Search - Sid the Science Kid: Change Happens/Front Row Fun on DVD

I love this show, and so do my kids!

Holly V. Reese | Virginia | 01/03/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I love this show, and the show itself gets 5 stars. It's a great science teaching tool for kids under ~5. My kids love the information and the songs. The format of the show has just enough structure, with transition songs and the right amount of new information for them to learn. The repeated songs are catchy, as are Teacher Susie's clever songs, which are different each show.

Additionally, the characters are all respectful to each other. The kids are respectful of parents, teachers and each other. The adults are respectful of the kids, too, treating them as smart people with important ideas. It's relatively unusual to see a kid in a kid's show interacting with his parents at all. I love that Sid has two parents, who are both supportive, and the dad is not a stereotypical dolt like so many dads on TV. He is sometimes a little goofy for comic relief, but the mom also has a few goofy moments, so it really doesn't come off that the dad is a dolt while everyone else is brilliant. The show makes a point of stating how cool his mom and grandma are, and Sid frequently says how cool his dad is.

So why only 4 stars for this product? The main Sid the Science Kid DVD has four weekday shows. Our PBS station shows those Monday through Thursday, but there is a summary show on Friday. The summary show is not included on this DVD. I'm not sure why not. (Maybe they plan to sell them separately at some point in the future?)

Also, I paid a little extra to get the Front Row Fun DVD for both the Change Happens and the Bug Club DVDs, but the content is identical. I had been hoping to get a different Front Row Fun DVD with each Sid DVD. Front Row Fun contents:

Sid the Science Kid (Charts)
Will & Dewitt
Pocoyo
Word World (one 12 minute episode, not a whole show)
Dive Olly Dive
Animal Atlas
Tiny Planets
Hurray for Huckle
Hopla
Hermie and Friends

Only Sid, Word World and Hermie seemed to hold my kids' attention (ages 2 and 3), but they are familiar with the first two from our PBS station and with Hermie from the books."

What is not to love!

D. A. J. | Atlanta, GA | 10/16/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sid the Science Kid is a great way to get your youngest children excited about science. My 4 year old loves the Magic School Bus, but it was a little over the heads of my 2 year olds. Sid was the perfect fit for all 3 kids! The 2 year olds understand what is going on and can follow the program, the 4 year old is learning a ton of new things, and the experiments they do in class we can easily re-create at home for our own scientific endeavours. A great program!"