Thomas and his friends experience loads of adventure throughout the six short episodes in the Milkshake Muddle DVD. Viewers will meet the new engines, Mighty Mac and Neville, explore an old mine with Duncan, and learn with Thomas how ice cream is made. Each episode teaches viewers a moral, such as the consequences of gossip, how to set a clear goal, the benefits of working together, and how to deal with peer pressure, jealousy and anger. Between each episode there is a short activity or sing-along to engage viewers. The activities require viewers to match up shapes, find their way through a maze or railroad tracks, and solve word problems using logic. The video is presented through a mixed media of computer animation and still action with toys. The characters' mouths never move (and the train characters don't even have mouths) requiring viewers to use their imaginations - something children tend to be quite remarkable at!
Little ones can be expected to interact with the DVD by speaking directly to the TV, or perhaps even touching the screen, particularly during the activities between episodes. There are also two sing-alongs included, both with the words printed at the bottom of the screen. Each episode also provides a great launching pad for a conversation with your child about the moral presented in that short story. You can ask your child at the end of the episode what they learned from Thomas. If they missed the moral, you can remind them about what the trains discovered over the last few minutes until your children guesses correctly.
My four-year-old niece has been a huge Thomas the Train fan since she was two. She has seen this DVD multiple times and was eager to show me her favorite episodes. She flipped right to episode #2, "Duncan and the Old Mine." She said it is her favorite because she knows how Duncan feels about wanting to find an adventure. "I find adventures all the time in my backyard," Emily informed me, "Too bad Duncan can't come here." I asked Emily what sort of adventures she finds in her backyard, and she promptly made up an elaborate - albeit highly entertaining - tale of a buried treasure of gold cookies near the stream out back that giant fish guard and won't let anyone else see, except Emily.
--Audra
