It's Panda-monium in April

If you know any children that go bonkers over pandas be prepared for panda-monium to ensue.  PBS Kids is releasing on April 11 a DVD featuring a 4 episode collection from the Wild Kratts animated television series which focus on animals from China and highlights pandas.  Then Disney's BORN IN CHINA is arriving at movie theaters across the United States on April 21.  This feature film follows three animal families (pandas, snow leopards, golden monkeys) as they live in the wild. Based upon opening week attendance (April 21 - 27, 2017), Disney will make a contribution to the World Wildlife Fund to help protect wild pandas and snow leopards in China.  Kids who love pandas are really going to be delighted this month.

The WILD KRATTS: PANDA-MONIUM DVD from PBS Kids provides four action-packed adventures where the Kratt brothers (Chris & Martin) save giant pandas from the evil Zach Varmitech, find an adorable little lost red panda and help to reunite her with her mother, save animals captured in China from the villain Donita Donata, and more!

Panda Power Up

While checking out the endangered giant panda, the Wild Kratts get stranded in the bamboo forests of China without having power for any of their vehicles or equipment. They must figure out how to ‘power up’ in time to help save the pandas, who are being turned into roboticized stuffed toys by the nefarious villain, Zach Varmitech. An ‘ancient panda secret’ just might lead to the creature power that will restart their engines and save the pandas.  

Red Panda Rescue


Chris finds a little lost Red panda, but before she can be reunited with her mother, Zach steals her as a birthday present for Donita Donata. It’s Wild Kratts to the rescue!

The Colors of China 

While hanging out with golden pheasants in China, Martin and Chris wonder how important color is for creatures. But when Donita Donata begins to steal animals and remove their color, they soon discover just how critical it is for survival. It’s a race to stop Donita and get color back into the creature world!

Snowy Owl Invasion

Martin and Chris are hanging out in China with their giant panda friend Stuffo when they receive reports of snowy owls showing up all over North America. Since these raptors live in the Arctic, it’s up to the Wild Kratts to solve the mystery of the snowy owl invasion! 

WILD KRATTS transforms the Kratt Brothers, creators of the award-winning “Kratts’ Creatures” and Emmy-winning “Zoboomafoo,” into animated versions of themselves, allowing the real-life zoologists to visit wild animals in their little-seen habitats and showcase key science concepts along the way. From elephants using physics to suck gallons of water with their trunks to a fleet of peregrine falcons that harness the force of gravity to speed through the air, each episode of WILD KRATTS presents age-appropriate science inspired by the natural abilities of the animals that the Kratt Brothers – and young viewers – meet. WILD KRATTS airs daily on PBS KIDS (check local listings). 

Disney's BORN IN CHINA explores the magic and mystery of China's exotic wildlife.  Narrated by John Krasinski ( NBC's "The Office"), this movie transports audiences to some of the world's most extreme environments to witness intimate moments in the lives of animals that are only found in the wild within China.  A panda bear guides her growing baby that is beginning to seek independence from the mother. A two-year old golden monkey who feels displaced by his new baby sister joins up with a group of free-spirited outcasts.  And a mother snow leopard -- an elusive animal rarely seen by human eyes -- raises two cubs in one of the harshest environments on Earth.

BORN IN CHINA features stunning, never-before-seen imagery and includes pandas in the Wolong National Nature Reserve in the Si Chuan province, golden snub-nosed monkeys in the Hubei Shennongjia Nature Reserve in the middle of the Yangtze River and the elusive snow leopards in the Qinghai Province which is on the northeast rim of the Tibetan plateau (5,000 meters above sea level).  The movie also shows the rarely filmed chiru, located in the Kekexili National Reserve, and red-crowned cranes filmed at the Heilongjiang Zhanglong National Nature Reserve and Jiangsu Yancheng National Nature Reserve for Coastal Rare Birds.

Learn more about pandas and the other animals BORN IN CHINA features be enjoying this entertaining and educational activity pack courtesy of The Walt Disney Studios:



Want to see a Panda up close?  These animals are rare and endangered but there are a few on display at a few zoos in the USA on loan from China to assist with conservation education and captive breeding programs.  The Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington DC has 3 pandas you can meet during a visit, Tian Tian, Mei Xiang, and Bei Bei.  Can't make it to the nation's capital?  Visit the zoo's website to view a live webcam feed of these panda bears' exhibit for a real-time view of these animals.

The Atlanta Zoo is also home to a panda family.  In fact a set of panda cub twins were just born in September 2016 expanding the growing family of parents Lun Lun and Yang Yang.  Check them out on the zoo's pandacam.

When I think of Memphis it is Graceland and BBQ that come to mind, but this Tennessee city is also home to the pandas Le Le and Ya Ya.  They are on loan from China until 2023 and make a trip to the zoo well worth a visit if you are in town.



