Dinosaur Train Celebrates The Great American Backyard Campout Book #Giveaway

June 23 is  “The Great American Backyard Campout”.  As a kid I remember sleeping in the yard in sleeping bags. I don’t recall ever staying outside the whole night cause I’m a chicken but catching lightening bugs, telling scary stories and campfires were always the highlight of the evening.  The Great American Back yard camp out is organized by the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and support by the DINOSAUR TRAIN’s “Buddy”.  This campaign is devised to remind parents and children the importance and benefits of spending time outdoors.

Here are some interesting facts provided by the NWF about just how much times have changed, and the implications of spending less time outdoors.

• 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 at www.nwf.org/Get-Outside/Great-American-Backyard-Campout.aspx. 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. All kids should love to read. My children love to read and my six year old impresses me every day with his ability to read big words. He’s so incredibly smart, he loves to read and I’m so proud of him.

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.

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. (SRP: $3.99).

And don’t forget to download Dinosaur Train’s Nature Trackers Club Guide Book, available here, 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!

Disclosure: No compensation was provide for sharing this information or for providing a giveaway for my readers. Giveaway is open to U.S readers only and will come directly from participating Pr.

~ * ~ * ~ GIVEAWAY ~ * ~ * ~

Win It:  The Jim Henson Company has teamed up with Penguin Young Readers Group to offer Night Owl mama readers a GIVEAWAY copy of two of their latest Dinosaur Train books, Dinosaur Campout and Ride with Buddy.

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