Zula Patrol

I have to admit, before PBN brought Zula Patrol to my attention, I didn’t know about it. Since there’s about fifty bazillion cartoon channels available, we fall under the Boomerang and Cartoon Network headings a bit more than the Public Television one. So, I went into this review as a Zula newbie.

I also need to cop to the fact that I’m not one those people who is naturally good or adept at math or science. I kind of need that stuff spoon fed to me or at least presented in an entertaining way or my eyes kind of glaze over. I hope my kids don’t inherit this science/math shortcoming, but they might.

The first segment on the DVD discussed temperature. I’ll tell you, living here with temperamental weather patterns where there are times you may run your heat and A/C in the same 24-hour time frame, explaining the intricacies of temperature to small children is like talking to a brick wall. They don’t get it. The inability to grasp the concept of temperature occurs at the same time as the inability to grasp periods of time. My 4 and 5 year old daughters have no better understanding of exactly how long “a month” is than do they understand “35 degrees”. Which is to say, uttering anything about months or degrees is met with blank stares.

The portion of the DVD showed nicely, with a catchy tune, about temperature. They still don’t have a detailed understanding of temperature, but they now for sure know that at 32 degrees Farenheit, water freezes and they know that that’s cold! So, understanding temperature is helpful in explaining what outerwear I wish for them to wear on any particular day.

The rest of the DVD addresses many other topics that the viewer can learn in greater detail right along with the Zula characters. Of course, the characters are cute, colorful and eager to learn. Everything is presented in a bright and cheery manner…I mean, can you imagine learning about cumulus and cirrus clouds to be, ya know, fun? Unless you are REALLY into the weather, that is.

The first time I popped in the DVD for the kiddos, the only one who didn’t watch it was my almost 12- year old “too cool for everything” kid. The rest of them watched, quite captivated. So, that’s a 4-year old, 5-year old and 9-year old who were entertained by Zula Patrol. It was easy to see why it is on public television, it’s wholesome, cute, educational fare that appeals to the target audience.

I would tune in to Zula Patrol and even look into other DVDs. Because, OK, I worry that some of my kids will inherit my not-good-at-math-and-science brain. I do. I don’t think it’s too early to teach concepts like how it is that we have different seasons. I know I would not do an adequate job explaining it in a way my 4-year old would understand, but the Zula Patrol did.

Click here for the only spot you can buy Zula Patrol DVDs. And, be prepared parents, if you watch with the kiddos, you might actually learn something you didn't pay attention to when you were in school!