ANIMALS WITH CAMERAS

We enjoyed an afternoon seeing the lives of cheetahs, chimpanzees, devil rays, meerkats and penguins through the eyes of each of these animals thanks to PBS sending us over an advance screener of ANIMALS WITH CAMERAS to view.  Originally aired on television earlier this year, the NATURE min-series uses state-of-the-art cameras worn by the animals themselves to show people imagery of previously never-before-seen behavior by these creatures for the first time. NATURE: ANIMALS WITH CAMERAS will be released on April 24, 2018 on DVD and for Digital Download.

Wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan and a team of pioneering animal behaviorists join forces to explore stories of animal lives "told" by the animals themselves. The cameras are custom-built by camera design expert Chris Watts to fit on the animals unobtrusively and to be easily removed at a later point. From this unique vantage point, experience the secret lives of nine different animal species. Sprint across the savanna with a cheetah, plunge into the ocean with a penguin and swing through the trees with a chimpanzee. NATURE: ANIMALS WITH CAMERAS takes you on a journey through eight countries giving you a look into the lives of nine different species of animals.



My kids loved the segment on cheetahs! Watching these cats sprint across the African savanna is awe-inspiring. The view is like you are a cheetah yourself hunting down a gazelle.

NATURE: ANIMALS WITH CAMERAS is approximately 180 minutes long.  It is full of one-of-a-kind sequences filmed from the perspective of animals themselves including several on-camera firsts.  You'll see the first time newborn meerkats are seen underground within their mob's burrow.  These babies don't normally emerge from the burrow until they are three weeks old but another Meerkat shows them on camera at just a few days old.  See a penguin diving deep undersea past a number of other food sources to hunt for the most nutritious meal she can find for her babies ... anchovies. Get a look at an unborn devil ray shown kicking inside its mother's tummy.

NATURE: ANIMALS WITH CAMERAS will be available to purchase on DVD from shop.pbs.org as well as at major retailers including Barnes & Noble and Best Buy.  Download the digital version of the show from Amazon, iTunes, and GooglePlay.  Don't miss out on seeing this educational and entertaining show that is a nice pick for families to watch together.

National Geographic Kids Bird Guide of North America

Bird watching has become a favorite activity for my children and I to do together.  It is something that you can do together as a family outdoors anytime of the year with relatively little expense that provides a great opportunity to get some exercise.  The regular nature hikes I took my kids on as toddlers have evolved over the years into bird watching expeditions as they always get a thrill seeing these creatures in the wild.  It is amazing how encountering birds brings out a sense of wonder in children.

One of our favorite resources to learn about the birds is a book from National Geographic Kids.  Light weight and just the right size to hold in a child's hands or throw inside a backpack, National Geographic Kids BIRD GUIDE OF NORTH AMERICA highlights more than 100 species of birds that you could come across in the United States and Canada.  It's great to flip through before going out on an excursion to provide an idea of what birds you may encounter as well as nice to flip through after getting back home to identify what you may have come across while out and about.

A favorite type of bird that we like to go out looking for during the summer months in Michigan are Great Blue Herons.  They truly are an incredible sight to behold especially when you can get up close to one.  National Geographic Kids BIRD GUIDE OF NORTH AMERICA features wonderful two-page spreads on fifty of the most popular birds that people are on the look out for including the Great Blue Heron.  Enjoy some great photographs of the birds showcased in this section of the book while reading about where they live and what they like to eat.  Each of these profiles also includes a weird fun fact and a facts box with information like a bird's scientific name and wingspan.  All this information is fun to read about for curious minds but also educational as well.

The book also has a section divided by habitats and breaks down which environments different birds live in.  Planning on taking a trip to a different part of the country?  National Geographic Kids BIRD GUIDE OF NORTH AMERICA shows you various examples of interesting birds to keep an eye out for.  Plus the book provides tips bird watching to help make the activity enjoyable for kids.

In addition to birds living in the wild here in North America, the book also gives examples of extraordinary species from around the world that you may be able to see in a local zoo.   The Detroit Zoo recently opened a new penguin exhibit and my children like to read up about these birds in their National Geographic Kids book before our family outings there.  This 176 page paperback book is an eye-opening look at the impressive diversity of birds and encourages readers to get outside and do some bird watching for themselves.

A Geek Daddy is a member of the National Geographic Kids Insider blogger program. Insiders get a behind-the-scenes look at National Geographic’s resources, activities, content and projects for kids and families. They also review copies of books, magazines and toys, and are offered interviews with authors, explorers and editors.  A Geek Daddy does not receive any financial compensation for my participation as a National Geographic Kids Insider.

WINTER IS A GREAT TIME FOR A VISIT TO THE ZOO

When you think of a trip to the zoo probably a school year field trip or summer family outing is the first thing that comes to mind.  Most zoos are open throughout the entire year though and winter can be a great time for a visit.  While you might be in for a chilly time, some of my family's best trips to the zoo have been during the winter time.

