Smithsonian Channel’s SciQ series is now available on DVD for convenient replays whenever desired. This entertaining and incredibly informative science show explores a wide variety of topics for hands-on exploration. Teenage hosts Andrew, Paula, and Pemma tackle a general topic and dig in on-site to bring to light processes, facts, and inventions that are new and exciting for both children and parents.
Andrew and Paula approach each topic from a competitive perspective. Filled with rivalry, each seeks to out-do the other. Paula is the "smart girl" whereas Andrew takes on the "goofy guy" role with relish. The acting is a bit cheesy, and reminds me of teen-hosted TV from my own childhood, but glimpses of authentic exuberance and the joy of discovery break through from time to time.
My six-year-old thinks Andrew’s goofball antics are hilarious – he’s the hands-down favorite around here. Paula is a bubbly, keener type – while Andrew is wandering around cracking jokes, Paula is vigorously scribbling notes. Pemma stands outside of the competition, providing educational asides in her “Food for Thought” that add detail and differing perspectives. Her segments are included on all of the episodes in this volume except the first – "CSI."
The four 25-minute episodes contained in Volume 1 are: “CSI,” “Spies,” “Movie Magic,” and “Sound.” These relatively simple titles belie the wealth of intriguing detail packed into each episode. In “CSI” Andrew and Paula learn about fingerprinting, DNA testing, footprint and fingerprint lifting, dog detectives, and the scientific concepts surrounding each hands-on learning opportunity they undertake. The show culminates in their independent examination of a mock crime scene.
“Spies” examines the way we see and surveillance technology. Spy robots, police helicopters armed with infrared cameras, a polygraph demonstration, gait analysis are just the beginning of the learning explorations in this episode. Andrew gets to take part in the CT examination of a mummy to examine its bones and determine its gender. Paula visits a Navy training facility to learn how dolphins and sea lions as part of underwater observation programs.
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