Review of Sid the Science Kid
PBS Kids Show Introduces Preschoolers to the World of Science
Sid the Science Kid is a product of The Jim Henson Company, founded by the late Jim Henson who is best known for The Muppets and Sesame Street. Sid the Science Kid is a one-of-a-kind show because, unlike majority of the PBS programs that concentrate on learning the alphabet and numbers and on reading and literacy (i.e. Sesame Street and Super Why!), this show uses exploration and investigation to learn scientific concepts.
The Concept
Sid the Science Kid plays on children’s inquisitive minds and constant curiosity about the world around them. It provides young viewers with the concepts of exploration, investigation, and discovery. It also uses humor, music, and play to enhance scientific ideas. Each week, the show explores a different topic that is broken down into individual explorations each episode. Some of the concepts that the show covers are measurement, the senses, transformation, and the human body.
The Characters
The show’s characters are absolutely lovable and entertaining. The main character and star of the show, Sid, is a comedic preschooler who carries around his microphone, asking lots and lots of questions. At the beginning of each show, Sid poses a question about something in his environment which sparks his quest for answers. He asks questions such as: “Why don’t my shoes fit anymore?” or “Why is the tag on my shirt so itchy?” His endearing parents, Alice and Mort, along with baby brother Zeke, always try their best to answer Sid’s questions.
The bulk of Sid’s learning experience happens at school. Along with his three wonderful friends, Gabriela, Gerald, and May, the preschoolers use activities and pretend-play to explore their answers. Gabriela is Sid’s best friend, and even though she’s a girl, she already knows what she wants by declaring herself as “The Queen” or “Mommy” during pretend-play. Gerald is a ball of energy who always makes his way to rug time by flying, hopping, or acting like a robot. Soft-spoken and sympathetic May always has something nice to say and sees everything as beautiful through her rose-colored glasses.
The character who provides Sid and his friends with learning opportunities is Miss Susie. She brings her spunk to the classroom and encourages the children to ask more questions, explore different possibilities, and use their discoveries and new ideas during play. The children record their findings in their journals. Miss Susie relates their explorations to their everyday world through music and dance.
The last of this bubbly cast of characters is Grandma. And she is one, hip Grandma. She picks Sid up from school everyday and often shares her stories with her grandson that relate to Sid’s exploration of the day.
What Makes Sid the Science Kid a Great Show
The important thing that the show touches upon is the inquisitive mind of a child. Sid represents every child from age three to six who is eager to explore and discover the world through questions, experimentation, play, music, and humor. Children at these ages want to get their hands dirty and dive into their learning with their entire minds and bodies. Sid encourages kids to ask lots of questions, and ask even more questions. He also shows young viewers how to use their imagination to create. Parents can use the ideas from the show to conduct explorations and experiments at home.
Sid the Science Kid
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