Magic School Bus - Greatest Adventures [VHS] [Import] (1994)

Gets Lost in Space
When the planetarium is closed for a field trip, it's no problem for Ms. Frizzle--star of Scholastic's award-winning Magic School Bus series. She simply takes the class to outer space on the Magic School Bus turned spaceship. As she puts it, outer space is "the only planetarium open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week." The kids explore each of the first four planets with Ms. Frizzle, until they hit an asteroid and are separated from their teacher. They must play detective to figure out which planet she's on, working from a few clues. For example, Ms. Frizzle tells them, "The colder it gets, the hotter you are to finding me." Kids age 5 and older will learn interesting facts about each planet throughout the adventure. They'll also pick up information about relative distances in space, how gravity works, and why Earth is the only planet in our solar system that can sustain life. --Elisabeth Keating

In a Pickle
Mrs. Frizzle is on trial in this episode from the popular PBS show. Seems Keesha's prized cucumber has disappeared over spring break and she suspects Mrs. Frizzle of foul play (or eating it). The unflappable teacher has other ideas, shrinking the class down to minuscule size. Gooey and yucky (the way kids like it), the show teaches the students how microbes have very particular assignments in changing things and battling bacteria. They can even do mysterious things to cucumbers. --Doug Thomas

The Busasaurus
A visit to a dinosaur dig turns exciting when the Magic School Bus becomes a time machine that takes Ms. Frizzle's class back 67 million years to the time when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. There, they must put aside their prejudices and preconceptions about dinosaurs as they investigate which are dangerous carnivores and which are herbivores. By noting their observations in their science journals, the class classifies dinosaurs according to their diets. An encounter with a T. rex concludes the journey. They realize that dinosaurs came in all shapes and sizes, and use the scientific methods of recording data and hypothesizing to reach their conclusions. They also discover how scientists today use evidence such as teeth to tell which dinosaurs ate what. A female paleontologist answers their questions at the end, explaining which part of the journey was fact and which was speculation. Kids will learn how scientists work, as they enjoy this exciting adventure in time travel. --Elisabeth Keating