Junior Ranger Elinor and Ranger Rabbit's favorite spot in the forest is ruined by a fire. / Ari and his friends learn why babies need a little more attention than they do.
To Bee or Not to Bee - Elinor, Ari, Olive and Koa are having a picnic in the forest, when all of a sudden, a few honey bees come over to check out the kids' food. A nervous Koa gets antsy and starts swatting at the bees because he's afraid of them. This gives Elinor an idea to help her friend get over his fear of bees. After some very careful bee observations, the kids conclude that bees are tiny and a lot more afraid of us than we are of them. They also realize that instead of swatting at bees, you should stay calm and steady when a bee is around, and you are a lot less likely to get stung.Turtle Crossing - Elinor, Olive and Ari are having a blast riding their bikes along the park's brand-new dirt bike-path. Suddenly, they must slam on the brakes: a sweet little turtle is trying to cross the path to get to a small pond on the other side. The kids learn all about how turtles' eggs are laid on land and the babies must make it back to the water when they hatch. The problem is, the dirt bike path is right in the turtles' way. After some careful thinking, the kids work together to move their new bike path around the turtle crossing and save the day!
Big Trees - Ari's attempts to make the world's tallest toy block tower keep falling over, so he tries to get some inspiration from a special field trip to the forest to see the world's tallest trees. When they arrive, the kids are AMAZED to see the huge sequoias, which are so tall, the kids can't even see the top! They try to form a ring around the trees by having the whole class hold hands, but they don't even get close to circling the tree. This makes Ari realize how tall trees are often wide at the bottom, which gives him the perfect idea for his tower: just make it wide at the bottom! Baby Steps - While Elinor and Ari are looking after Ari's baby sister, Miri, in the park, they decide they want to teach her how to walk. But, after they try and try again, Miri still can't seem to be able to walk. Meanwhile, Olive is determined to learn a new roller skate jump, but can't seem to get it. The kids finally realize that sometimes, you can't do things, because your body isn't ready yet. With this new knowledge, they help Miri stand, and Olive gets inspired to practice until she's ready to do her new move!
Olive gets inspired to play her violin after observing why crickets chirp. / Elinor and her friends learn why birds fly high while flying in a hot air balloon with Mz. Mole.
Echo Location - On a camping trip, the kids discover that Ari is really good at playing Marco Polo. Even without saying "Marco," a blindfolded Ari can easily figure out where Olive and Elinor are. How does he do it? They get a clue when they learn about echoing voices from a cliff face and understand that bats make a special noise only a few animals can hear that helps them know what's around them. Ears to You - One day while playing at the lake, Elinor and her friends notice something very interesting -- they can't see ears on some animals. That's so interesting! How do they hear? This question sets the kids off to explore, and they soon learn how frogs, fish and moles hear. Even though it looks like those animals don't have any ears at all, the kids discover they do have ears, but that they're just hard to notice, because they are good for hearing underground or underwater. Just like there are lots of different kinds of animals, there are also lots of different kinds of ears!
Follow Your Nose - The kids are having fun smelling some flowers, but Ari has a bit of a cold and his nose is stuffed up, so he can't smell anything. This makes Elinor wonder why they need to smell at all. After investigating, the kids figure out that smelling is good for lots of reasons, including to be able to taste things, and to tell where things are. In the end, the girls decide to help Ari by smelling everything for him until his cold goes away. Leaf Charms - Elinor is excited to do some exploring with Camilla Dromedary, but Camilla seems more interested in playing dress up. Camilla doesn't think Nature is very exciting because it's all trees with leaves and its all... green! After a while they go outside and Camilla discovers that leaves come in all different shapes and colors. It turns out Nature has something she loves: a lot of flair! The girls use the leaves to make some special charms and necklaces to remind them of their fun day exploring
A Change of Art - Elinor and her class are painting outdoors with the town's enthusiastic art teacher, Mr. Lion, when they run out of paint. A flabbergasted Mr. Lion apologizes, but soon the kids begin to experiment with natural items they find, and discover nature is full of colors you can use to paint: grass paints green and you can use strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries to paint your canvas. The kids happily finish their paintings, and when they're all done, Elinor proudly shows off her picture, which shows her true love of nature.The Litterbug - Elinor, Ari and Olive are in the park when they see Mrs. Hippo picking up litter and doing her best to keep Animal Town clean. The kids decide to help her, but when they finish, they realize that the park they just cleaned is full of litter again! That must mean Animal Town has a litterbug. After doing some investigating, the kids realize who the litterbug is -- it's Mrs. Hippo herself! It turns out that one of the bags she was using to collect trash had a hole in it, so she was dropping litter behind her everywhere they went.
