera Ballet's performance of Swan Lake with mini dance lessons demonstrated by the School of American Ballet. Narrated by the animated fairy Prima Princessa, your child will learn basic ballet moves, such as the pirouette, jete, and pas de chat, right along with the adorable Prima Princessa ballerinas.

Just as with the last one, the twins just enjoyed dancing around with the DVD playing in the background. Once in awhile they would stop to see what ballet steps were being demonstrated and then would attempt to mimic them. My 6yr old son watched this DVD along with us. He did not dance, but he did pay attention to the performance by the Paris Opera Ballet and tried to follow the story of Swan Lake as acted out by the dancers. Although preschoolers enjoy the Prima Princessa series, I think it would interest children 6 years and older the most as far as acting as a stepping stone towards taking ballet classes.

Currently you can find Dino Squad DVDs and Prima Princessa DVDs at NCircleEntertainment.com for just $5.99 each. You can also look for both at other select retailers of children's DVDs.

Thank you to NCircle Entertainment for sending us these sample DVDs free of charge to base this review upon.

Roaring Red Reptile

This is a Playskool interactive toy dinosaur named Monty Rex. Our nearly 3yr old daughter is somewhat afraid of it because he has those large daunting teeth and a ferocious roar. I personally think he has a different deameanor depending on the angle from which you look at him. Sometimes I think he looks threatening, but other times he looks playful and happy . . . well, as happy as a dinosaur with big teeth can look.

If you'd like to see more Ruby Tuesday photos, go visit Mary at Work of the Poet!

Review: Playskool Dino-Roars Monty Rex

The latest member of our menagerie is just as noisy and playful as the rest, except he never makes a mess and does not cost a fortune to feed. Of course we all know that dinosaurs are extinct, but this Dino-Roars Monty Rex by Playskool is the next best thing. He stands about 15" high and is programmed to interact with your child in several different ways.

The Monty Rex roars, eats, burps, sniffs, wags his tail, purrs, snorts, stomps, and even swings his tail to his own music. The majority of Monty's tricks only happen as an appropriate reaction to something your child does.



Take a minute to watch this video of our kindergartner Jake interacting with Monty Rex . . .

What my family and I thought about this interactive toy dinosaur:

1) Our nearly six year old son Jake was drawn to Monty Rex instantly. My husband and I also gave him a pretty high coolness rating. Our 2-1/2 yr old son was indifferent towards this toy and his twin sister was slightly afraid of Monty's roar and large teeth.

2) I like how the interactions have different levels. For example, if you feed Monty Rex, he chomps and makes ravenous sounds. If you feed him many times consecutively, he will burp.


3) The dinosaur's head, jaw, arms, legs, and tail all move. Although he must seem extremely realistic to a child, if his eyes moved also, it would have made him that much more realistic.

4) My kindergartner says his favorite thing about Monty is that he stomps. This toy actually walks while making stomping sounds. I think what actually appeals to my son is that the dinosaur moves without a remote control like his other R/C toys.

5) Some of Monty's actions were easier to trigger than others. For example, he roars every time someone roars at him. Also, the buttons along his back were consistent and triggered him to roar, wag his tail, and walk fairly easily. The trigger for eating inside Monty's mouth, the one for purring under his chin, and the one for snorting/sniffing on his nose were not as easy to push at times.

6) I think it would have been a nice touch to include a plastic bone rather than one made of cardboad, which does not hold up very well when played with repeatedly.

7) Even as an adult, I thing that this toy has a lot of personality. I find him to be endearing, even when he is trying to be ferocious.

I think a child who is not skiddish would love to find this toy under the tree Christmas morning. You can find Monty Rex and more animals from the Playskool Kota & Pals line on HasbroToyShop.com .


Thank you to Hasbro Playskool for providing us with a review product free of charge.

Review: PBS Kids "Dinosaur Train"

On September 7th, 2009, the new PBS Kids series Dinosaur Train (brought to us by the Jim Henson Company) will debut. Aimed towards children ages 3 to 6 years, this educational children's show, teaches our children all about various species of dinosaurs among other things.

Each 30 minute Dinosaur Train segment contains 2 episodes including time with real life paleontologists. Just as medical dramas have doctors on staff to help keep the writing realistic, this animated series about dinosaurs receives the same assistance from many sources, such as paleontologists and educators, who help ensure the quality of the content.

What my 5yr old son and I thought about this new animated children's show:

1) I like the general feeling of the theme music. It is reminiscent of an old western adventure.


2) In addition to the apparent educational value of learning about dinosaurs and practicing critical thinking, I like how Dinosaur Train presents the theme of adoption. For example, even though Buddy (the adopted T-Rex) did not have wings like his siblings, which allowed them to dive for fish, he was still able to contribute to the fishing by looking out for fish. They were so obviously a family in which each member had his or her place.


3) I heard my son laugh out loud many times while watching Dinosaur Train. He also enjoyed the songs and the rhymes.


4) My son could not choose one favorite character, but instead said that he liked all four siblings the best. His favorite scene to watch was the fishing lesson.

Please take a minute to watch this short Dinosaur Train trailer . . .

My son is very much looking forward to the Dinosaur Train series starting this fall. I think the appeal is that you never know what is to come when the family of dinosaurs hops on that train to start their next family adventure.

To learn more about the Dinosaur Train animated series, visit the Dinosaur Train website on PBS Kids, where you will find fun games, free printables, and many video clips. Check your local listings to see what time Dinosaur Train will be airing on your local PBS station on Monday, September 7th.

Thank you to PBS Kids for sending us a screener DVD to preview this television show.