Dinosaur Train

We are a big PBS family and one of the great shows our kids like is The Dinosaur Train by The Jim Hensen Company.  With our DVR I record shows to be watched later and most kids shows are a lot of repeats, mostly due to the fact that they are aired daily and go through the sessions very quickly.  On Feb  6th The Dinosaur Train aired a weeks worth of new episodes all based on Weather.

“Weather Week” Episodes Explore Earthquakes,

Forest Fires, Droughts and Hurricanes

HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (January 19, 2012) - The PBS KIDS® EMMY^®-nominated animated children’s series DINOSAUR TRAIN^®, will premiere new episodes February 6-10, 2012 on PBS KIDS to educate preschoolers all about how earthquakes, forest fires, droughts and hurricanes affect animals and their habitats.

DINOSAUR TRAIN is an educational and inspiring preschool series that has been a prominent source of fostering early childhood development while entertaining millions of 3-6-year-olds since it premiered in 2009. The series’ mission is to introduce kids to paleontology and the natural sciences. The new “Weather Week” episodes have a special focus on extreme weather conditions and how these forces of nature affect different environments and the animals that live there. Viewers will also learn what action to take in the case of extreme weather and how to stay safe during a variety of different weather events.

Throughout the week of February 6-10, 2012 new storylines will follow Buddy and his Pteranodon family as they experience extreme weather conditions first hand (check local listings).

“The Earthquake / Nursery Car”

Premieres Monday, February 6 and repeats on Friday February 10

The kids experience their first earthquake when Mom takes them on a playdate to see Tank Triceratops in the desert! Mom and the Conductor have prepared the kids with excellent advice about what to do in an earthquake so everyone does fine. Then the Dinosaur Train adds a Nursery Car to safely carry dinosaur eggs while their expectant moms and dads wait for them to hatch.

“The Forest Fire / The Lost Bird”

Premieres Tuesday, February 7

A forest fire comes to woods not far from the family nest. The Conductor takes them to visit a nearby area where a fire has already been, to see how new life is growing back. The Buddy

and Tiny ride the Dinosaur Train for a playdate with their old friend Petey Peteinosaurus, and learn that the train has added a new Aviary Car, for their various flying passengers.

“Dry Times at Pteranodon Terrace / Big Misty Sea Fishing Contest”

Premieres Wednesday, February 8

When the weather is extremely dry for several weeks, all the water holes at Pteranodon Terrace dry up! The family decides to camp out at the Big Pond, where they will wait out the drought and return home when it rains again. Then, Dad competes in the big annual Fishing Contest where he tries to catch Chester, the biggest fish in the Big Misty Sea.

“Hurricane at Pteranodon Terrance / Rafting the Cretaceous”

Premieres Thursday, February 9

When a huge rainstorm over Pteranodon Terrace turns into a hurricane the family seeks shelter with their neighbors in a warm, dry cave. In the morning, the storm has passed, but everyone must pitch in to rebuild their nests. When they meet two new friends who crossed the sea in the storm, they help them get back home on the Dinosaur Train.

The Jim Henson Company is also encouraging DINOSAUR TRAIN fans to join the “Nature Trackers Club.” Kids and their parents can visit http://www.pbs.org/parents/dinosaurtrain/naturetrackers/ to download “Nature Trackers” activities and receive a freeDINOSAUR TRAIN surprise to celebrate their achievement.http://www.pbs.org/parents/dinosaurtrain/naturetrackers/

Our kids really loved all these episodes and for review they were on a nice DVD so we got to take them with us on our 2 hour drive to visit family. The kids thought they were so cool to have the new episodes in the car.  My personal favorite part of the show is at the end when the Palentologist comes on and talks more about the dinosaurs that were seen in the show and the time period.  Check out the new episodes and go on line for some fun activities for your kiddos.  

Bluapple~ends 3/7 (11:59pm eastern )

The Bluapple~ How it works! ( From the company's website)

Ethylene gas is given off naturally by fruits and vegetables as a signaling mechanism in order to coordinate uniform ripening. However, once concentrated in your refrigerator or other storage areas, the presence of ethylene gas continues to speed up ripening and hasten spoilage. The BluApple is designed to provide effective ethylene gas absorption for three months in a typical home refrigerator produce bin or storage container. The active ingredient does not "wear out", but continues to absorb ethylene until it has reached its capacity. A One Year Refill Kit rounds out the BluApple ethylene gas management product line, allowing consumers to reuse BluApples and not add them to landfills.

Our Thoughts~  We tested this for a full month and were excited to see that our apples, pears and bananas didn't spoil as quickly as they used to.  With a family of four boys and then myself, my husband and teenage brother all in one place we keep a lot of quick snack items (i.e. fruits) on hand.  Most of the time they are gobbled up quickly since the stretches between meals seem to be too long for the little tummies, but there are times that I bought too many bananas at the same color of greenness at the store and had a whole bunch go bad too quickly.  Where this makes great banana bread it doesn't make good snacking fruit.  I definitely see how the Bluapple prolongs the life of our fruit in our hanging basket.

We haven't yet tested it in the frig with celery and carrots because we haven't kept any long enough to test it out.  Those too get gobbled up quickly now that my son no longer wants school lunch he wants to pack lunch daily.

More on Bluapple.

The Bluapple is based on technology that has been used in ships, warehouses and trucks for many years to absorb and neutralize ethylene gas buildup.  The Bluapple does not release any gas or chemical, but only absorbs, constantly removing this harmful gas from your produce storage area.  The Bluapple is not a "magic" pill, but a scientific and essential part of keeping produce fresh.  When produce was cheap, no one cared, but as prices have risen, it became apparent that a very beneficial product for the home could make a huge difference.

 There are three key elements to long produce life: a) temperature- keeping produce cold; b) humidity - using vented plastic bags to keep a moist, but not wet environment; c) ethylene gas management - using the Bluapple.  Disruption of any one of these elements will cause premature spoilage. It may interest you to know that we provide a money back guarantee, which we are proud to honor. 

The Bluapple is a proven, science-based technology that we have adapted for use in the home.  With a single gourmet apple costing $1.25 these days, our produce is an investment worth protecting. It is our view that the Bluapple is essentially FREE.  Users easily recover the purchase price in savings within a few weeks, and the Bluapple continues to deliver value for many months thereafter.

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