dinosaur train

When Mr. Pteranodon and Larry go out to the Big Pond to find some red platanoids for the Winter Solstice Celebration, they accidentally miss the last train home. Will Larry and Mr. Pteranodon stop bickering long enough to figure out a way home, or will they get stranded in the middle of nowhere and miss the family Winter Solstice Celebration? Educational Objective: The Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year.

"Where Have All the Lizards Gone?" - The Conductor takes the Pteranodon Family for a special trip to Lizard Island, where they discover that it's been overrun by plants and bugs, and there are few precious lizards left. The Conductor concludes that the Changyuraptor Family (that he dropped off there awhile ago, and has since multiplied) has been eating all the lizards and throwing the entire ecosystem out of balance. Can the Pteranodon Family and Mr. Conductor convince the Changyuraptor Family to leave their home in order to get the island ecosystem back in balance? Educational Objectives: Ecosystems thrive only when all the plants and animals are in balance with one another. But too much of one thing, and not enough of another, can have disastrous consequences. "Conductor's Sleepover" - With a hurricane looming, the Pteranodon Family convinces the Conductor to leave his train for the night and come with them to the safety of their hurricane shelter (a large, underground cave). But the Conductor has a hard time getting comfortable away from his train. Can the family and the Conductor pull together and help a family of beached Ichthyosaurs back into the ocean after the hurricane leaves them beached on the shore? Educational Objectives: Hurricanes (and other storms) often have major effects on both ocean and land animals, causing animals to change their behaviors, and sometimes resulting in devastation of coastal ecosystems.

"Junior Conductors Academy: Part One" - The kids are all excited! Why? Because they're off to Junior Conductor's Academy in Laramidia, to try to become Junior Conductors First Class. Buddy has a feeling he's going to be a star in class, until he meets Dennis Deinocheirus - a kid who knows even more dinosaur facts than he does! Can Buddy get over his disappointment that he's not the smartest kid in class, and make friends with Dennis (who seems like he's having trouble making friends on his own)? "Junior Conductors Academy: Part Two" - Now that Buddy and Dennis are friends, they have to work together (with the other kids) in order to pass a series of tests. If they succeed, they'll receive their Junior Conductors First Class pins! But standing in the way of their success is the most challenging instructor of all... Thurston Troodon! Educational Objectives -- Deinocheirus, from the Ornithomimosaur family of theropods in the late cretaceous, had some of the longest arms of any bipedal dinosaur. Also, it's not always easy to make friends with someone you don't understand, but if you take the time and make the effort, it might not be as hard as you think.

While riding the Dinosaur Train with Buddy and Mom, Tiny gets the idea to gather all the dinosaurs in the `Dinosaurs A to Z' song for a picnic at Troodon Town. The Conductor agrees, and the Train starts picking up dinosaurs, as Tiny and Buddy help keep track of how many of the different species have come on board, and where they are on the dinosaur A to Z list. The Dinosaur Train continues traveling around the Mesozoic picking up more and more dinosaurs that are in the `Dinosaurs A to Z' song, on the way to a picnic at Troodon Town. As more train cars are added, and the rest of the Pteranodon family comes on board, Tiny and Mrs. Conductor team up to help keep order on the increasingly crowded Train.

The Pteranodon kids and Dad get the idea to travel around on the Dinosaur Train and meet some of the biggest dinosaurs. They even sing a song, `The Biggest Dinosaurs', before meeting Allie Alamosaurus, an enormous, long-necked, plant eating sauropod who is very friendly. Allie explains that her huge, strong legs hardly bend at all, but she can still have fun playing games with the kids, and teaching them some of her favorites! Dad takes the Pteranodon kids on an overnight camping trip where they watch both a sunrise and sunset, learning that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. The kids also find out more about nocturnal (night-active) animals, and diurnal (day-active) animals.

"Stop and Smell the Flowers" - Mom takes Tiny, Buddy, and Don on a super secret daytrip to Qianzhousaurus Pond, where they meet Quentin Qianzhousaurus - a Tyrannosaur with similar features to Buddy, except for one major thing - Quentin has a long, thin snout covered in tiny horns! The kids think that Quentin's long snout gives him a super smelling sense, but after a series of tests, they realize that he and Buddy have the same sniffing power. Can Quentin and Buddy's super sniffers solve the mystery of Mom's secret daytrip? Educational Objectives: Qianzhousaurus was a Tyrannosaur from the late cretaceous with a long, narrow snout (covered in tiny horns). Tyrannosaurs came in a variety of shapes and sizes. Qianzhousaurus probably hunted much smaller prey than its super strong- jawed cousin. T. Rex. "Moms' Campout" - Mrs. Pteranodon organizes a "Moms' Campout" with other moms and kids in the neighborhood. While on the way to the campout, Mr. Conductor challenges the kids to make a real "nature connection" by creating games that push them to look at nature from a different point of view. Educational Objectives: You can't appreciate nature just by looking at it. You need to dig in and be a part of it: splashing, climbing, getting dirty, and looking at things in a whole new way. Forming a "Nature Connection" (that is, fostering a bond with the natural world) is a hands-on, full body, multisensory activity that is essential for a healthy childhood.