Based upon the success of its television series BLAZE & THE MONSTER MACHINES which had ratings that placed it as best preschool show on television and number one for its time slot in the first quarter of 2015, Nickelodeon is launching a month of monster truck mayhem in May. Blaze and the Monster Machines features the amazing monster truck Blaze and his eight year old driver AJ having adventures that explore the physics of how things move; tackle problems through scientific inquiry and mathematics; and discover the parts needed to make everyday technologies work. The series which airs weekdays at 1:30 pm (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon is filled with monster trucks, humorous situations, and upbeat original songs with lyrics that highlight a designated STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) topic for each show such as friction, trajectory, and magnetism. Nickelodeon will be launching a brand new toy line, a special new episode titled "Dragon Island Duel", a companion game to Dragon Island Duel on the Nick Jr.website, and an update to the Blaze app.
Nickelodeon provided us an advance opportunity to watch "Dragon Island Duel" which my son really enjoyed. As soon as the episode concluded my son jumped up and asked if he could watch it again. When asked what his favorite part of the show is, he remarked he likes the songs which was reinforced by his humming one of them throughout the rest of the day. While the show is aimed for 3 to 5 year olds, my 6 year old kindergartener had fun watching it and many of the educational points of the show were relevant to things he is learning about now in school. He really got into interacting with the show yelling out answers to answers and problems involving STEM concepts that were addressed in its story. The show will probably be too elementary for most kids though as they reach first grade and on, but the show is rated and marketed for a preschool audience and I believe most kids in that age range will appreciate and learn some nifty lessons from it.
"Dragon Island Duel" will premiere at 11 am (ET/PT) on May 25, 2015. The episode features Blaze and his nemesis Crusher going up against one another in a one-on-one race to the top of Mount Dragon. Although it is one of the toughest races their team has ever faced, best friends Blaze and AJ know they have what it takes to beat Crusher. Despite Crusher's attempt to cheat and trap Blaze in a cave far off the course before the race begins, AJ manages to free his monster truck while overcoming larger-than-life obstacles along the way. Crusher tries to cheat one last time along the route, but Blaze and AJ prove no one can beat best friends by winning the race in a thrilling finale. Throughout the half-hour special, children will be introduced to the STEM concept of investigation.
Tied to this new episode, beginning May 8, kids can play a free "Dragons Island Race" game on the Nick Jr. web site. Players must help Blaze get past all of the obstacles in his path as he races Crusher to the top of Mount Dragon. The web site will also provide an exclusive five minute first look at the "Dragon Island Duel" episode from May 18 - 25.
Also as of May 8th, the Blaze and the Monster Machinesapp will offer users the ability to help Blaze and AJ compete on all-new jungle tracks when with parental approval kids purchase the Dragon Island location. The new features allow kids to race against Stripes and has them contend with new obstacles like coconut and banana launchers on Crusher when they race against him. The app, like the television show, introduces its users to STEM concepts as they race along preset courses or build their own race tracks.
Additionally, Nickelodeon and Fisher-Price, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc., is launching an all-new toy line based on Blaze and the Monster Machines at select retailers starting in May with a full nationwide rollout in August. The toys will include a die cast collection of the monster trucks, talking and transforming vehicles, playsets, and plush of the show's characters.
Blaze and the Monster Machines gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval for being entertaining and educational for girls and boys alike encouraging them to explore the science and technology behind vehicles and race car driving.
Before there was Veronica Mars or Katniss Everdeen, the teenage detective Nancy Drew opened the door setting an example that women can be strong leading characters on their own merit. This year marks the 85th anniversary of the first Nancy Drew mystery novel, The Secret of the Old Clock, which have been since followed by numerous books, television shows, movies, and video games featuring the female sleuth. As a father who doesn't want his daughter limited in life by stereotypes, I appreciate that Nancy Drew sets an example of women being able to be the standout hero of a story without a man coming in to save the day. What was unheard of at the time the stories first came out in the 1930s, this girl drove a car, packed a gun, didn't hesitate about getting into a brawl, and most importantly relied on herself to get out of tough jams.
The Nancy Drew Mystery Stories were created by publisher Edward Stratemeyer after marketing research showed his successful Hardy Boys detective stories were very popular with girl readers. He set about creating a similar series for girls featuring an amateur teen detective as the heroine. Stratemeyer himself didn't write the stories though, the very first books were authored by a woman named Mildred Wirt under the pen name Carolyn Keene. Wirt wrote 23 of the original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories with numerous other ghost writers joining her in drafting stories under the Carolyn Keene name over the years resulting in 175 novels being published between 1930 and 2003.
