Thank You, Jim Henson!

When I was in college, studying to be a teacher, Power Rangers was the "it" TV show with five year olds. I saw first hand the effects that popular TV show had on young, impressionable minds as groups of boys and girls banded into gangs to "fight" each other doing exaggerated kicks and fist punching. It was awful.

A year later, I conducted a study on the day care toddlers I was working with and the different TV shows they watched. I was sure I would find that all TV shows were unhelpful to young children and their development. After that study I felt compelled to change my views about children shows. Based on my research, it was pretty clear that some, a select few, shows were actually educational and constructive.

I wanted to make sure that Abby's TV selection only included usable facts, social lessons, or educational processes. Nowadays, there's actually a lot out there. My favorites are Word World, Sesame Street, Super Why!, and of course, Dinosaur Train. I can't say enough about Dinosaur Train, created by Jim Henson who wanted to combine the two favorite things from his own childhood, trains and dinosaurs, into one show.

Abby loves Dinosaur Train. And it's obvious that she's learning things from it. She can tell you that she's not a carnivore, or an herbivore, but an omnivore instead. Her favorite name to repeat over and over is ZIGONGOSAURUS.
(Pronounced: zee-GONG-guh-SAWR-us) She even taught me and we chant it sometimes before bed. I can't tell you the giggles involved! She knows what a quadruped is. She even knew what a Theropod was before I did! Lee had to explain it to me. Dang!

Abby's two favorite characters are Buddy and Tiny (the main characters).


The train that Buddy and his family ride around on as they explore.


Not only is this show chalked full of facts and vocabulary words, but it definitely address social skills as well. My favorite was the one where Tiny wouldn't stop to go potty. At the time, Abby was having the same issue. Tiny would "do the Tiny dance" for a while before suddenly stopping for a potty emergency. It was great timing for Abby's own potty training.

I can't say enough about this great kid's show. Check it out for yourself if you have the time.