Olive's Library - It's Olive's birthday party and everyone has given her a book as a present, which makes Olive very happy. However, when she goes to her room to put them away, Olive finds there's no more room. Her shelf is CRAMMED full of books. What should she do with all these books? While outside playing, the kids observe how ants share food by storing it in a special communal room. Inspired by this, the kids help Olive make a little lending library so she can share her books with everyone in Animal Town! Nature Walk - It's Nature Day at school and Elinor, Olive and Ari have to make a Nature Walk at recess. But, it's a windy day and they run into problems when their arrow signs keep blowing over, confusing their classmates and causing them to get turned around on the nature path. Fortunately, the three kids learn how to improve their signs by copying an idea from the trees: underground roots! The kids bury the bottom part of their arrow signs, just like a tree, which works perfectly.
The Unsinkable Lynx - It's a very snowy day and Elinor, Ari and Olive meet a new friend, Gael the lynx, who has just moved to Animal Town. The kids decide to play some fun SNOW TAG, and it quickly becomes clear that Gael is a master at the game. He moves impossibly fast in the snow. How does he do it? After some careful observations, the kids discover that Gael's paws are much wider than theirs, which helps him walk on top of the snow instead of sinking down into it. This discovery inspires the kids to make their own wide snowshoes!Rocky the Rock - Ari spots a funny looking rock with a smile on it and decides to make it his new friend, Rocky. When it's time for a snack, Ari notices that Rocky doesn't eat anything, which makes him worried. How will Ari take care of his friend Rocky? Enlisting the help of his friends, they wonder, are rocks alive? They make observations about what living things do and compare them to what Rocky does, which sparks a lively class debate. The kids decide that rocks are not alive, but that they can still be friends with nature.
Olive gets inspired to play her violin after observing why crickets chirp. / Elinor and her friends learn why birds fly high while flying in a hot air balloon with Mz. Mole.
A Change of Art - Elinor and her class are painting outdoors with the town's enthusiastic art teacher, Mr. Lion, when they run out of paint. A flabbergasted Mr. Lion apologizes, but soon the kids begin to experiment with natural items they find, and discover nature is full of colors you can use to paint: grass paints green and you can use strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries to paint your canvas. The kids happily finish their paintings, and when they're all done, Elinor proudly shows off her picture, which shows her true love of nature. The Litterbug - Elinor, Ari and Olive are in the park when they see Mrs. Hippo picking up litter and doing her best to keep Animal Town clean. The kids decide to help her, but when they finish, they realize that the park they just cleaned is full of litter again! That must mean Animal Town has a litterbug. After doing some investigating, the kids realize who the litterbug is -- it's Mrs. Hippo herself! It turns out that one of the bags she was using to collect trash had a hole in it, so she was dropping litter behind her everywhere they went.
The kids take a field trip to a cloud forest and learn that clouds have water in them. / After Olive needs a red crayon for Valentine's Day, they learn how crayons are made.
After having a disagreement, Olive and Ari learn about how nature works together, which helps them resolve their issue. / The kids learn the importance of meadows and make their own in Elinor's backyard.
Echo Location - On a camping trip, the kids discover that Ari is really good at playing Marco Polo. Even without saying "Marco," a blindfolded Ari can easily figure out where Olive and Elinor are. How does he do it? They get a clue when they learn about echoing voices from a cliff face and understand that bats make a special noise only a few animals can hear that helps them know what's around them.Ears to You - One day while playing at the lake, Elinor and her friends notice something very interesting -- they can't see ears on some animals. That's so interesting! How do they hear? This question sets the kids off to explore, and they soon learn how frogs, fish and moles hear. Even though it looks like those animals don't have any ears at all, the kids discover they do have ears, but that they're just hard to notice, because they are good for hearing underground or underwater. Just like there are lots of different kinds of animals, there are also lots of different kinds of ears!
