Sid the Science Kid Beats Up the Little Einsteins

You already know that I'm not too impressed with Little Einsteins.  Connoting genius, the series has virtually nothing to do with science.

If you want your preschooler to watch a show that has something to do with science, I think Sid the Science Kid rocks.  A typical episode begins with Sid encountering a situation that poses a question.  Example:  At breakfast, he gets a rotten banana and doesn't want to eat it.  The question:  what happened to the banana?  The answer:  It decayed.

Sid then goes off to school (in a sequence repeated in every show, his mother drops him off in front of the school, and she lets out a laugh that seems to me to be both extremely happy and perhaps a bit maniacal (as if she is thinking, "I get a break from Sid!!!")).  In the playground, Sid greets his friends and discusses decay and what it might mean with his three kindergarten buddies (this has got to be the school with the best teacher-student ratio in the United States; but hey, it is television after all).

The kids head inside for school, where "Teacher Suzie" discusses the big question of the day and has the kids perform experiments relating to it (like observing a fresh versus rotten pumpkin and drawing a picture of them), which is mirrored by a video sequence of actual kids and not just the animation kids performing the experiments.  The kids head outside for playtime and discuss what they've learned while playing.  When they head back inside, "Teacher Suzie" sings a song related to the issue of the day.

Next, Sid's grandmother picks him up from school and takes him home, where Sid discusses what he learned with his parents.  Finally, Sid gets ready for bed, where he comes up with a "Super Duper Big Idea" relating to the topic of the show.  The "Super Duper Big Idea" is usually some kind of invention, and is the sort of "invention" that a kindergartener would come up with.    

Why is this so great?  The show focuses on a key concept.  It teaches the concept in a range of different ways.  It is funny.  It is interesting.  It gives kids a chance to think about observation and experimentation.  It lays out at least one experiment that a child can do at home with a parent/caregiver.  And it is just plain fun.