While perusing around on Netflix yesterday, I noticed a promo for a new series that would be debuting in 2 weeks’ time. The name of the series is The Magic School Bus Rides Again. If it’s anything like its counterpart from my childhood, then expect me to enjoy it thoroughly…new science and all. That brings me to this week’s moment in the Flashback Friday series: The Magic School Bus television series.
How I first came across this moment? I was introduced to The Magic School Bus in November 1995, not too long after I caught on to Wishbone. I would tune into PBS Kids on a Saturday morning and caught an episode where the class was building a model airplane and learning about flight. It was very interesting and the science of it all was actually very informative.
What it meant to me then? Back then, in the Fall of 1995, I loved what I saw. It was a very diverse cast of students learning about science in an unconventional way. I really liked Tim because he was really thorough in taking notes but I absolutely loved Keesha because she was all about the facts. The personalities in the class really made the series jump out for me back then. It made learning about the different facets of science intriguing. It was certainly something that was lacking in Mrs. Hardy’s 5th grade class.
What it means to me now? I haven’t watched The Magic School Bus since way back in 2004. I wrote in Triumphs & Tribulations V how I learned so much about the ways the body fights off illness in the infamous “Inside Ralphie” episode. With this new reboot coming up in a couple of weeks, I’m sure the new science will be just as intriguing as the legacy stuff but I don’t know if the feel will be the same. When Frizzle had you for that 30 minutes, she had you…I mean you were learning stuff about science that had you wanting to go to the library and do posters explaining it. In today’s time, I’m not sure I would get the same feeling from an educational show like that on account of the emergence of the Internet. Nevertheless, The Magic School Bus remains one of the better television shows from my childhood and will always have a special place in my heart.
