The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible - Arthur C. Clarke
The decision on whether a television show is good for children to spend time watching is up to each set of parents, but a show that encourages developing thinking skills and testing out hypotheses is an excellent choice to try. Dinosaur Train on PBS is such a show and is a show about dinosaurs and how they ride a train to explore the different parts of the world where all kinds of dinosaurs roam. Buddy, a pre-school aged T-Rex is the focal point of the show and his natural curiosity about his surroundings and the desire to learn more about the creatures which inhabit them is the basis for the trips on the dinosaur train.
Buddy was adopted into a family of Pteranodons and his desire to learn about the differences in all dinosaurs for m the basis for his adventures and the questions he asks. Kids get to see Buddy and Tiny, Shiny, and Don ride the dinosaur train to find the answers to questions and learn more about their world.
Incorporating trains and dinosaurs is a great way to hold a child’s attention as both of them are fascinating for younger children and other television shows have led the way by capitalizing on this interest. This show is especially good because it teaches the child to ask questions and then to form a hypothesis about the information. The final piece is testing that hypothesis to see if what they thought was correct or if it needs more revision and testing. This experience in learning is a skill kids can take with them and use to succeed in school or even just to learn on their own.
Trips to the library to find out more about dinosaurs and their habitat will be in the offing as well as a several trips to any museums that have dinosaur exhibits. Once that spark for learning is turned on it’s hard to extinguish and self-learners will go far.
Try Dinosaur Train out and see if it fits your standards for a good television show.
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