Bonehead Detectives of the Paleoworld

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Smart teens check out dinos' real world.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that since all of the information presented here is based on fact, sensitive kids could be scared. The dinosaurs are either animated or large-scale models, but there's some discussion about what a carnivore could do to other creatures -- without the context that the carnivore would be doing it in order to eat dinner.

  • Various real-life academics of both genders are shown in the field, demonstrating a passion for learning.
  • No visual violence, but since the show deals with carnivores, there's occasional discussion of blood and ripping flesh thanks to dino teeth and claws.
  • Not applicable.

What's the story?

Fun and engaging, BONEHEAD DETECTIVES OF THE PALEOWORLD originally aired in the late 1990s and continues to pop up now and again. While filled with great information from all branches of science, it's most likely to appeal to other "boneheads" (dinosaur fans). In each episode, along with main characters Sam (Danny Tamberelli) and Allie (Rebecca Budig), kid viewers hear a Question of the Day from a phone answering machine. Then Sam and Allie use a videotape machine and editing board (which look like antiques now) to get answers from various dinosaur experts working around the world.


Is it any good?

 

There's a lot of learning to be had in this show. The segments are short enough to hold a younger viewer's attention but long enough to transmit some real meaty information, largely because each episode covers a fairly narrow topic -- such as how to find dinosaur tracks, how to use math to figure out how fast a dinosaur could run, or the regular feature Sam's Wacky Timeline, which shows when the events that are being covered happened.

Unfortunately, this tight focus is also the show's downfall. While well done and fun to watch, Bonehead Detectives isn't likely to appeal to kids who aren't interested in dinosaurs. It's just too specific.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about how a show like this is made. How do you think they get the clips of the scientists doing their work? How many do you think they had to film before they got enough good ones to tell their story? Families can try making a mini-documentary on dinosaurs to see how it's done.


This review was written by Anne Louise Bannon
Adult
September 26, 2010
 
BONEHEADS - A WORK YOU MIGHT DIG
THIS SHOW IS RIGHT ON FOR THE KID THAT HAS DEVELOPING INTERESTS IN THE ANCIENT... IT IS NOT BAD FOR COLLEGE LEVEL INFO! THE HOSTS ARE AMUSING AND BECOME THE SUBJECT AS THEY ARE GOOD ACTORS AND SEEM TO BE EDUCATED. SERIOUSLY THEY MAKE A GOOD - BETTER PRESENTATION

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Adult
November 12, 2011
 
Bonehead Detectives is a gr8 and fun way to educate your child!

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This review was written by Anne Louise Bannon
This review was written by Anne Louise Bannon
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

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