I’m in the minority at my house; TV is not my idea of a good time.  Naturally, my kids love it.  So we work to find compromises - shows that entertain and educate them, but that don’t make my ears and eyes bleed.

Thanks to the Parent Bloggers Network, I had the chance to introduce them to a show that isn’t yet airing on our local PBS station - The Zula Patrol, all about astronomy, biology, and geology.  Being a science geek myself, I’m thrilled to find new ways to expose my girls to science in ways that are fun and kid-oriented.

In The Zula Patrol, a team of aliens solves science-based problems.  The theme song is catchy and the characters are engaging, although I can’t help thinking that one of them (Zeeter) sounds like a female Bobcat Goldthwaite.  The first episode we watched was about the three types of rocks - sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic - and the second one focused on volcanos.  Tacy seemed to absorb the storylines more than the scientific facts themselves, but after several viewings, she’s starting to remember those three types of rocks.

For my part, I didn’t mind the storylines (obviously I’m thirty years old than the target demographic), but I did think the personification of the volcano in the second episode bordered on silliness.  I like that the creators want to include positive interpersonal relations in the message of the show, but a volcano that doesn’t want to erupt because his neighbors think he’s a nuisance?  Let’s stick with the science of it instead.

The Zula Patrol is a big hit at our house.  It’s been Tacy’s top viewing request since it arrived, and even though she hasn’t asked me to find new episodes, I’m going to place a call to Rocky Mountain PBS to let them know we’d like to see it added to their fall lineup.  Kid-oriented science shows are few and far between, and I’m glad to have found The Zula Patrol to help me foster an interest in science in my girls.