Dinosaur Train: Under the Volcano

PreS-Gr 3—The entertaining Pteranodon family enjoys boarding the Dinosaur Train to take field trips as self-styled nature trackers, whether it's to examine a volcano, geyser, mud pit, or forest fire. Simple scientific terms and concepts, such as lava, magma, herbivores/carnivores, and nocturnal/diurnal, are made understandable and memorable by the enthusiastic, colorfully computer-animated dinosaurs. Shiny, Tiny, Buddy, and Don make hypotheses, or "ideas you can test," encouraging budding scientist viewers to do the same. There are eight episodes in all, but "Triceratops for Lunch" alone is worth the price of admission for its country-style song "Hungry, Hungry Herbivore": "Wahoo, we love to chew!" Each character voice is distinctly different, and the educational content is never preachy. Rather, children are encouraged to explore the outdoors, make observations, and interact with their environment. One section is devoted to art in nature, and the DVD includes useful, hands-on learning activities.