Twitter

Stream Baby Stream is a weekly column about the strange, endearing and often-surprising world of kids’ entertainment.

I had several great science teachers growing up, but I’ll never forget my first: Mr. Slim Goodbody.

Maybe he’s not a household name now, but when I was a kid, Slim was an icon of children’s television. Clad in a skintight beige unitard painted with human organs, he spoke and sang about digestion, brain function, blood and glands. As a preschooler I watched Slim with curiosity, but I’m guessing my parents found his appearance a little jarring, despite his educational mission.

Which brings me to Sid the Science Kid.

Lately, the PBS Kids program has been on heavy rotation at my house. Produced by The Jim Henson Company, it follows a curious youngster who wants “to know everything about everything.” In each 30-minute episode, Sid recruits his friends and family to help him answer big scientific questions like “Why do balls bounce?” or “What would happen if I just didn’t brush my teeth?”

Since my daughter is only 2, I’m jazzed she wants to watch a show that explores themes like germs, friction, muscles and recycling. But as an adult viewer, I’ll admit, like my old pal Slim, Sid is kind of an odd-looking dude.

Unlike the hand-drawn ‘toons of my youth, Sid is created with motion-capture technology that allows voices to be recorded in real time. As a result, its three-dimensional digital puppets look a little doughy and sleepy-eyed, which I found unsettling at first glance. But once I learned more about the process, I came around and appreciated the science that goes into making this Science Kid tick.

Episodes can be viewed in any order, though I like how they’re chronically arranged by theme; for example, Sid spends one five-episode batch of eps learning about his senses, while subsequent weeks focus on the weather, technology or the body.

Because the show is aimed at the short-attention-span set, Sid keeps the action moving with plenty of songs, goofy dancing and corny jokes. (Think of him as sort of a toddler-fied version of Beakman or Bill Nye.)

If my daughter’s fandom persists, I just might be willing to indulge in the popular Sid the Science Kid live show one day. It’s a rare pleasure to stumble upon a kids’ series that’s both educational and doesn’t drive me bananas.

Make no mistake, though: He’s certainly no Slim Goodbody.

LIKE SID THE SCIENCE KID? TRY THESE:

DINOSAUR TRAIN. After Sid’s success, The Jim Henson Company launched this CGI ‘toon which, I must admit, educates me each time I watch. (Troodons are such fascinating creatures.) In each ep a T-Rex named Buddy serves a kind of a dino Doctor Who, traversing miles and eras to learn about different species.
Grownup trivia: Series creator Craig Bartlett worked as an animator on Pee-wee’s Playhouse.

EARTH TO LUNA!. This new Sprout offering is similar to Sid in that it follows a curious kid (Luna) on scientific quests. The fast-paced, 11-minute eps are ideal for preschoolers and address some unique topics (i.e. what gives something that “just-rained smell”?).
Grownup trivia: Luna’s eye-catching images are created by TV PinGuim, a Brazilian animation company.

THE MAGIC SCHOOL BUS. I’m too old to have watched the show’s original run in the ‘90s, but Netflix lets me catch up – and the streaming service plans to reboot the series in 2016. In each classic ep, fearless teacher Ms. Frizzle (voiced by Lily Tomlin) takes her students on field trips in a magical bus that can travel through time, shrink and adapt to any environment.
Grownup trivia: On top of Tomlin, Magic School Bus had a Simpsons-size cache of celebrity guest voices that included Dolly Parton, Carol Channing, Ed Asner, Eartha Kitt and Malcolm McDowell.

Whitney Matheson (@whitneymatheson) is a pop-culture writer and mother of a 2-year-old. She rides magical trains and taxicabs in Brooklyn, N.Y.