YOUNG JEDI ADVENTURES

A new animated show aimed at introducing preschoolers to a galaxy far, far away is debuting May the Fourth on the Disney Junior cable network and Disney Plus streaming service. STAR WARS: YOUNG JEDI ADVENTURES has Jedi Master Yoda guiding younglings as they study the ways of the Force, explore the galaxy, help citizens and creatures in need, and learn valuable skills needed to become Jedi along the way. The stories in this series' episodes take place during the High Republic era of Star Wars' canon long before the immergence of the Empire and Clone Wars' Order 66 which wiped out the Jedi. 

Disney has released a series of shorts that are available to view for FREE now on YouTube and can be streamed on Disney+ beginning April 26 to promote the animated series before its May 4, 2023 premiere:

Meet the Young Jedi -- Kai, Lys, and Nubs work together to battle a training droid at the Jedi Temple on Tenoo.

Lys’ Creature Caper -- Lys follows the clues to retrieve an adorable creature running amok through the Jedi Temple.

Kai’s Daring Droid Rescue -- When her droid RJ-83 is in trouble, Nash calls on Kai to help rescue him.

STAR WARS: YOUNG JEDI ADVENTURES stars Jamaal Avery, Jr. as Kai Brightstar, Juliet Donenfeld as Lys Solay, Dee Bradley Baker as Nubs, Emma Berman as Nash Durango, Jonathan Lipow as RJ-83, and Piotr Michael as Master Yoda. This new show is sure to be a fun way to make Star Wars Day stand out. I'm sure a lot of kids and their Star Wars fan parents will be geeked to see it. May the Fourth be with You! 

National Geographic Kids Magazine

We were recently at parent-teacher conferences at my children's school when my son's teacher commented on how remarkable it is that we've taught him all these great animal and geography facts that he shares all the time in class.  She then mentioned asking him how he knew all this trivia and my son told her "from reading National Geographic with my dad."  We have an annual subscription to National Geographic KIDS Magazine and when a new issue arrives in the mail my 6 year old son is always quick to grab it and spend hours flipping through it enjoying the activities, pictures, trivia, and the special extra things they often include like posters or collectible trading cards.  After he's spent some time perusing the magazine, I'll read the more in-depth articles to him and his sister that are still a bit beyond their independent reading level.

The December issue of National Geographic KIDS Magazine included a Funny Fill-In activity page with a "Fast and Flurry-ous" snow theme, 30 Cool Things About Reptiles trivia page, Awesome Animals trading cards, photos of a squirrel snowball fight, and a survey of America's favorite holiday kids' television shows and movies, among other things. The magazine also lets its readers contribute its content with an Art Zone that lets kids send in drawings to be included in the magazine, My Shot section that displays submitted photographs, and Tell Us What You Think which allows children to answer surveys that are used for special segments in future editions of National Geographic KIDS Magazine.

National Geographic KIDS' December issue also included  an overview of 5 smart toys that provide both an entertaining and educational play experience, a story about three orphaned black bear cubs that are being reintroduced to the wild, a profile of Turkey's "Ice" Castle, and the issue's feature article about Snow Leopards. My kids were really awed by the great photos of these big cats from Central Asia that were included in the magazine.

To share our family's enjoyment of National Geographic KIDS magazine, A Geek Daddy has a year long 2016 print subscription of the magazine to giveaway to one lucky reader.  For your chance to win a 10  issue subscription to National Geographic KIDS complete one or both of the following entries by Wednesday, December 23, 2015 before 11:59 pm EST.  Must be a US resident over 18 years old to win.

UPDATE: Congrats to Angela from Springfield Missouri who won our Nat Geo KIDS Magazine giveaway.

E-MAIL (1 ENTRY)

Follow @Geekdad248 on Twitter. E-mail thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com your name, mailing address, and twitter handle. Must be following our account on Twitter at the time winner is selected to be eligible to win. Email subject line should be Nat Geo Kids.

