Thirty-something and forty-something parents who take their kids to "Parker in the Park" at Hammond's Towle Theater may be reminded of a popular educational program from their youth.

"It's similar to 'Schoolhouse Rock,' with music that's fun and catchy and educational," said "Parker" director Scott Ferguson. "'Schoolhouse Rock' teaches math and science and history and grammar, while 'Parker in the Park' teaches natural science."

Concluding its run at Towle with a pair of shows Saturday, "Parker" tells the tale of its title character, who learns about the natural world around him with a trio of friends through song and dance.

Brought to the stage by Theatrebam Chicago, which struck gold in the 90s by bringing "Schoolhouse Rock Live" to stages across North America, "Parker" was penned by Theaterbam actor Chris Walsh.

Walsh based his story around songs by nationally celebrated children's songwriter and performer Billy B. Based in New York, Billy B has performed for audiences of all ages everywhere from the White House to the Smithsonian.

For more than a year, "Parker," which features Billy B songs such as "Bees Shake their Butt and Dance," "Yippee! Hooray! I'm a Sprout" and "Sun Up, Sun Down," has played at schools and theaters throughout Chicagoland.

"The music is fun and funny, and you learn natural science concepts in a real fun way," said Ferguson, who is also Theatrebam's artistic director. "I think that a lot of the songs could actually be animated and put on TV, and people would really love them."

While Ferguson hopes audience members leave Towle humming one of Billy B's environmentally friendly songs, he also hopes they take action on some of the lessons they've learned.

"One of the things that Parker learns is that one of the simple things he can do (to help the environment) is to plant a tree," he said. "One of the things we hope is people will leave and get a sapling and plant a tree in their backyard, and we'll have hundreds more trees than we did before."