The final zoo you can find pandas at in the USA is on the West Coast.  The San Diego Zoo is considered one of the best zoos in the country and the panda display is one of the jewels in its crown.  They also have a Panda Cam if your family can't make it out to southern California and want to see Gao Gao, Bai Yun and Xiao Liwu. 

My daughter loves pandas so she's going to be thrilled as we watch the complimentary WILD KRATTS: PANDA-MONIUM DVD PBS Kids sent our way, celebrate Earth Day by going to see BORN IN CHINA and check out the web cams that provide a look at those animals that live in zoos.  April is going to be a month of panda-monium! 

San Diego Zoo Panda Cam

WILD KRATTS: WILD REPTILES DVD

** A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free to review**

While my seven year old twins are starting to age out from much of the programming that PBS Kids has to offer children, one show that they still really enjoy watching is WILD KRATTS.  This animated television show focuses on educating children about biology, ecology and zoology through the wacky adventures of the Kratt brothers, Chris and Martin, where they mimic animal's natural abilities with techie creature power suits to overcome a hazardous obstacle or situation. As a parent, I appreciate these shows are both educational and entertaining so not only are my kids amused while watching them but they also learn a lot of interesting things as well.  In addition to watching the show during its television broadcast, PBS also routinely packages together several episodes and releases them as a themed DVD.  The most recent of these being WILD KRATTS: WILD REPTILES which became available on August 23, 2016.

Having WILD KRATTS available on DVD is great for those times when the kids are complaining there is nothing to watch on TV.  We in particular like to take these DVD on long road trips so the kids can spend their time watching the show in the car instead of constantly asking us "are we almost there yet?"  In fact, we took WILD KRATTS: WILD REPTILES along with us on our end of summer road trip which was a really long drive from one end of Michigan to the other and it kept the kids distracted for 4 hours of the car ride - they watched the 120 minute DVD twice, both going to our destination and coming back home.

WILD KRATTS: WILD REPTILES includes four reptilian themed episodes from the PBS Kids television series:

“The Gecko Effect”
There’s a mystery to be solved, as the Wild Kratts team wonders how a gecko lizard climbs up smooth surfaces and can even climb upside down. The gang uses their Miniaturizer to shrink down and discovers it’s all about physics: all objects have electrical charges that attract one another and the gecko’s marvelous toe pad structure charges so much that they can walk on surfaces as smooth as glass. But in the meantime, Zach has stolen their Miniaturizer and imprisoned them in a glass terrarium. Martin and Chris activate the new gecko powers of their Creature Power Suits and must retrieve the Miniaturizer before Zach shrinks all the animals in the creature world.

“Crocogator Contest”
A pop creature quiz challenge about the differences between crocodiles and alligators turns into a full-blown “crocogator” contest to find out what actually is different about these two similar creatures.

“Rattlesnake Crystal”
After the Tortuga crash lands in the Sonoran Desert, Koki discovers that the Tellurium crystals have run out of power and they need a new supply. Martin and Chris volunteer to go out into the desert to find this important source of energy and discover more than they were expecting!

“Chameleons on Target”
Aviva’s special ring chip invention is stolen by a mysterious lemur! Chris and Martin set off after it, with a little help from the amazing creature powers of the chameleon.

You can pick up this DVD at retailers such as Best Buy, Target and Walmart or online at Shop PBS.  For more information about the television series, visit pbskids.org/wildkratts 

Wild Kratts Creature Power Suits

** A Geek Daddy was provided the featured product for free to review **

I often get compliments from adults who interact with my children about how impressive it is that I've taught them so many interesting facts about animals and nature which makes me smirk because the truth is they've learned much of it from watching the television show WILD KRATTS on PBS.  My 7 year old twins have been viewing this animated show about two brothers who utilize special creature power suits that let them mimic animal abilities since they were preschoolers and it is still one of their favorite programs on television.  So my kids were thrilled when WICKED COOL TOYS found out they were huge fans of the series and sent them some fun show themed products so they could enjoy a summer full of Wild Kratt adventures.

To help spur imaginative play, Wicked Cool Toys has created a Wild Kratts Creature Power Suit so that kids can run around the woods, playground, backyard or house pretending they are utilizing the same technology as highlighted in the television show.  My kids were whining they had nothing to do just before I gave them these Creature Power Suits and it really is amazing how something as simple as a nicely decorated set of a vest and gloves could quickly change their mood motivating them to want to go outside and play.  They've spent hours having fun outside wearing their new Creature Power Suits racing around the nature trails by our house, the local playground, and our yard pretending to utilize animal abilities in pretend play.  I have to admit it has been rather amusing watching my daughter hopping around pretending to use her Kangaroo powers and my son flapping his arms around acting out his falcon powers.  While they have been providing me with some chuckles, more importantly these play outfits have motivated my kids to get outside and be active not only exercising their muscles while they act out their creature powers but also their brains as they've been really creative in the adventures they've imagined up.