FACE BOOK ( 1 ENTRY )

Visit our Facebook page , LIKE the contest post, and leave a COMMENT telling us what your favorite cold weather animal is.

 All valid entries will be assigned a number in the order they are received and one number will be  selected to determine the winner using random.org.  E-mails will only be used to contact the winner and deleted following the selection of a winner.

National Geographic KIDS Magazine is recommended for children 6 years old and up who want to find out more about the world around them.  The magazine contains a super blend of photos, fun facts, jokes, games, activities and articles presented in a cheery style, making it perfect for keeping kids' attention. Subscribers receive 10 issues per year filled with content to inspire readers to learn about their world with amazing information about animals, science, technology, archaeology, geography and pop culture. Frequent appearances of animal posters can be found within the pages, as well as high-quality photographs sprinkled throughout the magazine. The addition of games and jokes, alongside other activities such as puzzles and competitions, keeps the subjects light, while still getting across the important facts.

For children under six years old, there is also National Geographic Little Kids Magazine.  This publication is aimed for preschoolers 3 to 6 years old and an annual subscription is 6 issues.  National Geographic Little Kids Magazine features lively pictures, engaging stories, large text, and fun activities with each issue providing parents with imaginative teaching tools.

FTC Disclosure: I am part of the National Geographic KIDS Insider blogger program. In partnership with the National Geographic Society, I receive free products and promotional information to review. I am not required to blog about them or write any positive reviews.

DISCLAIMER:  A Geek Daddy Blog will be responsible for selecting the winner of this contest, but National Geographic 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.  A Geek Daddy Blog did not receive any financial compensation but did receive free products for the blog to review 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.  #NGKINSIDER

Nickelodeon brings popular international show to USA

BEN AND HOLLY'S LITTLE KINGDOM PREMIERES 

MONDAY, OCTOBER 5TH ON NICK JR.

Beginning October 5, 2015, preschoolers watching Nick Jr. will be transported to an enchanted land filled with fairies, elves, and magical mishaps when the animated series Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom joins the cable channel's program lineup airing at 6:30pm (ET/PT).  The October 5th launch of the show on Nick Jr. marks the U.S. broadcast debut for Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom, an International Emmy Kids Award-winning series created by Astley Baker Davies, the acclaimed British animation studio behind the popular Peppa Pig.

Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom follows the adventures of Holly, a young fairy princess whose magic often goes awry and her best friend Ben Elf, who lacks magical powers but is extremely handy.  They live in the " Little Kingdom", a tiny land where flowers and grass rise above the tallest towers.  Together, Ben and Holly go on exciting adventures with their friends and work together to fix magical mistakes.

Nick Jr. has acquired seasons one and two (52 episodes) of Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom and will roll out these episodes throughout the fall.  The series currently airs in over 130 countries worldwide, including being really popular in the United Kingdom, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Italy, Russia, Mexico and Brazil. The show is a good fit for Nick Jr., a 24-hour television network dedicated to programming for preschoolers which reaches 75 million US households via cable, internet and satellite TV.  The series' premiere episode will also be available to view online following the broadcast debut via NickJr.com and the Nick Jr. App beginning October 6, 2015.

New Mobile App from Nickelodeon provides Streaming Media to help Preschoolers develop their Noggin

Starting March 5, 2015 Nickelodeon will begin streaming unique content meant to help preschoolers develop their noggins through a new app called "Noggin." Available through the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, Noggin's content for preschoolers will be available by parents buying a monthly subscription to access the content via the app.  The paid service will be ad free and cost $5.99 per month.

When Noggin launches on March 5th it content will include episodes of Blue's Clues, Allegra's Window, Franklin & Friends, Gullah Gullah Island, Little Bear, Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends, Ni Hao Kai-lan, Oswald, Pocoyo, Robot and Monster, and The Upside Down Show; music videos featuring Nickelodeon characters; and the return of the retired characters Moose and Zee to host educational videos that will help children learn letters, shapes, matching and other important skills to get ready for kindergarten.  Over time new content, games, and activities will be added to the app.  The Noogin library of videos, games, and activities will be separate and distinct from the televised and online preschool content available through Nick Jr. and Nickelodeon's other distribution platforms.