I've noticed that there is a lot of lip service by brands about providing more hero characters in books, movies, toys and video games but much of what I've seen out there in that regard has been more contrived at getting into parents pocket books rather then really addressing the need for such things. The nice thing about Nancy Drew is that she really is genuine. In fact, Wirt whose work really established the foundation and identity for Nancy Drew stated that she wanted to create a "genuinely adventurous heroine" that would inspire girls with stories featuring someone like themselves. I wish more brands took this approach which seems so simple yet seems to confound so many in our society.
While I don't notice Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books lining the book shelves at libraries and stores like they did when I was a kid, Nancy Drew is still out there solving mysteries and inspiring new generations of boys and girls to be inquisitive and adventurous problem solvers. While the original Nancy Drew Mysteries Stories series was canceled in 2003, here are a few new adventures people can still enjoy.
Simon & Schuster is currently publishing a series of contemporary books titled Nancy Drew Diaries and penned by Carolyn Keene aimed at children 8 to 12 years old which has the young detective traveling the world and using her brain to solve brand new mysteries. Nancy and her friends Bess and George tackle everything from sabotage to kidnapping, using impressive powers of deduction and reasoning to creatively crack cases and outsmart their enemies. So far Simon & Schuster have published eight books in the series with two more set to be released in 2015 - Clue at the Black Creek Farm on May 12th and Script for Danger coming out on September 22nd.
Papercutz also publishes graphic novel adventures featuring Nancy Drew in a series also called Nancy Drew Diaries. There newest issue Nancy Drew Diaries - Volume 5 hits stores July 7, 2015. This comic book story features Nancy Drew teamed up with an eccentric scientist to find a prototype engine that can operate at 200 miles per gallon that was lost during an experiment on a tank during the final days of World War II. In addition to finding the engine there is one other problem to deal with...the engine and tank are haunted.
Additionally, Papercutz has 21 volumes of Nancy Drew stories available in an older series called Nancy Drew - Girl Detective that have more of a similarity to the original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories books and three other graphic novels Nancy Drew The New Case Files that have more of a trendy supernatural vibe to them and also feature the Hardy Boys joining her in the stories. Papercutz focus is providing quality comic books for kids and if you haven't checked out their products you really should.
By Her Interactive has an iPad app that allows you to solve a mystery as Nancy Drew titled Ghost of Thornton Hall which has some good reviews on the App Store. Her Interactive's focus though has been more on PC games for Nancy Drew with several titles having been published over the last few years that have sold more than 9 million copies. Their 32nd Nancy Drew video game - titled Sea of Darkness is scheduled to be released on May 19, 2015 and will be available for Windows and Mac PC operating systems. In the game, players take on the role of Nancy Drew as they must solve the mystery through interrogation of suspects, solving puzzles, and discovering clues. These Nancy Drew games are also available through STEAM for cloud based play on your home computer.
Happy Birthday Nancy Drew! Thank you for being an inspiration for so many years and wishing you many more adventures in your future.
It is Children's Book Week, a time to encourage the joy of reading with young people plus celebrate children's books and the authors that write them. Administered by Every Child A Reader and sponsored by The Children's Book Council, commemorative events are being held across the United States from May 4 - 10, 2015 at schools, libraries, bookstores, homes - wherever young readers and books connect! CLICK HERE for a list of some of the official events taking place across the country plus check with your local schools and libraries to see if they are doing anything special this week.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a
divison of the U.S. Department of Education1, children who are read to
at home enjoy a substantial advantage over children who are not. Reading to kids at a young age helps build basic speech skills, cognitive thinking, imagination, and an appreciation for wanting to read for fun on their own. The U.S. Department of Education has found a correlation between the more students read on their own time and enjoy reading for fun the higher their overall school scores will be - so getting kids interested in reading early and often is important. We've placed an emphasis on every day reading to our children since they were toddlers and have really tried to develop their having an interest in reading in ways that demonstrate education and entertainment don't have to be mutually exclusive. In recognition of Children's Book Week, here are a list of some of our family's favorite children's books:
Mydaughter loves the Disney Fairies movies that feature the adventures of Tinker Bell and her fairy friends, but we don't want her watching these videos on television or the family's ipad all the time. A great solution has been Papercutz's series of graphic novels the explore the magical world of Pixie Hollow. These books provide great illustrations that provide her an appreciation for artwork and entice her interest in reading.
