Parents' Guide to

Doing Da Vinci

By Anne Louise Bannon, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Inventor's drawings come to life in engaging edu series.

TV Discovery Channel Educational 2009
Doing Da Vinci Poster Image

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What's the Story?

In DOING DA VINCI, a team of four men -- an engineer, a designer/builder, an artist who does super-sized installations, and a carpenter -- works with a professor who's an expert on the life and work of Renaissance artist/inventor Leornardo Da Vinci (1452-1519) to put together some of the war machines that Da Vinci designed back in the 15th and 16th centuries. An extra twist? Other than modern tools, they're only allowed to use materials that Da Vinci had available in his lifetime.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

The show's premise is fascinating, especially if you've ever seen Da Vinci's drawings of the various inventions/machines -- including siege towers, a circular tank that could fire in all directions, and a chariot with blades. Since there's no evidence that these designs were ever built before, there's always been some speculation among historians about whether the designs were plausible.

That the team includes artist Flash Hopkins adds an element of good-natured conflict, especially since he goes with the flow, while engineer/effects designer Valek Skykes is much more precision-oriented. But even more fascinating than the interpersonal relationships is the way the series sheds light on how things get built in general. Bottom line? It's a fun hour, and kids who watch might learn a few things to boot.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what messages the show sends about war and war making. Have attitudes toward those topics changed since Da Vinci's time? If so, how? Do you think the show's goal is to make viewers think seriously about the differences between what was acceptable in the past and isn't now -- or is it just an entertaining way to look at science and experimentation?

TV Details

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