Nickelodeon's Noggin will provide content specifically targeted for preschooler's educational and entertainment needs and appears aimed to appeal to the growing number of households that have cut cable television services and to active on the go parents who would like a mobile option accessible for their children when the family is out and about.  Of course, not wanting to compete with their own successful cable network brands, subscribers won't find Nick's most popular preschool focused characters like Dora, PAW Patrol and Wallykazam! on Noggin.

Do you have preschoolers at home and if so does Noggin peek your interest?  If you decide to subscribe to Noggin send us a message to share your experience with the app.  Share your thoughts with A Geek Daddy Blog via email thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com , Facebook, Twitter, or the comment section below.

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!

Horton and the Kwuggerbug - the Video Game

Seussville.com is featuring a brand new video game to celebrate the publication of Dr. Seuss's newest book: HORTON AND THE KWUGGERBUG.  While Dr. Seuss passed away in 1991, Random House is still publishing new books that are compilations of short stories that were originally published in the magazine REDBOOK between 1950 and 1955 and than were never seen again.  The newest of these books, HORTON AND THE KWUGGERBUG, was released this month featuring 4 short stories with original writings and artwork by Dr. Seuss.  One of these short stories, "Horton and the Kwuggerbug,"  which is also the title of the newest book, tells the tale of how Dr. Seuss's popular elephant character, Horton, confronts a crafty and manipulative insect known as the Kwuggerbug.  These two characters are also highlighted in a video game bearing their names that is embedded in the official Doctor Seuss website and is playable on PCs, tablets, and mobile phones.

I often find that games embedded in websites don't work well on my iPhone or iPad and really need to have their own independent apps to download for the games to work well so my kids and I tried out this Horton and the Kwuggerbug game on all three platforms to see how well it worked.  I have to give the game a lot of credit in that it worked very well on all three and there was seamless integration when accessing the website from my iPad and iPhone on Internet browsers (we used Chrome and Safari) to play the game.  Thumbs up to the development team that is managing the Seussville.com website for doing an exceptional job.

This game is designed for preschoolers with a focus on helping with color identification, counting and sorting skills.  Players must shoot over to both Horton and the Kwuggerbug equal amounts of the same colored beezlenuts through the spring loaded sling shot on the screen so they must sort out and count the appropriate number to give each character to win a level.  While this game was way too simplistic for my 5 (soon to be 6) year old twins to have much interest in and enjoy when we were monkeying around with it, I'm sure they would have loved it when they were younger.  I would recommend this game for children 2 to 4 years old who will enjoy the Dr. Seuss theme and get some benefit from the basic skills incorporated in the game that assist with dexterity (players have to aim the sling shot), problem solving (players have to sort and think out how they are going to deliver the beezlenuts to finish each level) and math (players must count out the appropriate number of beezlenuts to deliver to both Horton and the Kwuggerbug).

CLICK HERE to play HORTON AND THE KWUGGERBUG on SEUSSVILLE.COM

This website also has an overview of the catalog of Dr. Seuss's work, an interactive gallery that lets you explore Dr. Seuss' office to learn more about the author, a hall of characters to explore, and a variety of other activities and games to play with.  If you haven't made a trip to Seussville, A Geek Daddy recommends you give it a visit.

