Because those are nimbus clouds
The Cat has been educating me about clouds ever since the Parent Bloggers Network gave me The Zula Patrol Explore Weather. The DVD contains four episodes, but "Treasure in the Clouds," stuck as the Cat's favorite.
Every morning and afternoon, the Cat quizzes me about what is in the sky. He tells me what he thinks, and then asks if he is correct. Ummmmm. I am not sure. I trust that he is right, because he quotes what he has learned from those peppy Zula Patrol folk. Fortunately, we've had a myriad of weather the last few weeks, so we've had different types of clouds available for firsthand study.
The Explore Weather DVD was not the first my boys had seen of The Zula Patrol. I reviewed the Zula DVD about volcanoes and rocks back in September. The boys absolutely adored learning about science, and as I mentioned in my 2007 recap, they - particularly volcano-loving Spliggle - continue to ask for the Zula DVD.
The Zula Patrol Explore Weather has a similar format as the episodes I reviewed in September; in addition to a fun plot that applies the various scientific lessons, there are plenty of pedagogical moments where a character gives a mini-lecture to another, or when the whole patrol sits down in front of a brief educational movie.
During a focus group I participated in this weekend, a speaker challenged us to recall any strong characters in science who happened to be female, but who also appeal to young boys. Although Zeeter is purple, she does have blue eyeshadow on (or maybe her eyelids are just blue.) She's a pilot and (according to the character bios on the website:) "the wildest, hot dogging space jockey in the Zulaverse." Sounds Starbuck-esque to me, yes? But indeed, she is a female character who is a strong scientist. In truth, since all the characters are multi-colored space thingies, the issue of gender isn't really at the forefront, nor should it be. Rather, this is a fun cartoon that can be enjoyed by all without feeling that it is "meant" to belong to a particular demographic other than age. (I'm a couple decades and some change removed from the primary age-demographic but find it very informative and not dry like most science shows.)
Spliggle (age 3.5) enjoyed the action. The Cat (age 7) enjoyed the supporting facts, too. He is recalling information about weather that I am not sure was even on the DVD. Either I completely missed it, or maybe he is combining his classroom-learned facts with the Zula facts to become a Weather Expert. He comes up with little ideas: "Hey Mom, I'm going to fill up jars of water at night so they'll evaporate and become clouds!" Or tells me what would happen to certain substances at different temperatures.
This evening, the Cat selected a science book to read in bed. As its subject matter is about space, I have a feeling I know which Zula Patrol DVD we'll be buying next! (other Parent Bloggers are reviewing the Space DVD! - check it out!)
---
The Zula Patrol Explore Weather and The Zula Patrol Explore Space are available exclusively at Borders Books.