If you are like me and don't care for being in crowds, a zoo during the winter months is a great place to be because they are fairly deserted places to stroll around.  While us humans don't want to be out in the cold, this time of year is when many of the animals are the most active, even ones that you wouldn't think would like being in the snow like lions from the African savanna and kangaroos from the Australian outback.   Some of our best close up views of wildlife running and playing in front of us have been during winter outings to the zoo. There have been plenty of times where it has felt like it was our family's own private park to enjoy because we practically had the place to ourselves.  It is a nice time to linger and view all the informational displays when there aren't a lot of other people getting in the way.  Plus while there may not be a lot of visitors, you'll still often find plenty of knowledgeable animal keepers, docents, and volunteers who will be excited to share with someone their insights about the animals that live there during this time when things aren't that busy.

 

Here are few tips on having an enjoyable trip to the zoo when it is cold outside:

+ Annual Memberships & Winter Discounts -- purchase an annual membership to your local zoo which often  provides unlimited visits to the zoo throughout the entire year for the same price as family admission would be for one or two trips without it.  Having one of these annual zoo passes will encourage your family to visit throughout the year to get the most out of your investment in it rather than just visiting during the peak attendance summer months. Some zoological parks will provide a discounted admission if you have an annual pass with another zoo so always remember to bring your membership card with you when traveling.  If you don't live close enough for an annual membership to be economical, check to see if a zoo you'd like to visit has discounted admission rates during the off-season to encourage attendance and utilize the deal as part of a fun winter road trip.

+ Check the Weather  -- A brisk stroll through outdoor exhibits is a great way to get kids who have been cooped up inside during the winter some exercise and release pent up energy. Be careful though because if it is too frigid out the experience will just be unpleasant and could even be dangerous as you risk hypothermia or frost bite if exposed to really low temperatures for too long.  Winter days when the animals are most active and you'll be the most comfortable to walk around bundled up are sunny ones with temperatures in the mid-30's or higher that have no wind chill to turn your nose and cheeks red.  Always dress appropriately for the weather conditions and check your local weather reports before you head out both for comfort and safety.

+ Online Zoo Maps -- most zoos have maps of their facilities online now.  Plot out routes between outdoor and indoor exhibits so you are giving yourself a chance to regularly warm up inside as you are exploring the zoo grounds.  It is nice to have your path planned out ahead of time instead of trying to figure out where you want to go while you are out in the cold.  Often time these online maps will highlight which exhibits are open and closed during the winter months to help you plan your visit in advance.  Also while visiting a zoo's website make sure to check out their hours as while most are open all year long they often have reduced operating hours during the winter season.  If they have an app add it to your phone or a mobile device to have access to the information as you are walking about.

+ Enjoy Indoor Exhibits -- when it is cold outside it is often possible to spend most of your time enjoying areas that are inside at many zoos.  My daughter's favorite animals are giraffes and there is a nice space where you can observe them inside so we go to see them a lot during the winter with our annual Detroit Zoo family pass.  We've had winter visits to our local zoo where we just went to the indoor butterfly and tropical bird garden, penguin exhibit, and reptile house staying inside almost the whole time.  Just because it may be frigid outside don't forget there may be interesting, warm spaces indoors at a zoo to enjoy.

Going stir crazy in your house? Maybe a winter road trip to a zoo is just the ticket to get out and about. A trip to the zoo is always an entertaining and educational experience that also provides some nice exercise.  While cold weather may be a detraction for some, my family has always found our winter visits to be enhanced by better visibility of the animals and accessibility around the exhibits.  Take advantage of the off-peak season and enjoy a family outing to a zoo.

Family Movie Night: PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR

Spring may be here but last weekend we had fun chillin with the Penguins of Madagascar for our most recent Family Movie Night.  Our friends at Fox Home Entertainment generously provided us with a great movie watching kit to help us chill out while enjoying the show.  With the addition of this newest Penguins movie we now have all of the  Madagascar animated films in our home entertainment library and my kids never seem to get tired of watching them over and over again.  We missed Penguins of Madagascar when it was out at theaters so my 6 year old twins were ecstatic when we surprised them with the movie and a few other special treats.

A few of the characters from Penguins of Madagascar dropped by to watch the film with us.  My wife baked up some delicious cupcakes which we ate on the movie themed plates and napkins in our movie watching kit while trying to prevent Skipper from devouring all our snacks by himself.

