Odd Squad DVD: Dance Like Nobody's Watching

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

My daughter's favorite television show is ODD SQUAD on PBS Kids and she wants to rush home from school everyday so she won't miss an episode.  Now I have to say that this is an applaudable selection not just because of ODD SQUAD'S educational focus but also because its episodes are so witty and well written that my wife and I will often find ourselves regularly joining our kids in watching the show because we also find it amusing and enjoyable to watch.  So our entire family was excited to receive the new ODD SQUAD dvd "Dance Like Nobody's Watching" which is now available to purchase on the Shop PBS online store and at various other retailers.

This dvd will let our kids watch some of their favorite ODD SQUAD episodes whenever they want.  "Dance Like Nobody's Watching" features 6 episodes from ODD SQUAD that all have a mathematical themed story and each feature musical numbers:

“Soundcheck”
Olive and Otto must figure out how and why things are disappearing around town when all Otto wants to do is listen to a song by his favorite band, Soundcheck.

“Soundcheck Part Deux”
When the members of Soundcheck go missing, Otto and Olive must bring them back together in time for their big concert. Otto uses his special superfan closet to help collect data to solve the case.

“A Case of the Sing-Alongs”
When Mayor Macklemore catches a case of the Sing-A-Longs, Olive and Otto must discover the cause before the Mayor sings his way out of his job!

“O is Not for Old”
The agents throw a surprise party for Ms. O and are having trouble making decisions about the details. They send O’Malley to delay Ms. O by various means while they try to figure them out.

“Mystic Egg Pizza”
With the help of Odd Squad, Delivery Debbie and Delivery Doug must figure out why their food is disappearing.

I have to warn you that my kids have memorized the songs from these episodes and you could find yourself humming these tunes, like "Take Away 4" in the car or at work.  My kids favorites are the ones sung by Soundcheck.  Hmm I wonder if it is ODD that my kids are such big fans of a fictional boy band when they really don't care for the real musical performances?  Anyway the musical numbers are actually pretty catchy, especially the big Sing-Alongs episode finale, and reinforce educational math concepts which is definitely a good thing.



Geared for children ages 5-8, ODD SQUAD follows two young agents, Olive and Otto, who are part of an agency led by Ms. O that seeks to save the day using math when odd things happen.



PBS has also created a free augmented reality app for iPads and iPhones to go with the DVD.  As they release additional ODD SQUAD dvds, you will be able to scan each individual package to unlock a unique gadget with its own special abilities. For this particular dvd, the musical changeinator is made available from the ODD SQUAD laboratory to play around with.

Open the app and scan the back side of the dvd package.

Ms. O's favorite thing in the whole wide world will appear - a juice box.

Shoot the juice box with the musical changeinator and it will start dancing to a soundtrack playing from your device and emitting special effects on the screen.

You can also move the juice box around utilizing the camera in your mobile device so that it can interact with your surroundings.

ODD SQUAD: DANCE LIKE NOBODY'S WATCHING gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval for not just being educational but also  also very entertaining.  It is a show which can bring the whole family together to enjoy and learn from it.  I'd recommend picking up a copy of this dvd to have handy for summer break, especially if you are looking to amuse some kids during a long car trip and have an in-vehicle or portable dvd player to take along for the ride.

For those of you interested in joining the ODD SQUAD here is a badge that can can personalized courtesy of PBS Kids:

Caillou Goes Back to School DVD & Bonus Book from PBS Kids

Disclosure: I received a complimentary product from PBS Kids.  A Geek Daddy did not receive any financial compensation for this post.

My kids loved watching Caillou on PBS when they were in preschool.  This cartoon series features a four-year-old named Caillou (pronounced KY-YOO) who shares in a relatable way to preschoolers  life lessons he learns through his experiences on the show.  How to get along with his little sister, deal with being sick, learn to play sports, and getting ready to begin preschool are just a few of the topics Caillou explores with the help of his friends, parents, sister Rosie, and grandma.

Wow has the summer flown by and with it already being early August the school year is just a flip of a calendar page away.  If you have preschoolers or Kindergarteners who may be antsy about starting school, PBS Kids has released a Caillou DVD/Book Bundle that can help parents start a discussion about going to school with their little ones and provide children with some fun motivation to look forward to beginning a new experience in the fall.

You can purchase the "Caillou Goes Back to School" DVD/Book combo on the PBS website for $12.99 plus shipping and handling.  Between now and August 31, 2015 is also having a 15% off sale on all PBS Kids DVDs so if you order this combo pack in the next few weeks you can get it for a little less than the $12.99 listed price.  This bundle features two items – the DVD “Caillou Goes Back to School,” which includes 12 stories, and an illustrated bonus book about riding the school bus.  In addition to the episodes from the animated series, the DVD also features a video game that kids can play on a PC and some downloadable printable coloring pages featuring the characters from Caillou.

