Sid the Science Kid is an American half-hour CGI animated series that aired on PBS Kids from September 1, 2008 to March 25, 2013, with a total of 68 half-hour episodes produced over two seasons. The computer generated show is produced by The Jim Henson Company and then-PBS member KCET in Los Angeles, California using the Henson Digital Puppetry Studio. The show is produced by motion capture which allows puppeteers to voice digitally animated characters in real time. Production began in the fall of 2008 with 42 half-hour episodes of Sid the Science Kid having been ordered. The series debuted on PBS Kids along with Martha Speaks on September 1, 2008, with a two-year on-air commitment. The original working title for the series was "What's the Big Idea?" and the central character, Sid, was originally named Josh.
KOCE, the current primary PBS member for the Los Angeles area, began co-producing the show after KCET disaffiliated with PBS on December 31, 2010.
24-hour preschool channel Sprout began airing Sid the Science Kid on March 25, 2013.
Maps, Directions, and Place Reviews
Premise
The main character in the show is Sid, an "inquisitive youngster" who uses comedy to tackle questions kids have about basic scientific principles and why things work the way they do. He tries to answer questions and solve problems with the help of his classmates (May, Gerald, and Gabriela), Teacher Susie, and his family (his mother Alice, his father Mort, his Grandma and his baby brother Zeke). In "Hello Doggie," Sid's Grandma adopts a dog from the animal shelter (which she names Philbert - voiced by Tara Strong, motion captured by Misty Rosas).
The conceptual content of Sid is based in national science learning standards, cognitive learning theory, and on the preschool science curriculum, Preschool Pathways to Science.
Each week's episodes are built around a single scientific theme or concept. The first week (episodes 1 - 5) focus on scientific tools and concepts (such as charts, observation, estimation, and measuring). The second week (episodes 6 - 10) focuses on changes and transformation (including decay, growth, freezing and melting, and the effects of heat). The third week (episodes 11 - 15) focuses on the senses (including touch, smell, sight, and hearing). The fourth week (episodes 16 - 20) focuses on health. The fifth week (episodes 21 - 25) focuses on simple machines. The sixth week (episodes 26 - 30) focuses on backyard science. The seventh week (episodes 31 - 35) focuses on the human body. The eighth week (episodes 36 - 40) focuses on weather. The Friday shows are designed to review, reinforce and summarize the central concept of the week.
One recurring segment, "Good Laughternoon", features the kids opening panels in a brightly colored playground structure and telling jokes. The format and set borrow heavily from the closing "joke wall" of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, the Groaning Wall from Square One TV, and "locker jokes" from You Can't Do That on Television, but for a pre-school audience and Sid would end the segment by saying, "Now that's funny!" along with a pre-recorded laughter from his toy microphone. Other recurring segments include "What's the big idea?", a problem that Sid has with anything that has to do something with the problem; Breakfast Time, when either Alice or Mort teaches Sid something that has anything to do with the problem; The Sid Survey, the segment where Sid asks questions to May, Gerald, and Gabriela; Rug Time, where Sid shows his friends and his teacher something with the problem; The Super Fab Lab, where the scientists do the lab along with a live-action class; Playtime;Singing with Susie;Backseat Driving with Grandma; Scientist in the House!, when Sid solves the problem and/or plays with his family; and "Sid's Super-Duper-Ooper-Schmooper Big Idea!", where Sid would think about what will he do to solve a problem like the one he had from each episode. Sometimes, Sid would have his play date with Gabriela or May after school making it "2 Scientists in the House!"
Science Kids Animal Facts Video
Characters
Sid (motion captured by Misty Rosas, voiced by Drew Massey) wants to be a scientist when he grows up. Sid is the most practical character on the show and is often portrayed as a very supportive friend. His special item is a toy microphone with four different colored electric buttons. When pressed, the blue button plays the recorded laughter of people, the yellow button plays the recorded applause, the red button makes a cow noise, and the white button records echoes. He wants to know "everything about everything". He enjoys singing and dancing as well. He is a well-noted observer, and possibly the brightest of the group. His daily activities consist of playing in his room, coming up with a question, asking people about his question, studying his question in school, going home, and presenting his 'Super-duper-ooper-schmooper Big Idea!' Sid's mother is of African descent and his father grew up Jewish as noted in the Hanukkah/Christmas/Kwanzaa episode.
