Like most preschoolers, Sid is full of questions. To find the answers, he observes and investigates many naturally occurring phenomena that he sees every day. In his search to discover how and why, he elicits the help of his family, friends and teacher. Sid inspires children to explore the world around them and introduces basic scientific theory and vocabulary.
Sid the science Kid currently airs everyday PBS Kids. Sid the science Kid is still in production, however three DVDs have been released and can be purchased at shoppbs.org.
The Magic School Bus is an animated series that follows Ms. Frizzle, an eccentric elementary school teacher, and her class as they go on fantastic field trips to learn about the natural world around them. With the help of their transforming magical school bus, the class can explore the deepest reaches of space or shrink down tiny enough to watch white blood cells fight off infection in a sick classmate.
Although the series is no longer in syndication, it once aired frequently on commercial and non-commercial networks. The Magic School Bus is still used as a teaching tool in many elementary school classrooms. Nearly every aired episode of this series, as well as many children's books of the same title, can be bought online at Scholastic.com
Bill Nye is a tall and slender scientist who explores serious science with a great sense of humor. From his headquarters in Nye Labs, Bill uses a variety of visual diagrams to illustrate abstract scientific concepts as well seek out the help of scientific experts. At the end of the show, there is usually a music video that cleverly sums up the discussion with a catchy dancing beat.
Although the show airs only in syndication, Bill Nye is frequently used as an entertaining educational tool in middle schools across the nation. There is a large collection of Bill Nye DVDs that can be found on BillNye.com. New DVDs are still being released and some even cover mathematical concepts for algebra and pre-algebra.
Beakman is an eccentric scientist who performs science experiments in response to viewer mail in order to demonstrate various scientific concepts. While in his parent's basement, he explores everything from electricity to the ozone layer, and even flatulence. With the help of his female assistant Phoebe and his "lab rat" Lester, the three take a comic approach to science theory.
Although the series was canceled in 1998, reruns are still played in national syndication. The best of Beakman's World DVD and the original comic book that began the series, You Can with Beakman & Jax, can still be purchased at beakmansworldtv.com.