Another nice touch in our movie watching kit was a DIY ice cream maker.  With my kids peanut allergies, ice cream is often off limits because of contamination issues when it is being produced.  Of course making it ourselves is safe. So it was nice to enjoy a frozen treat while watching the movie.  It was pretty easy and fun to make the ice cream ourselves...in fact we made a game out of it.  The ball shaped device works by it being constantly shaken and rolled around until the ingredients are mixed together into the wonderful concoction known as ice cream.  My kids had a blast throwing, tossing and rolling the ice cream maker around the house.

Plus the final product was delicious!

Our whole family enjoyed the hilarious hijinks of the Penguins in this DreamWorks Animation film. My kids especially enjoyed the scene which shows how Private joined Skipper, Kowalski and Rico in the Penguin crew.  If you are looking for a good selection to chill out with for a Family Movie Night the Penguins of Madagascar has A GEEK DADDY nod of approval for being funny, entertaining, and suitable for younger viewers. My kids really thought it was "flipping awesome" and the addition of the North Wind team was a nice touch with new characters they really liked.

In DreamWorks’ PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR, your favorite super-spies—Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private—join forces with the elite undercover organization of animals known as the "North Wind" to stop the villainous Dr. Octavius Brine from destroying the world as we know it.

Penguins of Madagascar is available to purchase now Blu-ray, DVD, and via Digital Download.

DISCLAIMER:  As a member of the Fox Home Entertainment Insiders blogger program I occasionally receive promotional items like the ones provided in this post or blu-rays, dvds, and digital downloads of movies to use for reviews and blog giveaways.  I do not receive financial compensation from the Insider program and the opinions expressed in my posts are my own.

#PenguinsChillOut  #PenguinsInsiders
#PenguinsMovie

PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR - Movie Prize Pack Giveaway

What do the zoo and the movie theater have in common?   For our family it is that my kids love to go see the penguins whether that be at the Detroit Zoo's penguinarium or the penguins in the most recent Madagascar movie at our local AMC or MJR cinema.  So my 6 year old twins are pretty excited that we are able to bring the penguins home with us on March 17, 2015 when the Penguins of Madagascar is released on Blu-ray and DVD.  It will be joining the three other movies and a Christmas special we also have on DVD from the computer-animated Madagascar franchise in our home entertainment library.

In DreamWorks’ PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR, your favorite super-spies—Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private—join forces with the elite undercover organization of animals known as the "North Wind" to stop the villainous Dr. Octavius Brine from destroying the world as we know it.

In recognition of the Blu-ray/DVD video release of Penguins of Madagascar, our friends at Fox Home Entertainment have provided a Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Download movie prize pack to give away to one luck A GEEK DADDY blog reader.  For a chance to win this prize pack you must be a US or Canadian resident over 18 years old and  submit one or all of the following entry methods to earn up to 5 entries prior to 11:59 pm EST on Sunday March 15, 2015:

UPDATE (3/17/15) - Congrats to Karen from Chesapeake Virginia who won the movie prize pack!

EMAIL (1 ENTRY) - Email thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com with your name, mailing address and name of your favorite penguin from the Madagascar movies with subject line NORTH WIND.

COLORING CONTEST (4 ENTRIES) - Color one of the pages posted below, scan it, and email tothegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com.  Coloring Pages will not be judged but they could possibly be posted on this blog, twitter, facebook, or google+ for all of our followers to appreciate.  Kids are encouraged to do the coloring but adults can too.

DISCLAIMER:   Each entry will be assigned a number based upon the order in which it is received and one random number will be generated to select a winner. A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible for selecting the winner of this contest, but Fox Home Entertainment is responsible for fulfillment and delivery of the prize.  By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with this promotion.  If you win this prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Prize will be delivered by UPS or FedEx so no P.O. Boxes are allowed as mailing addresses. A Geek Daddy Blog did not receive any financial compensation but did receive a review DVD for the blog and the prize that is being awarded to one of our readers for this contest.  A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this contest as a benefit to our readers. Any opinions in this post are my own.  By submitting a coloring entry you grant permission for it to be shared on this blog and through our social media outlets.

Here are a few more activity and coloring sheets for your enjoyment to help you pass the time until March 17th:

#PenguinsInsiders

Penguins for the Holidays

Win a MGM Movie Classic "The Pebble & The Penguin" on Home Video

We were watching a holiday special on television the other day that featured some penguins at the North Pole helping Santa Claus save Christmas.  My daughter turned to look at me and said "this is so unrealistic daddy...penguins don't live up at the North Pole!!! They live in Antarctica!" Well I'm glad she is learning when we go to the zoo because every time we go visiting the penguin exhibit is a must see for my kids.  A trip to the zoo is one of our favorite family outings so when I saw this playmobil toy set featuring penguins at the zoo I had to pick it up for a holiday present for the kids.

