Now that summer has officially begun, camping-out season is in full swing! Dinosaur Train is celebrating “The Great American Backyard Campout” and the Dinosaur Train Nature Trackers Club with with some great FREE activities and appropriately themed books!! Find out below how you can participate in “The Great American Backyard Campout “this Saturday, June 23rd!
Dinosaur Train’s “Buddy” supports “The Great American Backyard Campout” initiative, organized by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), coming up on June 23. The campaign is devised to remind parents and children of the importance and benefits of spending time outdoors.
“Nature,” as part of childhood, has changed to not having much nature in it at all. The NWF provides some interesting facts about just how much times have changed, and the implications of spending less time outdoors. Did you know for example:
- Children are spending half as much time outdoors as they did 20 years ago. (Juster et al 2004); (Burdette & Whitaker 2005); (Kuo & Sullivan 2001)
- Today, kids 8-18 years old devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes using entertainment media in a typical day (more than 53 hours a week). (Kaiser Family Foundation)
- In a typical week, only 6% of children ages 9-13 play outside on their own. (Children & Nature Network, 2008)
- Children who play outside are more physically active, more creative in their play, less aggressive and show better concentration. (Burdette and Whitaker, 2005; Ginsburg et al., 2007)
- Sixty minutes of daily unstructured free play is essential to children’s physical and mental health. (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2008)
- The most direct route to caring for the environment as an adult is participating in “wild nature activities” before the age of 11. (Wells and Lekies, 2006)
Be a part of the NWF’s “Great American Backyard Campout” and set an example for children that will get them excited about the great outdoors!
You can participate in the campaign by registering for FREE on NWF’s “Great American Backyard Campout” website. Whether or not you can participate on June 23, the website provides FREE helpful information to make your camping experience a fun one, including campfire recipes, nocturnal wildlife guides, campfire songs and games, nature activities and much more.
Buddy and the clan from Dinosaur Train want to ensure you’ll have some extra fun during your campout with these latest books from Penguin Young Readers Group:
In Dinosaur Campout, The Pteranodon family is going on a campout! This adorable 8 x 8 is perfect for a first camping trip or night away from home. (Amazon: $3.99 + Free Shipping) My girls LOVE this book!! It follows the “frog” episode (as we call it) which is one of their favorite episodes anyway! We have the Dinosaur Train figures that they like to have act out the story as we read it!
And in Ride with Buddy, Buddy introduces readers to his friends and family on the Dinosaur Train. This Level 2 reader is perfect for young fans who are starting to read on their own. (Amazon: $3.99 + Free Shipping) Although Bella isn’t quite reading on her own yet, this easy-to-follow story is a great start for her! She recognizes several of the words and can sound out even more of them. After reading it only a few times, she’s memorized the story which also helps her when “reading” the book to herself! We are big advocates of reading on your own when it comes to our girls & this book definitely helps us in our endeavors!
And don’t forget to download the FREE Dinosaur Train’s Nature Trackers Club Guide Book which is filled with fun activities that you can also enjoy during your campout. The Dinosaur Train Nature Tracker’s Club is a community of young children, their families and educators committed to learning about nature and doing good things for their environment. Nature Trackers enjoy exploring and having adventures, respecting their environment, collecting things, tracking and observing plants and animals, and challenging themselves to get outside and make discoveries every day. When you have completed all four activities in the Guide Book, simply mail in the form provided in the download and receive an official Nature Trackers member token!
Be sure keep with up with all the latest by following The Jim Henson Company on Facebook and @hensonparents on Twitter! I’m sure you’ll be thrilled to “like” Dinosaur Train on Facebook, and you can also follow PBS Kids on Facebook and @pbskids on Twitter!
* This is a sponsored post: I was sent a copy of each of the new Dinosaur Train books in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.