Run to the Rescue with the Dogs of PAW PATROL in new Mobile App

The "hot thing" that has had my 5 year old twins attention the last few weeks has been the dogs of Nickelodeon's animated television show PAW PATROL.  So it was perfect timing for Nickelodeon's recent introduction of a new ios mobile app game based on the characters from the show.  In the RESCUE RUN! app which can be played on ipod touchs, ipads and iphones, kids can team up with the various PAW PATROL puppies for a variety of missions that require each pup to use its skills to overcome obstacles and help save their hometown of Adventure Bay.  This game uses a side-scrolling platform that is easy to play through and its fun is not as much the challenges presented but rather the opportunity for the kids to participate in their own PAW PATROL adventure and interact with their favorite characters.  It is really aimed for preschool/kindergarten aged children and older kids will most likely find the game somewhat basic and boring.  If your child is at an age where they are currently enjoying the PAW PATROL characters though this can be a fun treat for them.  My son and daughter have really enjoyed playing the game the last few days since I've downloaded it.

While some people may criticize the game for its brevity, I've appreciated that is has several short defined missions so that my children can play it for awhile and than they are done...there isn't the tug to be constantly playing on the ipad with this game because they can have some fun with it and than they are done.  I also appreciated, as I have multiple kids who want to play the game, that you can set up individualized player setting for up to four children so they can all have their own accounts on the game...nice!  Another nice feature is that this game aimed for younger children has basic controls that promote hand eye coordination but aren't very difficult to master.  Players ALWAYS complete the rescue run without losing a life, if the pup hits an obstacle the dog backs up and lets the child try to get around it again.  The challenge for the kids is not avoiding dying but rather to get better and better scores each time they play through the rescue run course.  In addition to the rescue run side-scrolling courses to run through there are also first-person view missions where the player works with a pup to solve a sorting task.  For completing missions and tasks the pups and their preschool players are awarded digital Adventure Bay badge awards to provide an acknowledgement of achievement for successfully completing their assignments which is a great way to encourage children to want to complete all of the aspects of the game.

While the game is somewhat limited with only 3 rescue missions to choose from, children can replay levels to earn all the various Adventure Bay badges, it works will with having your children play it for short stints.  My kids play it and than are done and don't argue that they want to keep going and going and going when I tell them it is time to stop.  I don't mind my kids enjoying video games for short stints but I also want them doing other things like playing outside or being creative and imaginative doing activities like coloring or drawing.  PAW PATROL: RESCUE RUN is a great game to pull out to amuse your child if you are going on a long drive, it is a rainy blah day, or you are stuck in a waiting room with them for something like a doctor's appointment.

In addition to be entertaining and amusing there are also some educational aspects to it as well:

Classification & Sorting - Some of the tasks involve comparing similar objects and sort them by size and type (for example thick versus thin).

Visual Discrimination & Matching - Find items and match them to a list of missing objects.

Science & Recycling - Categorize items as either recyclable or trash.

Counting/Enumeration - Identify objects according to the number of objects in a set.

As I mentioned before my children have really enjoyed playing this game, primarily for two reasons.  First, they have enjoyed interacting with the characters from the PAW PATROL television show and being able to control the pups through the game's adventures.  Secondly, they have been really competitive to see who can get the highest "dog biscuit" scores in the rescue runs and achieve the most Adventure Bay badges first.  The two things I appreciate the most about the game is that there isn't any risky or questionable content to worry about exposing my children to during the game play and there are no advertisements or efforts to have you buy things through in-app purchases to "enhance the experience".  Of course with no ads in the game or in-app purchase revenue that also creates an upfront cost to the game for parents when it comes to downloading RESCUE RUN.  The app is priced at $6.99 for the High Definition version and $3.99 for Standard Definition on iTunes.

If you have children who are into PAW PATROL right now I'd recommend this app but if your children have moved past that stage you should pass on this app based upon the limited missions, repetitive actions and basic elements of this app.  This is a very nice game for preschoolers and if that is where you and your children are at in life right now than you should absolutely consider downloading PAW PATROL: RESCUE RUN. 

DISCLAIMER:  I received a complimentary download of PAW PATROL: RESCUE RUN from Nickelodeon for this review.  The Paw Patrol toys pictured above were purchased with my own money way before I ever heard about this app and my children are big fans of the television show.

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