Since my kids love penguins we'll also be incorporating them into our holiday by enjoying the classic animated movie THE PEBBLE & THE PENGUIN while we have some down time next week with them off of school and my taking some time off work.  This movie which is based upon the real-life habits of Adeli penguins in Antarctica just recently came out on Blu-ray as part of MGM's 90th anniversary celebration.  It features Hubie (Martin Short) a hopeless romantic who is in love with Marina (Annie Golden) the most beautiful penguin in all the land.  The evil penguin Drake (Tim Curry) stands in the way though as he also wants her affections and will stop at nothing to make her his love.  With the help of his new friend Rocko (James Belushi) -- a penguin determined to fly -- Hubie must thwart Drake's plan and win Marina's heart!

In honor on MGM's 90th Anniversary, A GEEK DADDY BLOG is giving away a THE PEBBLE & THE PENGUIN home video prize pack to one lucky reader because it is one of my children's favorite movies from the MGM library of family classic movies.  For a chance to win this  movie prize pack you must be a US or Canadian resident over 18 years old and enter prior to 11:59 pm EST on Sunday December 21, 2014:

UPDATE: Congrats to Pat S. from Virgina who won THE PEBBLE & THE PENGUIN on Blu-ray

Entry: E-mail thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com your name and mailing address.  Email subject line should be Christmas Penguins.

One email will be randomly selected to determine the winner.  E-mails will only be used to contact the winner and deleted following the selection of a winner.

Still looking for stocking stuffers? Consider buying THE PEBBLE & THE PENGUIN.  Click here to own it.  MGM also has a variety of family friendly movies to select from for holiday gifts such as All Dogs Go To Heaven, The Princess Bride, The Secret of Nihm and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  How well do you know these movies? Can you match these film quotes? So how many did you get right?!
For more information about MGM's 90th anniversary and its catalog of movie classics, visit  http://www.mgm90th.com/

DISCLAIMER:  A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible for selecting the winner of this contest, but Fox Home Entertainment is responsible for fulfillment and delivery of the prize.  By participating in this contest you waive any liability towards A Geek Daddy Blog or its publisher that may arise from your involvement with this promotion.  If you win this prize on another blog, you will not be eligible to win again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification. Prize will be delivered by UPS or FedEx so no P.O. Boxes are allowed as mailing addresses. A Geek Daddy Blog did not receive any financial compensation but did receive a review DVD for the blog and the prize that is being awarded to one of our readers for this contest.  A Geek Daddy Blog is hosting this contest as a benefit to our readers. The opinions in this post are my own.

#MGMINSIDERS

A Dad's Perspective on Madagascar3

Despite a summer filled with some really exciting blockbuster movies there really is a void this year in flicks that parents with non-teen children can feel comfortable taking their kids to enjoy.  Fortunately, Madagascar 3 has hit theaters and it’s a fun romp of an adventure that will amuse kids and kids at heart alike.

We recently saw the movie with our twin 3 year olds and it thrilled the kids.  In fact, I was pretty engrossed with it as well.  My wife left during the movie to use the restroom and I didn’t even realize it until she mentioned something on the car ride home.  All the children in the audience appeared to be excited by the animals that are the stars of the show and enjoy the slap stick comedy that is a cornerstone of the Madagascar series of movies.  Don’t worry though, you can never have seen the first two movies and completely enjoy this chapter by itself.  In addition to the onscreen antics of some mischievous monkeys & penguins and comedic  adventures of Alex the Lion and his band of friends, there are some very hilarious jokes aimed at the adults in the audience that probably go over the head of most kids as not to offend and keep the movie family-friendly.   And that’s no Bolshevik!  (You’ll get this last line if you watch the movie – one of the best one-liners of the show that had every adult in the theater cracking up)

The movie is in 3D and I was impressed by the graphics.  In many of the 3D movies I’ve seen so far the effects add more dimension than in your face special effects.  Madagascar 3 is in your face!  My daughter was constantly reaching out to grasp at animals that appeared to be within arms grasp and yelling out WOW! throughout the movie.  One thing to note though is that wearing the 3D glasses can be a little tiresome for young kids and I noticed many of the children in the audience that appeared to be preschool/kindergarten age were taking them off by the last half hour or so of the show, including my two.  Despite that, I would still encourage you to check out the 3D versus the 2D version of the film just for the WOW factor alone of the film’s special effects.

Madagascar 3 characters travel from Africa to Monte Carlo and across Europe from Italy and London.  The show incorporates a new cast of characters and adventures through introducing a circus theme that really works well.  One of the final circus acts really highlights the 3D technology and cartoon features of the movie to the backdrop of Katie Perry’s “Fireworks” making for a really incredible experience. 

If you are a parent with younger children looking for a good family-friendly show to go see this summer, I highly recommend a trip to Madagascar 3.

DISCLAIMER:  I received free tickets from Paramount Pictures to see Madagascar 3 with my family.  The views and opinions in this blog post though are entirely my own.