Three-year-olds at the University of Utah's Child Learning Development Center were the first to preview a new national PBS television series about two things near and dear to all kids: dinosaurs and trains.

"Dinosaur Train," which debuts Monday on KUED Channel 7 at 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m., is hosted by Scott Sampson, a research curator for the Utah Museum of Natural History. The initial reaction from these tiny-tot critics seemed to be an enthusiastic thumbs up.

"The goal is to get kids to learn about the natural world," said Sampson, a paleontologist who now lives in northern California but still travels to Utah for his work at the museum.

The half-hour show -- which is produced by the Jim Henson Company of Muppets fame -- comprises two 15-minute episodes, which will air Monday through Friday. Each episode will include two computer-animated stories about Buddy, a young T-Rex who takes viewers on a journey through the world around them.

There also will be short live-action segments hosted and written by Sampson as he explains the science behind the stories. The show is geared for children 3 to 8 years.

"We have to literally change our relationship with nature, and we have to give kids a start on how to do that -- to care about where they live," Sampson said about why he is working on the show. "How can we learn the future if we don't care about where we've been?"

Producers began working on "Dinosaur Train" about a year and a half ago, and Sampson initially was hired to be just a science adviser. But the paleontologist, who has done other television hosting gigs, including for the Discovery Channel miniseries "Dinosaur Planet," was later chosen to host the new program.

"I've done dozens if not hundreds of talks for kids, so I have experience," he said. "They already have a passion for nature, and the key is to nurture that."

Jacqui Voland, community outreach manager for KUED, said "Dinosaur Train" will be a "great addition to the lineup for ready-to-learn programming" and is the only national PBS show with a Utah connection. For one episode, Sampson and the show's crew went to southern Utah to a dig site at the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The series also is connected to an educational Web site, pbskids.org/dinosaurtrain.

Sampson will talk about the show today from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the museum, 1390 E. Presidents Circle (250 South), on the University of Utah campus in Salt Lake City. The event also will feature hands-on activities, including dinosaur digs, a Dino Track game, a fossil prep lab and more.

Producers have made 40 half-hour shows of "Dinosaur Train," which will run for at least the next year.