"Comics are a gateway drug to literacy" cartoonist Art Spiegelman once said. Whether it is going to Free Comic Book Day or having a collection of Papercutz graphic novels on our book shelves, we've embraced comics as a way to highlight that reading is fun with our children. We want our kids to be interested in reading not because their parents tell them to be but because they want to read.
Math can be a daunting topic for many, including myself, that can be intimidating and frustrating if you let it. Bedtime Math provides riddles that eliminate the stigma making the subject fun and encouraging kids to associate math with solving interesting puzzles rather than a boring task they have to do for school.
Join a small boy through his adventure in the big city looking for his friend the Dragon. As you explore the book there are various objects that you are asked to find along the journey that help children develop their counting skills. Download this free activity kit from the book's publisher for some extra educational connections for your child.
I read this book every day to my children for two years straight when they were preschoolers and by the time they started Kindergarten not only had they memorized their ABCs but also the script of the book which they could recite back to me verbatim from memory before even being able to read. Now as early readers, knowing the story really has helped using the book to reinforce sight words and build their confidence in reading. ABCs with is zany cast of characters that include a lazy lion licking a lollipop and an ostrich oiling an orange owl is a great addition to any young child's book collection.
The fun illustrations and amusing story in this book make it a quick read that helps develop an appreciation of literature with children. My kids always love flipping through this book and when I'm stretched for time this book is easy to get a bed time story read in a short amount of time. Check out this preview:
These are just a few of the many children's books our family enjoys. What are some of the ones your family enjoys or you may have loved yourself as a kid?
Thanks to our friends at Fox Home Entertainment we have a fun coloring page to share and a dvd giveaway to promote the newest Strawberry Shortcake adventure to come to home video. My daughter is always thrilled whenever a new animated Strawberry Shortcake video comes out and will the excited that this adventure features stories revolving around cute little puppies. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE: BERRY BEST IN SHOW will be released on dvd and for digital download on May 12, 2015. For a limited time, consumers will receive a copy of the “Perfect Puppy
Digital Story Book Download” by Cupcake Digital, Inc. with their
purchase. Hurry, supplies are limited!
Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Best in Show features Strawberry Shortcake and some new furry friends in delightful
“tails” about being yourself and encouraging others to do the same.
During his road trip to find homes for his orphan puppies, Huckleberry
Pie and his four-legged crew get stranded in Berry Bitty City. Luckily,
Strawberry and her berry best pals decide to help out with the strays in
“A Boy and His Dogs.” Blueberry Muffin and Huck become “Partners in
Crime” when they try to write a mystery story together…with surprising
results. And the fur is sure to fly when the girls try to help Huck
start a dog shelter in “The Mystery of the Disappearing Dog Show.” It’s a
howling good time with sweet doggy delights for everyone!
One lucky A GEEK DADDY blog reader will have the chance to win a free
DVD/Digital movie prize pack courtesy of our friends at Fox Home
Entertainment. For a chance to win Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Best In Show 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 3 entries prior to 11:59 pm EST on Sunday May 10, 2015:
UPDATE: Congratulations to Laura from Clawson, Michigan who won the dvd/digital download.
E-mail thegeekdaddy [at] yahoo [dot] com your name and mailing address. Email subject line should be BERRY BEST. (1 Entry)
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.
While you are waiting for Strawberry Shortcake: Berry Best In Show to arrive, have some fun with with this coloring page that highlights Strawberry playing with her new furry friends.
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. Any opinions in this post are my own.
It's starting to become an annual family tradition that we swing by the local comic book store on the first Saturday morning in May to enjoy FREE COMIC BOOK DAY. This is a special event hosted by comic book retailers and publishers to entice new customers and reward existing ones for their loyalty. Free Comic Book Day provides a selection of specially printed issues created for the event that provide a sample of a publishers work or
an interesting one-shot story to promote a particular character or
series. This year there were 50 free comic books that people could select from and pick up from participating locations that ranged from child focused issues like Scooby Doo! and Sonic the Hedgehog to ones rated for "mature audiences" like AndThen Emily Was Gone or Fight Club with a whole lot of other stuff in between for tweens, teens and anyone else of whatever age to enjoy as well.