 
The DVD run time is approximately 100 minutes and includes the following stories:

“Caillou the Librarian”

Caillou is excited about showing Rosie the ropes when they visit the library. During storytime Caillou imagines he’s in the story, riding on a dolphin. Later he and Rosie argue over a book and accidentally tear it. He doesn’t want to tell the librarian, but finally musters up the courage to do so. The librarian turns out to be very nice and he helps her fix the book. And Rosie gets her very own library card!

“Caillou the Bookworm”

Returning home from the library Caillou is very eager to sit down and enjoy his pirate book. Unfortunately it’s a very busy day and he’s having trouble finding a quiet place to look at his book. Caillou finally finds the perfect place – in his closet! By the light of his flashlight he finally gets to enjoy his book and pretends he’s the pirate in the story digging up a buried treasure.

“Caillou the Storyteller”

It’s a rainy day at playschool and the children can’t go outside. Caillou makes up a funny story about a superhero who makes the rain stop – it’s Super Caillou! He tells the story to Jeffrey and Jason, and Miss Martin suggests he make his own storybook. She writes the story down and Caillou draws the pictures. By the time Mommy comes to pick him up, Caillou has his very own book to show her! 

“Magnet Madness”

Caillou is playing with the fridge magnets and learns lots of things about them. About what they stick to and what they don’t stick to – such as Gilbert! He even imagines himself as a human magnet superhero. In the end Caillou is able to apply what he’s learned and uses a magnet to help Daddy retrieve a metal peg from behind the workbench.

“Caillou the Dinosaur Hunter”

The whole family goes on a trip to the natural history museum to look at the dinosaurs. Caillou is really enjoying himself looking at the skeletons and learning about the different kinds of dinosaurs. When he momentarily loses the others he knows enough to stay put until Mommy comes back and finds him. And when he realizes he’s left Rexy somewhere he learns about the lost and found, and retraces his steps until he finds his dinosaur friend.

“Caillou the Astronaut”

Caillou wants to play with both his friends Clementine and Xavier in the playschool playground. Unfortunately Clementine wants to play bears and Xavier wants to play astronauts, and a little argument ensues. At story time Miss Martin tells them more about spaceships and astronauts and Caillou imagines he’s zooming around the galaxy exploring stars and planets. Back outside Caillou makes up a new astronaut and bear game so everyone can play together.

“Caillou Goes Shopping”

Caillou’s crayons are all worn down or broken, so Mommy suggests a trip to the store for some new ones. Caillou helps Mommy remember what she needs to buy – he remembers the list of items by making a little song out of them. When they’re done they run into Sarah, and Caillou helps her find all her back to school supplies.

“Caillou Goes Apple Picking”

Caillou’s playschool is on a special field trip to an apple orchard. The children really enjoy learning about apples and picking them too. Caillou imagines himself picking the biggest apple in the whole world. Afterwards they enjoy some fresh apple juice. By the time they get back on the bus to go home, Caillou and his friends are all ready for a little nap!

“Caillou’s Halloween Costume”

Halloween is coming and it’s time to pick out a costume to wear. Soon Rosie has three costumes she wants to wear, but Caillou still hasn’t decided on what he wants to be. And time is running out! Finally a piece of blue fake fur gives him a great idea – he’ll be a blue monster! His parents help him fashion an odd but effective monster costume out of bits and pieces they find around the house. When Leo and Clementine arrive they agree that Caillou is a very scary-looking monster indeed!

“Caillou’s Present”

Mommy’s having a bad day – first she can’t find her car keys, then she and Caillou have to shovel the car out, and then the car won’t start! At playschool Caillou decides to make her a present to cheer her up. His first two attempts don’t turn out but he perseveres and makes her a picture of a sun – to melt all the snow!

“Caillou the Chef”

Jeffrey and Jason are coming over for dinner – it’s a make-your-own pizza party! Caillou feels he is an expert at this and starts to show them how to do it. When the twins both opt for less-than-traditional ingredients Caillou is upset that they’re doing it all wrong. In the end, however, their pizzas turn out just fine and Caillou learns that everyone has their own unique way of doing things.

“Caillou the Painter”

Caillou’s got a brand new painting shirt and decides to paint something for Grandma. He has a little trouble deciding what to paint. He wants to use all his colors and paint all his favorite shapes. Mommy tells him that paintings don’t have to be about something and he proceeds to make his own abstract painting! Meanwhile Rosie and Daddy are pressing a flower for Grandma. When Grandma arrives she is thrilled with her very artistic gifts.

Caillou is produced by DHX Media and can be viewed on PBS' children's cable network Sprout and during PBS Kids programming on select local broadcast stations across the country that have included the show on their viewing schedule.  If you have an in-car DVD,  "Caillou Goes Back to School" would be a nice way to keep a child from asking "are we there yet" throughout to drive on an end of summer road trip or it also would be a nice video to put in the DVD player at home on a hot summer day when it probably is better to stay indoors than go outside to play.  Caillou has been one of my kids favorite PBS characters and I'm sure yours will enjoy him too! This DVD is probably best suited for children in the 3 to 5 years old age range, especially those that may be going to preschool or kindergarten for the first time.

