DVD gift ideas for science-minded kids
My son, age eight, has always been interested in animals, extinct or otherwise. But he’s played to death the three-DVD documentary series The Future Is Wild, which depicts the evolution of life on Earth millions of years into the future. The CGI animation is pretty good; the extrapolated life forms in the post-human world are mind-bending.
My son doesn’t seem frightened or depressed by the depiction of a universe without human intelligence or galactic empires, which is more than I can say for his dad. You don’t have to be a kid to get into this. And if you’re even considering writing an sf story about nonhuman aliens, please see it.
There’s an animated TV adventure series on Discovery Kids, but my son and I agree that it’s not as good as the original.
Just as good, and getting almost as much screen time in my house, is Alien Planet, exploring via space probe the planet Darwin IV, where evolution produced creatures like nothing on Earth.
I hope they go over as well in your home as they have in mine.
[Bladderhorn from Alien Planet]
November 29th, 2008 at 5:29 pm
Okay, now that’s weird. I’ve never even heard of these shows and I’m intrigued. Thanks for bringing them up. Do you know if they’re still be syndicated on television (Discovery, Animal Planet, etc.)? I could use a few good ideas for science fiction stories
November 30th, 2008 at 12:48 am
“Alien Planet”: great call!
November 30th, 2008 at 2:21 am
I *loved* The Future is Wild when it was being broadcast. It’s all about the tree-dwelling cephalods! ^_^
November 30th, 2008 at 2:56 am
Get the original:
http://www.amazon.com/Expedition-Account-Artwork-D-Voyage/dp/0894806297
November 30th, 2008 at 9:50 am
How The Earth Was Made, and the Planet Earth series.
December 1st, 2008 at 9:34 am
khannea, thanks. I was trying to remember the book Alien Planet is based on. Expedition, by Wayne Barlowe, for anybody who missed it.
And yeah, I think I’ll get it for my son.
December 1st, 2008 at 9:38 am
It does look like Expedition is out of print, though…
December 7th, 2008 at 10:00 am
In that case, get your impressionable young mind these ones by Barlowe:
http://www.amazon.com/Barlowes-Inferno-Wayne-Barlowe/dp/1883398363
http://www.amazon.com/Brushfire-Illuminations-Inferno-Wayne-Barlowe/dp/1883398509/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b