Shrieks of “Wahoo!” and squeals of delight flooded the Lied Center on Saturday afternoon as a giant neon-lighted bus driven by a big lizard rolled its way onstage. The Magic School Bus was in town accompanied by its precocious kids, their exuberant teacher Ms. Frizzle and Liz the Lizard.

Scholastic’s “The Magic School Bus-Live!” is based on the popular educational children’s program that teaches children all those familiar lessons about math, science, history and good citizenship. The live production is filled with infectious music and audience participation — and is “wild ride certified!”

Ms. Frizzle (Alice Miller) and her students — Arnold, Ralphie, Wanda and D.A. — are on a field trip when they discover that the horn on the bus won’t work. What follows is a complete lesson in “sound is vibration.”

Everything must vibrate in order for sound to happen. When the mystery is solved, everyone is feeling “good vibrations” again.

The second lesson takes place at the city dump. Exhorting her charges to “reduce, reuse and recycle,” Ms. Frizzle helps them discover the basic principles of recycling.

The lessons are valuable and keep to the mantra of making learning fun. Children in the audience were encouraged to shout out answers, and Ms. Frizzle had them literally dancing in the aisles at one point. Miller brings to Ms. Frizzle, “teacher extraordinaire,” a powerful voice and crackly personality that lights up the stage. Although some children seemed a bit intimidated at first, Miller’s over-the-top excitement coaxed them into the learning games.

The transference of animated children’s shows to live productions is sometime problematic, and “Magic School Bus-Live!” is not without drawbacks. One must always suspend disbelief when watching actors who are clearly adults portraying young children. However, this cast is talented and skilled at conveying what are essentially cartoon characters. Robert Micheli as nerdy Arnold and Lauren VanAssche as the perky D.A. were particular standouts. The music and choreography is designed to appeal to children and is flashy without being too complicated.

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Liz (Cara Testino) suffers the most in the live format. Because the costume is so bulky and expressionless, Liz’s interactions with the children and Ms. Frizzle are less complex than are possible with an animated character. Testino does an admirable job of generating the big gestures and exaggerated poses needed to convey Liz’s mischievousness but is severely limited in her options.

The arbiters of the success of such a show are certainly the children. Older ones seemed a bit bored, but most younger ones were entranced. Even with some weaknesses, this show gives parents the opportunity to expose their children not only to educational material but also the experience of live theater, which can become a source of joy in their children’s lives forever.

Sarah Young is a lecturer in Kansas University’s English department. She can be reached at youngsl@ku.edu.