CLICK HERE to order your "Caillou Goes Back to School" DVD/Book combo today from PBS Kids.

Free Comic Book Day Has Plenty To Offer Early Readers

The first Saturday in May is one of our family's favorite days of the year: FREE COMIC BOOK DAY.  This year will be the fourth year in a row now we've enjoyed going to the local comic book store and coming home with a bundle of #FREE comics for my kids to enjoy.  This year the event on May 2, 2015 is also kicking off Children's Book Week so it is has added an additional emphasis on providing kid-friendly comic books for the retailers participating in Free Comic Book Day.  We've always found a nice selection of titles being given out that were appropriate to for parents to read to preschoolers or for young readers to flip through on their own that have included in past years Sesame Street, Strawberry Shortcake, and the Smurfs among others in past years.

To help encourage new customers to visit their stores and to reward existing ones for their loyalty, Free Comic Book Day provides a selection of comic books that provide a sample of a publishers work or an interesting one-shot story to promote a particular character or series.  While all of these comic books are absolutely FREE, each retailer normally has their own guidelines for the event.  Some stores let people take one of each of the 50 specialty issues being handed out until they run out, while others place limitations on how many you can pick up.  I frequent two local establishments that each have different rules.  One of the comic stores lets you pick 3 out of the 50 then you can take another 3 if you show up in a super hero themed costume and also grab one more issue if you bring a can food item to donate to a local food bank for a possible total of 7 freebies.  The other retailer lets each person choose 4 comics from the list of Gold Sponsor publications and 4 from the list of Silver Sponsor publications for a total of 8 comic books with no other strings attached.  If you don't normally visit a particular comic book store you may want to call ahead to confirm they are participating, their hours, and what the rules are for how they are distributing their Free Comic Book Day publications.  CLICK HERE to search for a participating comic book store near you.

If you are like me and bringing younger children along to Free Comic Book Day, here are a list of some of the comic books that have been rated "All Ages" which means they are kid-friendly  and in most cases targeted towards children.

BONGO COMICS - THE SIMPSONS

Get in line for the foremost Free Comic Book Day four-color giveaway of the year! When Bart brings one of Professor Frink's recent discoveries to school, it leads to some hair-raising hilarity Then, Lisa finds a doorway to an ancient past, CBG gets a hip -new girlfriend, and Homer tries his hand at some home improvement. And much more.
Rating: All-Ages

BOOM STUDIOS - 10th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

 2015 is BOOM! Studios' Tenth Anniversary year, and to help us celebrate we've gathered short stories from several current and new all-ages titles for Free Comic Book Day, offering an oversized, full-color issue that showcases 10 all-ages-friendly titles from our Archaia, BOOM! Box, and KaBOOM! imprints. The BOOM! Studios Ten Year Celebration 2015 Free Comic Book Day Special features a cover illustrated by Mouse Guard creator David Petersen and will contain the following stories:

Jim Henson's Labyrinth
"Wisdom and Idioms"
Written and Illustrated by Cory Godbey
An all-new short based on Jim Henson's Labyrinth. The Wiseman and his bird try to find some humor in the magical world of Labyrinth.

Iscariot
Written and Illustrated by S.M. Vidaurri
Young Carson discusses magic and time with a wizard in this special preview of the upcoming Archaia original graphic novel written and illustrated by Iron: Or, the War After creator S.M. Vidaurri.

Mouse Guard
"Service to Seyan"
Written and Illustrated by David Petersen
An excerpt from Mouse Guard: Baldwin the Brave and Other Tales. Gwendolyn learns about her mother Alma and the great warrior hall of Seyan.

Adventure Time with Fionna & Cake: Card Wards
Created by Pendleton Ward
Written by Jen Wang
Illustrated by Britt Wilson
A brand-new Fionna & Cake short from writer Jen Wang (In Real Life) and Britt Wilson (Adventure Time with Fionna & Cake)! Fionna and Cake are on the search for an opponent for Cake to play against in Card Wars.

Regular Show
"Coffee Shop Special!"
Created by JG Quintel
Written by Kevin Church
Illustrated by Coleman Engle
Based on the hit Cartoon Network animated series, Eileen and Margaret make Muscle Man his special drink.

Peanuts
"Dogstoevsky"
Created by Charles M. Schulz
Story by Charles M. Schulz
Pencils by Vicki Scott
Snoopy looks to finally become the World's Greatest Author, but Lucy's help may not be the helpful push he needs.

Garfield
"Fast Feline"
Created by Jim Davis
Written by Mark Evanier
Illustrated by Andy Hirsch
Nothing can keep Garfield from a good meal, even if it means having to beat the fastest cat to get it.

Lumberjanes
Created by Shannon Watters, Noelle Stevenson & Grace Ellis
Written by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis
Illustrated by Brooke Allen
When the Lumberjanes aren't taking care of pesky critters or crazy demigods, they're making fun crafts like friendship bracelets. Friendship to the max!