While simplistic in design, the Wild Kratts Creature Power Suits are actually very nicely put together and have been durable in withstanding some rugged play by my kids.  They have velcro straps to make the vests adjustable for kids in the age range of 4 to 8 years old as they fit children's sizes 4 - 6x.  My twins are in 6/7 children's clothes sizes so they are at the larger side of wearing these costumes so I'm really glad they were able to get a chance to have some fun with these costumes probably the last summer before they get too big to enjoy them. The vest and gloves are made of 100% polyester fiber and have some really nice embroidery providing nice details to the look of the costume.  The material is very soft to touch and my kids say the vest and gloves are really comfortable to wear.

Each costume also includes a couple of plastic discs with the image of an animal on it.  Kids can store one disc in a holder on their glove and place the other in a holder on the front of the vest to "activate" that creature's power.  My daughter has a kangaroo disc which has her hopping all about and a giraffe one so you see her pretending to stretch her neck all about.  My son has falcon disc so he's pretending to fly all about and a cheetah disc so he's doing wind sprints around the yard running as fast as he can.   Additional discs for a variety of other animals are also included in the 2-pack and 4-pack boxes of 3" Wild Kratts sculpted figurines.

Each of these toy packs includes either a Chris or Martin figure with the 4-pack featuring three animals to go along with the Kratt brother and four creature power discs.  2-packs include one of the Kratt brothers and one animal plus one power disc.  These are a perfect size for taking along to keep kids amused while traveling.  We have a few long drives coming up for some family road trips and will be taking these along for the twins to play with during the car rides.

Whether watching an episode of Wild Kratts on television or playing pretend adventures outside, Wicked Cool Toys can help immerse children into the world of this great animated series.  Our family has appreciated Wild Kratts TV show because it is both educational and entertaining and the Wicked Cool Toys lineup of themed products fits that same bill. Do you know a child who would love to play out his or her very own creature adventures? These Wild Kratts products are available at Kmart, Toys R Us, PBS Kids Shop Online and Amazon.com.  For more information, visit wickedcooltoys.com.

WILD KRATTS: AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURES

 ** A Geek Daddy received the featured product for free **

My son rushes to get dressed and eat his breakfast every morning so he has some time before school to watch his favorite show Wild Kratts on PBS KIDS.  This animated television series follows the adventures of the Kratt brothers, Chris and Martin, as they go into the wild to save animals from over-the-top villains or real world based situations that threaten creatures in their native habitats.  Shows include the duo donning special "power suits" that allow Chris and Martin to mimic the special abilities of animals, fish and birds to save the day in animated sequences plus incorporate live video segments featuring the brothers with wild life that they educate the audience about.   Wild Kratt's has really sparked an interest with my son in learning about animals and their natural habitats.

Our family has an upcoming adventure we'll be embarking on soon and my son is excited to be able to watch in the van during our long road trip the Wild Kratts: Australian Adventure DVD that PBS Kids recently released on January 5th.  The TV-Y rated Wild Kratts: Australian Adventure DVD has a run time of 60 minutes and includes two television show episodes Koala Balloon and Kickin' it with the Roos plus a special bonus adventure called Platypus Cafe. 

Episode 1: Koala Balloon

Martin and Chris must protect a young koala stranded in the Australian Outback, and help him get back to his eucalyptus forest habitat. On their quest to return the adorable animal home, the brothers discover lots of interesting facts about how animals are specialized to their own environment.

Episode 2: Kickin’ it with the Roos

When Chris and Martin meet up with a mob of red kangaroos, they get their car keys stolen by a joey and have to figure out how to get them back from the tricky little guy. As they jump into the life of the roos to search for the missing keys, the brothers realize that animals live in different kinds of social groups and they have important behaviors that keep the group together and safe. But everybody wonders just how safe this search has become, when Chris and Martin get tangled up in a kickboxing match with the dominant male and caught in the middle of a dingo attack.

Bonus Episode: Platypus Cafe

On a kayaking expedition in Australia, the brothers encounter one of the world’s most unusual creatures: a platypus mother with her eggs. But unscrupulous endangered animal chef, Gourmand, plans on adding the platypus eggs to his menu. Chris and Martin must harness the special electromagnetic “sixth sense” of the platypus to save the eggs.

Australia has such incredible animals and landscapes that combined with the comedic exploits of the Kratt brothers is sure to entertain and educate most kids.  You can pick up your own copy of the Wild Kratts: Australian Adventure DVD from the Shop PBS online store.