Thomas Edison's Secret Lab

This fun and imaginative PBS-aired animated series serves up an example of “stealth learning” at its finest. It turns out that inventor Thomas Edison had a secret laboratory where he left a virtual version of himself that is able to interact with kids. The facility is discovered by 12-year-old Angie and her brother J.D., along with pals Nicky and Kent. A somewhat ghostly but friendly version of Edison (voiced by singer Livingston Taylor) and a steampunk-like robot named Von Bolt are on hand to help the children with various inventions while also taking the opportunity to impart scientific and math principles. Compiling eight episodes, this collection kicks off with “Dancing Machine,” in which Von Bolt's desire to participate in a robot dance contest leads Angie and company to help him put on some groovy moves with the aid of remote control. But learning what that means exactly involves going back in time to early experiments tied to harnessing the communication possibilities of electromagnetic waves. In “Rock It to the Moon,” Von Bolt's mishandling of a precious moon rock causes it to break apart. In order to replace it, Von Bolt must go to the moon for another one—but that means learning how fast one has to travel in order to break Earth's gravity hold. “Act Your Stone Age” is a fun episode in which the kids meet their prehistoric counterparts, all while trying to learn the science behind counterweights in order to build a waterslide. And in “Freaky Furry,” Angie's frustrations with her sometimes clueless brother cause her to seek out possible differences in emotional intelligence between girls and boys. While investigating different parts of the human brain and their functions, she manages to swap minds with her dog, causing no end of confusion. Entertaining and educational, this is highly recommended. Aud: K, E, P. (T. Keogh)