Munchkin
"Table of Contents"
Written and Illustrated by John Kovalic
Fight the monsters, steal the treasure, and backstab your buddy! A wandering monster table appears in this short from the illustrator of the hit card game Munchkin, John Kovalic.

Help Us! Great Warrior
Written and illustrated by Madeleine Flores
Based on the hit webcomic and new miniseries from Madeleine Flores. Great Warrior gets attacked on the road!

Rating: All-Ages

PERFECT SQUARE - POKEMON

All your favorite Pokémon game characters jump out of the screen into the pages of this action-packed comic! Legendary Pokémon Xerneas and Yveltal 's battle against each other is destroying Vaniville Town. Can X and Y save the town in Pokémon X o Y?!
Bonus Feature: More action in Pokémon Adventures and Pokémon Adventures Black and White!
Rating: All-Ages

UNITED PLANKTON PICTURES - SPONGE BOB SQUARE PANTS

 his year's SpongeBob Comics FCBD offering features a 22-page story by Boxtrolls director and Grickle cartoonist Graham Annable. In "Tangy!" Plankton's new special sauce made from jellyfish jelly has strange effects on SpongeBob and Bikini Bottom's residents. The only one unaffected, the only one who can save them all, is a very reluctant Squidward. Plus more undersea sequential stories by James Kochalka, Maris Wicks, Gregg Schigiel. and other awesome aquatic artists!
Rating: All-Ages

 RED 5 COMICS - BODIE TROLL

With a mix of playfully irreverant humor, attention-grabbing art and incredible heart, BODIE TROLL is a perfect first comic to give to a non-comic-reader of any age. In an all-new exclusive adventure, things turn ugly for cute BODIE TROLL when he gets hijacked into that most agonizing of events - a little girl's tea party! Plus, an all-new adventure from the world of DRONE and previews of 2015 Red 5 favorites and new faces.
Rating: All-Ages

GRAPHIX - CLEOPATRA IN SPACE

When a young Cleopatra (yes, that Cleopatra) finds a mysterious tablet that zaps her to the far, really far future, she learns of an ancient prophecy that says she is destined to save the galaxy from the tyrannical rule of the evil Xaius Octavian.
Rating: All-Ages

ACTION LAB ENTERTAINMENT - GRONK

Gronk is a monster...and not a very good one!  Follow Gronk's continuing adventures as she learns about the world around her from her "teacher", Dale, in this all-new Gronk story from fan favorite Katie Cook!
Rating: All-Ages

CAPSTONE PRESS - MARCH GRAND PRIX

A Free Comic Book Day 2015 sneak peek of the new, turbo-charged graphic novel by Kean Soo, author of the award-winning series JELLABY! March Hare wants to be the fastest and furriest racecar driver around. But first, this rabbit racer must prove his skills at the speedway, on the streets, and in the desert. With pedal-to-the-metal illustrations and full-throttle action, MARCH GRAND PRIX is sure to be a winner! Featuring a full tank of bonus materials: creator Q & A, pinup art, and much more.
Rating: All-Ages

ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS - SONIC THE HEDGEHOG / MEGA MAN

GRAPHIC INDIA - CHAKRA THE INVINCIBLE

 Based on the animated shorts seen on Angry Birds ToonsTV with over 25 Million views worldwide, 'Chakra The Invincible' is the latest superhero from legendary creator, Stan Lee, co-creator of Spider-Man, X-Men, The Avengers, X-Men, Iron Man, and more. This all-ages comic features short stories of Chakra The Invincible for kids and superhero fans of all ages.
Rating: All-Ages

DC COMICS - TEEN TITANS / SCOOBY-DOO

DC Entertainment's all-ages FCBD special edition has two tales for readers of all ages! The Teen Titans are back in Teen Titans Go! Chapter 10, and Scooby Doo Team Up! #6 features the Super Friends! Readers will want to follow the adventures of the Teen Titans in Teen Titans Go! Volume 1, and Scooby Doo's adventure with the Super Friends will continue in the forthcoming collected edition of Scooby Doo Team-Up! Super-hero adventures for readers of all ages have never been so much fun!
Rating: All-Ages

Are Your Preschoolers Ready For Kindergarten? Don't Wait Til They Get There To Find Out!

Wow! Kindergarten sure isn't the same thing as it was when I was a kid!  The half day sessions that oriented children to going to school filled with snack time, nap time and play time mixed in with some time spent on learning letters and numbers are a thing of the past.  My 6 year old twins are in Kindergarten this year at a local public elementary school which is now a full day filled with learning about reading, doing math, and completing science projects combined with art, music, gym and Spanish classes.  If your child doesn't know their ABCs and 123s they are starting out behind the curve.  It is a good thing the day care and preschool programs our kids were enrolled in alerted us about how Kindergarten has changed and assisted our children in becoming prepared or we probably would have been caught off guard; but fortunately when the time came our family was all set to go.  Are your preschoolers ready for Kindergarten? Don't wait til they get there to find out!