This year was the fourth year in a row our family swung by a Free Comic Book event with the very first one being in 2012 which had some great titles for our then 3 year old twins like Donald Duck, Tinkerbell, Snoopy, Smurfs, and Yo Gabba Gabba that were full of bright images and perfect for them to flip through. Wow! looking at the pictures from that Free Comic Book Day and now in 2015 really shows how much these now 6 year olds have sprung up over the last few years.
My daughter wanted to dress up as her favorite Avenger for the day so our family was escorted to the comic book store by Thor. We had to head to my son's soccer game directly after our Free Comic Book Day stop so he didn't join her in dressing up as one of his favorite super heroes as he was sporting his team uniform. I threw on my Flash t-shirt to join my little girl in showing some festive spirit for our outing.
In addition to handing out free comic books, often times participating retailers will incorporate other fun stuff into the event like artist appearances and costume contests. While we were waiting in line this year, the comic book store had an artist providing free sketches to the children in line of their favorite super heroes. My son was so excited to take home with him an original piece of art featuring his favorite super hero Iron Man from a real artist.
Thor entered a costume contest for children 12 and under and enjoyed all of the attention she got from people complimenting her on the costume.
Thor's mighty steed!
Summoning the power of Mjolnir to return to Aasgard after a fun Free Comic Book Day!
So after my son's soccer game, we all lounged out in our living room relaxing and enjoying our haul of freebies. My daughter enjoying Teen Titans Go!, Cleopatra in Space and Gronk while my son flipped through Teen Age Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers, and Chakra The Invincible. Oh and I picked up a few free comics for myself that included a Doctor Who adventure, a comedy featuring one of my favorite cartoon characters The Tick, and a sampling of upcoming SciFi titles.
Once again we had an enjoyable family outing for Free Comic Book Day and are looking forward to the first Saturday in May for 2016. I'm hoping that these annual outings with dad are providing some quality childhood memories for my kids, instilling with them an appreciation for the arts, and encouraging them to enjoy reading. That plan seems to be working so far!
** Warning Spoilers - I attended an advance screening of MARVEL's #Avengers #AgeofUltron courtesty of Walt Disney Pictures prior to the film's release **
A huge fist bump to MARVEL for doing an amazing job with Avengers: Age of Ultron. The first movie, 2012's The Avengers incorporated a large number of characters and plots into one film incredibly well, featured great chemistry amongst the actors, and was full of wonderful humorous lines and physical comedy. Often times sequels just can't live up to the expectations following an original's success so I entered the movie cautious of what I may see. Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron exceeded my expectations. I enjoyed this sequel better than the first movie...and I really liked The Avengers!
This movie adds even more characters and plots to the mix than The Avengers did yet everything is intertwined together so that Avengers: Age of Ultron is well paced and doesn't feel dragged down by all of the various aspects incorporated into its story. It is really remarkable how so many different characters can share screen time without turning the movie into an overly long dragged out wreck but director Joss Whedon accomplishes this task making the film last just the perfect amount of time to keep the audience thrilled rather than bored. Whedon also does a great job of incorporating humorous elements into the film that aren't too goofy but do keep the audience chuckling throughout the movie and give it an air of a light hearted adventure rather than a dark and brooding journey. Avengers: Age of Ultron both jokes about and honors its heritage and reminded me of as a fifth grader how I was always so excited to pick up and read a new issue of The Avengers comic book each month. I felt that same thrill and excitement watching this movie!
Avengers: Age of Ultron picks up after the events of Captain America: Winter Soldier and if you were to watch any of the solo movies (Iron Man 3, Thor 2, Captain America 2) that came out between The Avengers and this sequel that would be the one I'd recommend you make sure to have seen. Thor has found out that the subversive group dedicated to world wide domination known as Hydra (which happened to take down S.H.I.E.L.D. in Captain America 2: Winter Soldier and the Agents of Shield television series) has gathered some of the alien vehicles and technology the bad guys used in The Avengers during the alien attack on New York City, including Loki's mystical staff. Thor wants that staff back and joins the Avengers in attacking a secret Hydra base to retrieve it to start off the movie.
