What do Turtles and Cranberries have in Common? My Curiosity Quest Review

A few weeks ago, I created free printables for the animal videos we were reviewing from Curiosity Quest. So that probably gives you a bit of an idea of where my review is going already. We watched the one on penguins, and the kids were so amazed to see “their” aquarium in a movie. We had a membership at that aquarium for a year and visited several times with our dear local friends besides. Then we watched the turtle episode, and I showed my kids some pictures from my friend Marcy’s blog where her son visited the exact same turtle hospital. I really, truly did not think they would be interested in Salmon. I was in for a surprise, because they watched the salmon video without me (even the 13 year old) and told me alllll about it afterward. All three episodes on DVD Combo Pack – Swimmers of the Sea were a big hit.

After finishing the one with animals, I was a little less skeptic about DVD Combo Pack – Produce. First of all, I forgot how much my kids love to eat raw vegetables and fruit and how much we love produce as a family. Secondly, I should have learned by now how engaging these videos are. I mean, haven’t you always wondered why the men in cranberry juice commercials are always standing in a field of water with cranberries all around? I didn’t even want to stop watching, and I am 40 years old. And once again, they chose to watch one of the episodes without waiting for me. So, ummm, yes – I really do love almost everything about the Curiosity Quest videos.

But, (You knew there was a but after that last sentence didn’t you?) I do need to tell you about that almost everything. As a person who firmly believes in a seven day literal creation and a young earth, (and writes about that firm belief often) I cannot ignore the fact that these videos do have references and inferences about evolution. I noticed these in the animal videos, and so did my kids. I found it interesting that all of these references were made by the animal handlers and not by the actual show host. That’s good.

After saying that, I want to point out that I LOVE these videos. Still. I plan on purchasing more. My kids and I used them as a springboard for significant learning. We wrote about the animals and produce. We talked about them and read books. We drew pictures. Endless pictures of penguins and turtles. We even talked a bit about the evolution stuff that came up. I learned more about mushrooms from my daughter’s recap of the episode then I ever knew I wanted to know. So there you have it.

So here’s the way the videos are laid out. The show host gets “questions” in the mail — something a child somewhere is curious about. Then, he sets out to find out the answers to those questions with a few camera men along. They talk to experts at museums, farms, aquariums, or wherever the experts are. They also interview children on the street! The whole thing is upbeat and highly informational. The turtles and penguins have names. My kids still know those names. Each show is about 30 minutes long and is geared towards children ages 7-14. Except my just-turned-five-year-old twins loved them, so I would say the age range is a little broader on the lower end. And my 13 year old loved them, so I’d say that part is about right. A three-episode combo pack like the ones we reviewed costs $24.95.

They remind of me of Fred Rogers visiting factories in the old television show we watched as kids.

My Bottom Line: Did I mention that we will be buying more of these? Because we will.