Nickelodeon has an online quiz you can take to see where your child ranks in being ready for Kindergarten and provides a customized learning plan, educational games, interactive video and printable activities to help get preschoolers ready for school.  The learning plan provided to parents will help ensure their preschoolers have the appropriate development skills necessary to be successful in school and its interactive and skill building activities will help kids meet necessary milestones.

CLICK HERE to TAKE THE QUIZ

The preparedness quiz is part of the 2015 Nick Jr. Beyond the Backpack campaign which is geared to help parents and caregivers prepare preschoolers for academic success.  The campaign's spokesperson is Tia Mowry-Hardrict, from the television show Instant Mom, who alongside popular Nickelodeon characters Dora, Wally and Blaze will be appearing in a PSA series airing across Nickelodeon's TV and digital platforms.  Beyond the preparedness quiz and PSAs, Beyond the Backpack features an advisory committee comprised of leaders in children's education who are lending their expertise to the program, a dedicated website, bilingual (English/Spanish) educational materials, and a parent-targeted mobile program providing weekly tips and information.  Nick Jr's Beyond the Backpack focuses on five key areas deemed critical to educational achievement: family engagement, health and wellness, early literacy, social and emotional development and fundamental STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) skills.  If you would like to opt-in to receive a weekly text message with tips to make learning more fun for your preschooler, text BACKPACK to 91757.

Originally founded in 2010 as part of the 10th anniversary of the curriculum-driven Dora the Explorer, the 2015 Beyond the Backpack campaign has expanded to include a broad range of educational and socio-emotional topics using a variety of the Nickelodeon's programs and characters, including Wallykazam! (literacy), Team Umizommi (math), Bubble Guppies (socio-emotional development), Peter Rabbit (problem-solving), PAW Patrol (social skills), and Blaze and the Monster Machines (STEM).

Are your preschoolers ready for Kindergarten?!  That time in life arrives much sooner than many of us parents realize it so don't get caught unprepared.  For more information, visit www.beyondthebackpack.com

WALLYKAZAM! Nickelodeon has a "Big Goblin Problem"

An actor from one of my favorite televisions shows, Parks & Recreation, is guest starring on one of my children's favorite Nickelodeon shows this week, Wallykazam!  It's going to be a goblin of an episode when Ben Schwartz, voices Wally's Uncle Steve, a master dragon rider who goes on adventures and stops trouble, in a special hour-long special airing on Friday, February 6 at Noon titled "The Big Goblin Problem" The Wallykazam! television series is great for preschoolers and kindergarteners because of the fun and interesting way it incorporates literacy curriculum into its stories.  Phonics, letter and sound identification, rhyming, and vocabulary development and comprehension are all important educational topics highlighted in these shows.  Nickelodeon very kindly gave my twins the opportunity to have a sneak peek and watch "The Big Goblin Problem" before its public debut and the kids' review on the show is that it is "GREAT!!!"

In "The Big Goblin Problem," Wally's Uncle Steve and his dragon, Victoria, visit and bring magic bubbles that double what they pop on.  Bobgoblin finds the bubbles and doubles his favorite thing...himself!  Wally and Norville must save the day before the Bobgoblins cover the town in their favorite snack - strawberries and pickle pudding.

Wallykazam! follows the adventures of a troll named Wally and his pet dragon, Norville, who live in a forest with giants, goblins, orgres, sprites, and other mythical creatures.  Wally uses his magic stick to make words come to life on screen that playfully transform the world around him.  The half hour shows regularly air weekdays at 10:00 am (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.

Our family appreciates Wallykazam! because its format ties into our children's sight word lessons at school.  Sight words are commonly used words that young children are encouraged to memorize as a whole by sight, so they can automatically recognize these words in print when first learning to read.  Sight words account for a large percentage of the words used in beginning children's reading materials which allow early readers to identify the majority of words in a text and concentrate on the meaning and comprehension versus spelling out every single word.  Because of its entertaining stories and educational benefits, Wallykazam! gets A GEEK DADDY nod of approval.

For more information about Wallykazam! visit nickjr.com/wallykazam

A Fun Family Game Night Courtesy of Imagine Toys

We've been switching back and forth between having Family Movie Nights and Family Game Nights on Friday evenings.  Starting off the weekend with a focus on some fun quality time together is a nice way to depressurize from the stresses that work, school and the hustle of everyday life can throw at a family throughout the week.  We tried out two new games during our most recent family fun night that were provided courtesy of our friends at IMAGINE TOYS.

 

Imagine Toys is a specialty toy store with a focus on providing quality toys that encourage children to use their imaginations.  They offer unique toys that promote creativity, educational learning, and athletics which normally won't be found at a mass-market store.  They provided A GEEK DADDY Blog with the Ice Age DVD Game and Inching Along board game to enjoy for one of our Family Game Nights.

My kids really enjoy the Ice Age movies so this was a great pick for a game night selection.  You are provided with some really nice playing pieces that depict some of the popular characters from this animated movie series which must be moved across a game board depicting a frozen tundra in search of acorns hidden under the thawing ice...be careful though as your opponents can move around Rudy the T-Rex and if he catches your character it is back to Start for you.  The number of spaces you can move in your quest to grab up all the acorns that are colored the same as your starting spot is determined on how well a player completes on-screen games that are randomly generated by the DVD included with the game.  In addition to the games the DVD also features humorous segments featuring the cast of characters from the Ice Age movies.