During the attack on the Hydra hideout the Avengers discover that the alien technology has been used to create humans with super powers. Hydra wants to create its own team of super humans that can fight the Avengers and anyone else who doesn't Hail Hydra. The successful super powered humans created by Hydra are orphaned twins that become known as the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. The movie does a really nice job developing these characters as we find out they were recruited by Hydra because these kids wanted the means to be able to destroy Tony Stark who they have a passionate hatred for. Turns out the twins' parents were killed and they were trapped in a demolished apartment building for days by artillery shells fired into civilian neighborhoods during a civil war in their country that were labeled with Stark Industries on their side. Remember the first Iron Man movie began with Tony Stark as an international arms dealer and this plot ties back to that. The Avengers are able to recover Loki's staff but the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver escape to fight another day.
Thor plans to take the magical staff back to Asgard, but Tony Stark ( aka Iron Man ) talks the God of Thunder into allowing him to have three days to study the device. During that time, Stark and Bruce Banner find embedded into the staff's power crystal what appears to be the elements of an advanced computer code. They attempt to use what they've found to create an advanced artificial intelligence that can control an army of robot Iron Men that can protect the Earth so the planet doesn't need to depend on the Avengers to protect it from terrestrial or extraterrestrial threats. Unfortunately, Stark and Banner's plan goes awry when the artificial intelligence, known as Ultron, decides the best way to protect the Earth is the extinction of humanity. This is where the movie's adventure and battles really take off and I'll leave it to you to see the movie rather than spoil for you how it ends.
Elizabeth Olsen, sister of the Olsen twins from the Full House television sitcom, proves to be an incredible addition to the cast in this movie as Scarlet Witch. The Scarlet Witch provides a strong female character that can rival any of the major players with the Avengers or any villain they may encounter and will most likely have a big presence in the future within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I thoroughly enjoyed Olsen's performance and will look forward to seeing her in future films. I also appreciate that she joins the Black Widow so that girls like my daughter can see that there are some gals who are just as important as the guys when it comes to being super heroes.
Two of my favorite comic book Avengers characters growing up were Captain America and Hawkeye. I have to say one of my disappointments in the first Avengers movie was how lackluster they were portrayed. Joss Whedon corrected that in Avengers: Age of Ultron. Captain America has some really kick ass scenes in the movie and really shows off the benefits of the super soldier serum that make him a hero and important member of the Avengers. Hawkeye doesn't have the super powers of the other members of the team but it turns out he becomes the lynchpin that holds the Avengers together. In this film, Hawkeye is the character that average dads like myself will want to root for because he is the down to earth guy who humbly uses the abilities he does have to save the day.
MARVEL's Avengers: Age of Ultron is rated PG-13. While there is a lot of fighting and violence in the movie there aren't any gruesome scenes to be wary of , though an Avenger does die and most likely won't be brought back like S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Coulson was, and in my opinion it would probably be fine to bring a child that is ten years old or so to see it. There isn't any sexual or mature content that would cause me concern as a parent and cursing really wasn't an issue either though there is a running joke throughout the movie about the characters "watching their language." This is one of those film's that parents will have to make the choice on what they are comfortable with when it comes to younger kids going to see the film, but I really believe this is a suitable film for a family outing to the movie theater unless you have toddlers and preschoolers you want to cart along.
Because this is a film that can be enjoyed by both die hard comic book fans and people who have never read a comic book before in their life, MARVEL's Avengers: Age of Ultron gets A Geek Daddy nod of approval. This is one of 2015's blockbuster movie's that you won't want to miss! MARVEL's Avengers: Age of Ultrons begins its theatrical run at theaters on May 1, 2015.
Images provided courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures for promotional use of the film only
Avengers Assemble! Join A GEEK DADDY BLOG on Friday, May 1, 2015 @ 1pm EST as we co-host with SoFab Chats a Twitter Party celebrating the theatrical release of MARVEL's The Avengers: Age of Ultron. We'll be giving out $500+ in gift cards while talking about the new movie, discussing who our favorite Avengers are, and exploring Walmart's new Super Heroes Assembleaugmented reality app.
To participate RSVP with SoFab Chats and use the hashtag #AvengersUniteSweeps on Twitter between 1 and 2 pm EST. Please follow @Geekdad248, @KellysLuckyYou, @blm03, @MudpiesandTiara during the party on Twitter. To be eligible for prizes you must RSVP and participate in the party replying to questions from the hosts using the hashtag #AvengersUnitedSweeps. Join in on the fun, it should be a smashing good time!
I have been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser to serve as a co-host and promote the #AvengersUnitedSweeps Twitter Party.
