The Great Outdoors! is one of the better videos in the Elmo's World series. Children's favorite furry red monster, Elmo, hosts the show in his little corner of the world. He calls on his friends to venture into the great outdoors to explore nature concepts. There are three Elmo's World segments with outdoorsy themes featured on this video: wild animals, fish, and weather. As playful and fun as the video is, little viewers pick up plenty of assorted facts as they accompany Elmo and friends on their adventures.
Elmo's World, with its distinctive crayon-scribbled decor, is comforting and safe, but it's certainly not without whimsy. The playful television, computer, dancing furniture, and Elmo's goldfish buddy, Dorothy, are all here to help deliver educational tidbits and fun sequences. The silly mime, Mr. Noodle, for example, performs a guessing-game skit in which he is a mystery animal. The Weather Lady offers some fun facts about weather, and Elmo's friend shares her experiences at the zoo.
Plenty of live-action clips featuring animals in their natural habitats and children at play help demonstrate concepts. In the animal segment, Elmo opens his door to a parade of wild animal muppets, performs a "waddle-waddle-hop-hop" dance, and even transforms into a red and furry angler fish! The computer offers video e-mail adventures, and simple multiple choice questions let kids know which animals belong where (a deer lives in the woods, an elephant lives in grasslands — not in a teacup, and so forth) with silly scenarios and obvious answers that will tickle young viewers.
Kids will certainly find a lot to love about this video, even though some of its humor is clearly designed to entertain parents as well. The video blends a number of elements, such as live-action video and muppet skits, into an entertaining whole. With Elmo posing all sorts of questions that become healthy food for thought, Elmo's World: The Great Outdoors! is a delightfully playful introduction to nature concepts with familiar and beloved characters.
The DVD edition includes a bonus Sesame Street sampler CD that includes three entertaining songs from the full-length album, The Best of Elmo. It also features a chaptering option.