The television sequences involve 8 interactive carnival arcades style games of skill and chance that are randomly generated and have various outcomes so that players can't predict how to beat the challenge. Incorporating the dvd aspects into the game provides an extra dimension to its play but doesn't overpower to board game elements and strategy.  So while you aren't turning off the television for the night when it comes to the Ice Age  DVD Game, players aren't focused on the television for the entire game as they also have to focus on things taking place on its tiled board like finding their acorns and avoiding Rudy.

The Ice Age DVD game is for children 5 years and older and is for 2 to 4 players.  This game amused and entertained my 5 year old twins for an hour.  Go nuts with this game during your next family game night!

The next game we played was called Inching Along.  This game was dreamed up by a teacher to help kids learn basic math and measuring skills.  It is aimed for kids in kindergarten through second grade.  My twins are about 2 months into kindergarten and the game was just a little too advanced for them as we started getting into the game play.  I have a feeling they'll be ready to play it closer to the end of the school year which was somewhat disappointing because they really were excited about the artwork for the game board and pieces and interested in using the ruler that comes along with the game...but alas their counting and math skills were just not up to par once we started playing the game. So we put it aside for later on but it is a game we will absolutely be bringing back out of the closet in the future.

Inching Along has a nighttime camping theme and I just have to say again has very impressive artwork and a great game layout.  To get from the start to finish players must pull a card with instructions on it then follow those directions to measure lines and translate those measurements into numbers to know how many spaced for their characters to move forward or backward on the hiking trail.  It is a very original concept that reinforces educational lessons in a fun manner for children.

Both Ice Age DVD Game and Inching Along get A Geek Daddy nod of approval for being fun opportunities to promote creative and educational play.  For more information about Imagine Toys visit www.imaginetoys.com

DISCLAIMER:  Imagine Toys provided A Geek Daddy Blog with a $50 credit to purchase products from its website to use for a family game night.  There was no obligation to write a positive review about Imagine Toys or the products sold from it.  The opinions in this post are my own.

Nickelodeon's Newest Animated Series Promotes Math, Science, Technology & Engineering Through Monster Truck Adventures

Monsters are coming to Nick TV (the Nickelodeon cable channel) during Halloween Month ( aka October) with the hour long premiere on Monday October 13th of its brand new animated series for preschoolers Blaze and the Monster Machines.  These aren't the spooky kind of monsters that hide under the bed though but rather monster trucks that will help introduce the exciting world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) to its viewers.  Nickelodeon is promoting Blaze and the Monster Machines as the first preschool show on TV to comprehensively cover all areas of STEM in every episode.  Combining Monster Trucks with Math and Science...this Geek Daddy LIKES the idea!

The series follows the adventures of the monster truck Blaze and his eight-year-old driver AJ.  Together they explore the physics of how things move; tackle problems through scientific inquiry and mathematics; and discover the parts needed to make everyday technologies work.  Each episode is filled with MONSTER TRUCKS, physical humor, and upbeat original songs with lyrics that highlight a STEM concept such as adhesion, friction, force, trajectory, and magnetism.  Blaze and the Monster Machines is created by the head writer of Team Umizoomi, Jeff Borkin, and the supervising producer of Bubble Guppies, Ellen Martin.

In its hour long premiere, on Monday October 13 at 12:00pm (ET/PT), Blaze and AJ are introduced to a world of racing monster machines in the town of Axle City.  When Crusher, a troublemaker truck, uses his dirty tricks to try to win the championship race, Blaze does everything he can to help his friends and beat him to the finish line.  In the show's "Blaze of Glory" debut the STEM concepts of buoyancy and trajectory will be focused on.

Following the series premiere, Blaze and the Monster Machines will feature three weeks of new original 1/2 hour episodes as the show is broadcast in its scheduled time slot of week day afternoons at 12:30pm (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon.  I'm really excited to see a television show that highlights concepts such as buoyancy, friction and magnetism in a way that catches children's attention in an educational and entertaining way!  Oh and what dad wouldn't think the monster truck angle is just plain out cool!  There really is a lot of STEM concepts behind the scenes in the construction and racing of vehicles that many people don't think about so this show is taking a fun approach to hopefully getting some serious topics stuck in kids heads that will spur their imaginations, help with school work and encourage children not to be scared of pursuing careers that involve math, engineering or science.  Unfortunately because of some societal stigmas children have a tendency to want to stay away from STEM classes and careers because they consider them "geeky" but shows like Blaze and the Monster Machines demonstrate to children at an early age that geeky can be fun, interesting and cool and not something to think of in a bad way.  A Geek Daddy blog has to give a nod of approval to that!

