Parents' Guide to

Backyard Oil

By Melissa Camacho, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Oil digging reality is mild, but not much to interest kids.

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Backyard Oil offers a lighthearted, but interesting look at the way local oil drillers are attempting to capitalize on the increasing cost of oil, which includes bidding for leases to properties in order to drill, finding the correct spot to dig a hole, and using the right equipment to dig deep into the ground. The way landowners and oil contractors make (and lose) money off of these digs is also revealed.

There's a lot at stake, but the series contains lots of witty moments thanks to some colorful personalities. Watching folks use their particular methods for choosing drilling spaces, which range from using prayer to dowsing sticks (that pick up vibrations and lead you to wells), can be entertaining, too. But it also shows how much skill and luck is really necessarily in order to strike it rich.

TV Details

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