Courtesy: PBS Distribution/PBS Kids/PBS
Early this year, PBS Distribution released another new collection of episodes from PBS Kids’ hit series Nature Cat in the form of Nature Cat: Nature Cat & Mr. Hide. This latest collection of episodes – another four-episode presentation – is yet another success for the network. That is especially the case considering that its episodes, which promote outdoor activity and learning, were included in a disc that was originally released in the dead of winter. Now with summer only days away, those pro-outdoors stories – which form the foundation of the disc’s presentation – are even more timely in their presentation. They will be discussed shortly. The biology lessons tied into each story add to the stories even more, and will be discussed a little bit later. The disc’s average price point put the accent to the disc’s presentation and will also be discussed later. Each item noted here is key in its own way to the whole of Nature Cat & Mr. Hide. All things considered, they make this DVD another success for PBS, PBS Kids and PBS Distribution.
Summer vacation is here or almost here for students across America. While school is either out for summer or almost out, it doesn’t mean the fun and learning have to stop. Nature Cat: Nature Cat & Mr. Hide offers young viewers plenty of entertainment while also educating those audiences. That is done in part through the pro-outdoor stories featured in each of the disc’s four episodes. From playing a game of hide and seek against Ronald and a group of other cats to exploring nature to learn about organisms that light up at night (and light up the night) to frolicking with some friendly dragonflies to enjoying a game of beach volleyball, the episodes featured in this disc do plenty to promote outdoor activity in the warm weather. With any luck, young viewers will take that promotion for healthy, active lifestyles, and allow it to inspire them to move more while also learning about all that nature has to offer. Speaking of learning about all that nature has to offer, the science lessons that are incorporated into the pro-active lifestyle stories add their own positive element to the DVD’s presentation.
The science lessons that are tied into each of the DVD’s four featured episodes are just as diverse as the pro-active lifestyle stories themselves. The disc’s title episode features a lesson about camouflage. It’s hardly the first time that viewers have been treated to a lesson about the ways in which prey use colors and patterns in nature to keep from being eaten by predators. It has been discussed in Wild Kratts, another hit PBS Kids show. It has also been discussed on PBS’ popular wildlife series Nature more than once. In the case of this episode, viewers learn specifically how creatures, such as frogs and deer use camouflage to hide from predators. Nature Cat ends up searching for ways to camouflage himself in a neighborhood-wide game of hide and seek that involves, what else, a dog hunting cats. “The Glow Games” finds Nature Cat and his friends having to find three different bioluminescent life forms before Ronald. The episode’s title gives a hint about one of the living, light-creating creatures that Nature Cat and company find. Another of the bioluminescent creatures that the group finds is a popular summertime creature of the night. It will be left for audiences to discover on their own. The third is perhaps the most unexpected. It will also be left for viewers to discover on their own. Overall, the beings that Nature Cat and company discover are diverse in their own right. “The Shell Game” takes audiences to the beach and teaches about invertebrates with the introduction of another of Nature Cat’s friends, a hermit crab who has outgrown his shell. The crab tells Nature Cat and company that if he can’t find a new shell, he can’t help them face Ronald and his team in a game of beach volleyball. It goes without saying that such a plot point is original in comparison to Nature Cat’s other episodes and to episodes from other wildlife-based series animated and otherwise. “Enter The Dragonfly” entertains right from its title, which is a spoof of the famous 1973 Bruce Lee martial arts flick Enter The Dragon. There’s no martial arts featured in this episode, despite that pun. Rather, the story has a rather medieval vibe as Ronald is sent on a quest to become one of the Knights of Nature. In the process, he – and viewers – learn the life cycle of a dragonfly. That can easily serve as the starting point for lessons about the life cycles of other semi-aquatic animals, such as frogs, toads and salamanders. By now, the diversity in the science lessons featured in this DVD’s episodes should be obvious. That diversity goes just as far as the episodes’ pro-healthy lifestyle lessons to making this DVD a joy for audiences of all ages and kinds. Keeping all of this in mind, the DVD’s average price point proves to be more money very well-spent.
The average price point for Nature Cat: Nature Cat & Mr. Hide is $5.67, using price listings at Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Amazon, Barnes & Noble Booksellers and PBS’ online store. The most commonly listed price, listed at Walmart, Amazon and Target, is $4.79. The most expensive listing, $6.99, is at PBS’ store. The DVD was not listed at Books-A-Million’s website at the time of this review’s posting. Regardless of which retailer one uses, the money spent on this DVD will still go back to PBS even if purchased from a retailer other than PBS. What’s more, the fact that the DVD’s average price point of less than $7 is one that clearly will not break any consumer’s budget, whether ordered online or in store. The content noted in the DVD through this review proves the money spent on the DVD is well-spent. All things considered here, Nature Cat & Mr. Hide becomes a presentation that proves to be yet another success for PBS, PBS Kids and PBS Distribution.
PBS Distribution’s recently released Nature Cat DVD, Nature Cat & Mr. Hide is another welcome offering from what is another welcome addition to PBS (and PBS Kids’) program lineup. That is proven in part through stories that promote active lifestyles in each episode. The science lessons that are tied into the stories add to each episode’s interest, too. The DVD’s average price point is anything but a budget buster. Rather, it is money well-spent, considering the breadth and depth of the DVD’s overall content. Each item noted here is important in its own right to the whole of Nature Cat & Mr. Hide. All things considered, they make this DVD yet another positive offering from the still very young series. It is available now. More information on the DVD is available along with plenty of Nature Cat activities, printables, episodes and more at:
Website: http://www.pbskids.org/naturecat
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/naturecatshow
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