When heading back to school make sure you have all your kid's gear labeled with Kidecals

This was a big week in our household...our twin's have graduated from being preschoolers and were starting their first full week of school in Kindergarten.  Not only did we have to deal with all of the anxieties of going to a new school and transitioning from attending classes a few days a week for half a day to going everyday for a full day, but we also had to prepare for addressing our children's food allergies in this new school year.  Ingesting food contaminated by or containing peanuts or absorbing peanut oil into her skin can be deadly for our daughter.  For our son tree nuts can cause his eyes to swell up or potentially even trigger anaphylactic shock.  So it is important for us to do what we can to alert people they need to be cautious and considerate when it comes to eating and handling food around our children.

We used Kidecals labels to help alert others who are around our children about their food allergies.  We placed Kidecals labels on the kids' lunchboxes, backpacks, and water bottles so that they wouldn't easily visible to teachers, parents and students.  You can customize the wording on Kidecals' various designs but we decided to stick with the basic "no nuts" message for ours.  Having a clear visible image to communicate the message like the one we selected in addition to text is so important in making a warning stand out especially when dealing with younger children.

 

If you want to customize your labels though it is very easy to do.  While you are ordering online at kidecals.com look for the description box next to the image of the design you would like to order.  Say you don't want the standard message "No Nuts" and instead want to place your daughter Cinderella's name on it instead to personalize the label.  Just type in Cinderella in the text box and voila! you'll see the image next to the description box change to show you what your customized label looks like.  Just select the number of labels you want and hit submit to initiate your order.  Simple as that!

 

In addition to the customization features, what is nice about these labels are that they are very durable and waterproof.  Kidecals are made from self-adhesive vinyl with eco sol inks and laminated with a clear topcoat to ensure durability.  These labels are dishwasher, washing machine, and dryer safe so you don't have to worry about peeling them off when it comes to cleaning any of your kids clothes and gear they might be on.  These aren't just for food allergy warnings there are numerous potential uses for these as kids head back to school such as identifying jackets or bags, personalizing sports equipment, and providing some personality to notebooks and other school supplies.

My wife and I have genuinely been impressed by the quality of these labels which have exceeded our initial expectations.  If you have school aged children, I'd encourage you to swing by the Kidecals.com website and see what they have to offer.

Disclaimer:  A Geek Daddy Blog received a complimentary order of Kidecals to review.  A positive review was not required of this blog and the views/opinions expressed are my own.

Nickelodeon misses the mark with new Dora reboot

I have to complement Nickelodeon for reaching out to me to discuss my recent post DORA GIVES BOOTS THE BOOT which was critical of the cable network's upcoming spinoff of Dora the Explorer. This new Dora & Friends television series will debut on Monday, August 18 @ 8pm on Nickelodeon. This new spin on the Dora character takes her away from the jungle and her animal friends to live in the fictional Latin American city of Playa Verde where she is now a tween going on urban adventures with a group of classmates.  In my previous post which was based upon Nickelodeon's marketing of the show,  I was critical of what appeared to be introducing themes to the program like fashion, make-overs, shopping and popularity that didn't seem appropriate to portray to an audience of preschoolers; but admitted that I hadn't seen the show yet to make any final judgments.  Nickelodeon graciously sent me several episodes of Dora & Friends to view in advance of the series' August 18th premiere.  After viewing the shows, I have to say that those issues mentioned in my original post aren't a concern to me now and really were not reflected in any of the episodes I viewed.  That being said, I still believe that Nickelodeon really missed the mark with this television series. In trying to cater to both a preschool audience and older elementary school kids the final product isn't really suitable for either.

When the episodes of Dora & Friends arrived my wife and I screened them first to make sure they were content appropriate for our 5 year old twins to watch and we felt they were fine. Than we let the kids watch them to get their reaction.  Our kids are at a unique age that for the last few years they have been enjoying the Dora the Explorer shows as preschoolers but are now entering kindergarten this fall and while they still enjoy Dora's adventures with Boots, Swiper and the gang I can foresee them getting a little old for those stories and characters soon.  My wife and I felt that the new Dora & Friends episodes were of decent entertainment value for our kids but really didn't provide the structured educational elements that are of value to preschoolers that Dora the Explorer presented.  Our kids aren't at the preschool age that the show is being marketed to but seem to be a better fit for the show than the audience it is target to.

Instead of educational programming, I'd categorize Dora & Friends as entertainment in the same category as the Disney Channel's popular shows Sophia the First and Doc McStuffins.  Parents can trust these shows to have content that isn't violent or crude and feel comfortable with their children spending some time in front of the television watching them.  They may include some life lessons but teaching isn't a principal element of the story telling.  Trying to match Disney's creations with a revamped Dora is a worthy goal; but by trying to maintain the preschool elements of the original Dora the Explorer and combine them with a tween focused story that is more entertainment value than substance misses the marks for both of these ambitious objectives.  In my opinion, Nickelodeon should have aimed the new Dora series for kindergarten and elementary school aged audiences as a step up from Dora the Explorer to maintain fan and parent loyalty with the brand as children aged out of the interest level for the original series.