May (motion captured by Dana Michael Woods, voiced by Julianne Buescher) is Sid's glasses-clad friend, marked by her striped stockings and fairness. She is shown to have terrible eyesight and in one episode makes a parody of Velma Dinkley in Scooby-Doo. She is the most sentimental character of the group. She is very polite and is characterized by her charming, courteous ways. May often sympathizes with everyone and everything, appreciating even inanimate things like decayed pumpkins and brown, mushy bananas. In the eponymous episode as Sid asks whether she would ever eat a mushy banana, she replies, "Aw, he probably thinks no one likes him. Yes! Yes, I would definitely eat him and be his friend!" In The Perfect Pancake when Sid recalls his father's burnt pancakes, she suggests that the oven might be angry. May has a Manx cat called Mooshu. While her conduct is quite silly at times, May is exceptionally smart, often performing at peak excellence in school.
Gerald (motion captured by Alon Williams, voiced by Victor Yerrid) is Sid's airhead, vivacious friend. He often stalls at the start of Rug Time, attempting a very appreciated light-humored gig. He has a dog, a Jack Russell terrier called Chester. He is a very valued character of the quartet, perhaps the most vivid character of the group, often being the life and soul of activities. A running gag is that he is always trying to be funny, but fails miserably.
Gabriela (motion captured by John Munro Cameron, voiced by Alice Dinnean-Vernon) is most composed character of the group. She is Sid's best friend. Unlike her friends, Gabriela is the most sensible character and often comes up with the most reasonable jokes during Good Laughternoon. She is the most authoritative figure of the quartet, often being the leader of the group activities. She is usually the one to propose playing Pretend, always opting to be the mommy. She can allegedly read. Sometimes she comes over to Sid's house to have a play date with him. She has an older brother named Mateo.
Susie (motion captured by Sonya Leslie, voiced by Donna Kimball) is the teacher at Sid's school. She begins the day with "Rug Time," where she summons the children to sit in a circle and asks them if they have anything to share with the class or talk about (usually the topic brought up is what was discussed during "Sid's Survey" and what Sid was thinking about earlier in the day). She conducts the experiments with her class. She sings to the children during the "Singing With Susie" segment at the end of the school day.
Mort (motion captured by John Munro Cameron, voiced by Victor Yerrid) is Sid's father.
Alice (motion captured by Sonya Leslie, voiced by Alice Dinnean-Vernon) is Sid's mother who drives him to school each day. Alice is a web site designer and children's computer game developer (Episode 58 "The Amazing Computer Science Tool!). Her name is probably an allusion to her voice actress.
Grandma (motion captured by Dana Michael Woods, voiced by Julianne Buescher and Donna Kimball) is Sid's paternal grandmother, she likes to tell Sid stories about herself when she was younger while driving home from school.
Dr. Rosalinda Cordova (motion captured by Michelan Sisti, voiced by America Ferrera) is a research scientist at the Science Center that the children often visit, and the mother of Gabriela. She helps to explain the various exhibits at the center and how they relate to the school lessons the children are having. On occasion, she will visit the children in their schoolroom and teach alongside Teacher Susie. She is very proud of her daughter Gabriela.
Zeke (motion captured by Alon Williams, voiced by Donna Kimball) is Sid's baby brother, he's 10 months old.
Series overview
Episodes
Season 1 (2008-2009)
Tools and Measurements
Changes and Transformations
Senses
Health
Simple Machines
Backyard Science
The Body
Weather
Season 2 (2010-2012)
Force and Motion
Light and Shadow
Environmental Systems
Technology and Engineering
Living Things
Specials (2009-12)
Movie
Movies (2013) Sid the Science Kid: The Movie premiered on March 25, 2013.
Awards
"Save the Stump!" won in the Children's Programming category Saturday at the 26th Genesis Awards, presented by the Humane Society of the United States. Additionally, the series has received a total of six Daytime Emmy Award nominations and a TCA Award nomination.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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