Save us from the neverending winter!

I cannot believe that it is March 25 already. I feel like I have missed the entire month and do you know why? Because it is still winter. Equinox, schmequinox--we still have icy patches on our driveway, hulking piles of old snow littering our yard, and fresh flakes falling daily.

If only the Zula Patrol could whoosh in and save us. In one of four episodes we recently reviewed, one of the Patrollers, Zeeter, uses a Weather-Matic machine to change the weather at the twist of a dial. Sigh... a girl can dream.

And a girl can learn a lot about weather, actually, from this collection of episodes of the PBS kids' science show. "Chilly Cook-off" gives the lowdown on temperature, from freezing to boiling and everything in between. "Treasure in the Clouds" explains, in kid-friendly detail, the different types of clouds and what types of weather they produce. "Wish You Were Here" takes a tour through the four seasons, and the pros and cons thereof. And in "Weather Vain," Zeeter learns that trying to make the weather bend to meet your own selfish needs is a recipe for disaster.

Hmmm, I'll keep thinking about that last one. In the meantime, though, I'll report that my kids (a week shy of 3 and 6 years old, respectively) enjoyed these episodes of the show as much as they did the first batch we reviewed several months ago. The characters are appealing, smart, and friendly. The explanations of science concepts are age-appropriate for preschool through 2nd grade. My kindergartner is big into science right now--every library book she checks out is science- or nature-themed--so the Zula Patrol is a perfect fit for her. It's a bit earnest for my taste, but she, and her younger brother, are charmed by the colorful alien trio, their space dog, and their tiny sidekicks, Wizzy and Wigg.

Also on the DVD are a sing-along music video (fun) and a Weather Adventure game (unbelieveably lame; find somewhat better activities on the ZP site). We also received a set of window clings featuring the Patrol and the planets in the solar system. This didn't make a ton of sense to me since these episodes are not about space at all--they're all about the weather here on Earth. But since the Patrol travels the solar system in many of its adventures, I guess that's the connection. The kids loved these, but word to the wise ... don't leave them in one spot on your window for too long. They're really, well, clingy.

Or maybe it's just the cold weather on the other side of that window. I'll have to ask Bula, Multo, and Zeeter to explain it!