Dora & Friends just doesn't seem to be a good fit for preschoolers but it has a number of preschool elements to detract from it being of interest to older children where it would probably be a better fit for their viewing.  Nickelodeon in trying to persuade me that Dora & Friends was a good fit for preschoolers noted that the show was "tested with preschoolers", I guess my question is was it tested with preschoolers' parents?  As I mentioned earlier, Dora & Friends is an entertaining show that I am sure preschoolers would be entertained by but it lacks the structured reinforced educational elements of Dora the Explorer that parents of preschoolers appreciate and that help preschoolers learn.

The following is a synopsis and some critiques of one of the episodes of Dora & Friends my family watched together titled "Doggie Day"

While trying to shoot a video to help her friend Alana promote the animal shelter's Doggie Adoption Day, Dora's video camera mysteriously becomes enchanted.  When she points her magic camera at one of the shelter's dogs, Cusco, he breaks out in a song about being separated from his brothers.  Dora and Pablo head out to help Cusco reunite with his family.

Once again I'll point out that this new show doesn't have the structure of the original Dora.  There is no map that the audience follows throughout the show to know exactly what is going on.  The show does incorporate a map app on Dora's smart phone but it isn't as detailed as in the Explorer series and I wonder how appropriate is it to be introducing the necessity of technology as an issue for preschoolers.  My wife and I go out of our way to balance our kids use of tech so they are also playing outdoors and reading books instead of playing on the ipad or watching tv all day.  I really don't want my 5 year olds asking for a smart phone because Dora has one...which has happened since they watched these episodes of Dora & Friends.

I appreciate Spanish language being included in this series, but it really isn't that helpful compared to the original Dora.  In Dora the Explorer she would say what a Spanish word meant in English and encourage the audience to use it in the right context along with her.  In Dora & Friends they just start talking or singing in Spanish with no explanation of what they are saying in English.  This is fine if your family speaks Spanish but if not this really leaves you in a lurch.  Since Dora is an ambassador of latino culture to many non-Spanish speaking families this really seems a detraction from that role.

While the show is lacking in the formal educational elements it also missed out on some informal teachable moments.  For example, the kids run across a city street without looking for cars before crossing.  It could have been a nice teachable moment for them to remind their audience that you always need to stop and look before crossing a street.  The show also featured a maze where the characters try to find their way out of a temple by identifying shapes as they progress and the audience helps them pick which way to go by answering questions.  This part of the show was too short not providing the repetition that is important for preschool students but another problem was that my kindergarten aged children found it too simplistic.

Now I know I've pointed out a few negatives but there were some positives to the "Doggie Day" episode as well.  It had a nice message regarding taking care of your pets and finding homes for strays and abandoned animals.  There was a funny scene where a pack of cats chased a puppy and Dora's friend around town that had my kids giggling.  The show had a very catchy song with a nice theme called "Together All For One." 

By having entertaining stories aimed at a kindergarten and elementary school aged audience with educational elements aimed at preschoolers that show just doesn't work for either age group.  My kids did seem to enjoy watching the show and told me they liked it when I asked them but when I offered to let them watch it again they responded no and asked if they could go play in the other room.  Not the most glowing of endorsements.

Dora the Explorer really was an endearing part of my children's preschool years.  We watched the shows on Nickelodeon together, took the DVDs on long vacation car rides, the kids have spent hours playing with the toy sets, and I've read numerous bed time stories from books featuring Dora, Swiper, Boots and the gang. In my opinion the original series contained numerous aspects that helped with the educational development of my children during their preschool years and entertained them while they learned. In regard to this new series, I would let my children at their current age watch Dora & Friends for its amusement or entertainment on a rainy day, when letting them watch tv as a treat, or if I need to distract them while getting some work or chores done around the house, but it wouldn't be for the educational value we felt the kids got from watching Dora the Explorer.  If my children were a few years younger and just starting their preschool years, I wouldn't have them watch Dora & Friends even though that is the targeted age group for the show.  That may be a little blunt but that is just my honest opinion.

Dora & Friends according to Nickelodeon will air 20 half-hour episodes in its first season featuring the iconic character Dora living in a city, attending school and at the center of a peer group that works together to give back to the community -- having both real life and magical adventures along the way.  Created by Chris Gifford and Valerie Walsh Valdes (Dora the Explorer, Go, Diego Go!) the series will regularly air weekdays during the preschool block on Nickelodeon.  The Dora the Explorer series, which after 14 years remains the most-watched preschool show on television, will continue to air as well. Nickelodeon has also teamed up with Fisher-Price to expand the Dora franchise with interactive dolls, playsets and accessories that will hit the market beginning in August.  Additionally, Nickelodeon has signed more than 130 new licensees across apparel, publishing, home goods, electronics, and specialty categories with products set to launch this fall and into early 2015.


Click here to visit the NickJr website for more information about Dora & Friends.  What are your thoughts on the new Dora television series and characters?  Leave a post, tweet with us at @Geeky_Dad or e-mail thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com with your thoughts.