Butterfly Party - It's Olive's mom's birthday, and Olive wants to organize something really special for her: a garden party with REAL butterflies. But, how can they get butterflies to come to the party? The kids set off to observe butterflies and figure out that they like certain kinds of flowers, and not others. Ms. Mole offers to let them transplant some butterfly-friendly plants from her garden to Olive's, and it works! Before long, Olive's backyard is fluttering with butterflies, just in time for Olive's mom to enjoy her birthday party. More Than One Right Way - It's Halloween, and Elinor, Ari and Olive arrive in the classroom to discover Ms. Mole putting up pumpkin decorations. The enthusiastic kids want to help, so Ms. Mole suggests they make spiderweb decorations with yarn and glue. But, when each kid makes a different-looking spiderweb, they're not sure which one is the most like a real web. After observing different spiders in nature, the kids realize that different kinds of spiders make different kinds of webs, which means they were all right! They then head back into school to decorate the classroom and have a happy Halloween.
Ari and Olive visit Elinor, hoping she'll come out and play, but Elinor has hurt her foot and has to stay in bed for the afternoon. So, her friends decide to make her favorite snack, Backyard Soup! With Mr. Rabbit's approval, they go off to gather the vegetables from the garden, but many of the veggies they need seem to be missing. After investigating, they discover that the vegetables they're looking for are root vegetables, which means they're underground. They pluck and pull vegetables and make Elinor her favorite soup, changing the name to "Underground Soup!" When Elinor and Ranger Rabbit go help Deputy Mouse clean up his garden, Elinor be-comes fascinated with dandelions. Why does Deputy Mouse want to pull them out? Eli-nor learns that pulling out the weeds from a garden gives the vegetables room to grow, and composting the leftover weeds is good for the soil. But, when Ms. Llama announces that she's out of spinach for her salad party, Elinor learns that dandelions are actually good to eat, and she helps Ms. Llama make a new delicacy - a dandelion salad!
The kids are inspired by different colored foods. / The kids join a wildlife photographer and learn how to snap the perfect picture of a puffin.
Elinor and her friends get inspired by birds to make their perfect nest. / After observing lizards, Elinor and her friends learn that it's good to eat different types of foods.
Ari is showing off his new drum moves to Elinor and Olive when Ari's mother asks him to be quieter so Ari's sister can take a nap. Ari puts a blanket inside his drum to make it qui-et, except that after Ari stops drumming, the drumming sounds continue! Where could they be coming from? The kids soon realize it's a woodpecker outside, pecking on the mailbox. They decide to put a blanket inside the mailbox to make it quiet, which makes the woodpecker fly off to find a better drumming spot. Ahh, Ari's sister can finally take a nap. After Olive stays up most of the night reading a fun book, she decides she's going to stay up late every night until she finishes. That makes the kids wonder, why do they need to sleep anyway? They observe nature to try to understand and find different animals rest-ing in different ways. After observing that Olive has trouble focusing and keeps yawning, the kids discover that all animals need some sort of rest in order to regain energy and stay healthy.
Elinor and her friends learn what makes Olive's mom's curry so spicy. / After playing too much baseball, Ari's muscles hurt.
The kids take a field trip to a cloud forest and learn that clouds have water in them. / After Olive needs a red crayon for Valentine's Day, they learn how crayons are made.
Elinor and her friends get inspired by birds to make their perfect nest. / After observing lizards, Elinor and her friends learn that it's good to eat different types of foods.
The Science of Staying Warm - It's a wintery Saturday morning and Elinor, Olive and Ari are getting ready to go out and play in the snow with other kids, but Olive wonders why she has to wear so many winter clothes. This catches Elinor's curiosity, so she observes that some kids have thick fur (like her) and others (like Olive) don't. At the same time, she sees that the kids with thick fur don't need coats, and the ones without thick fur need thicker coats. They conclude that fur must help animals stay warm. Now that Olive understands, she's excited to put on her winter stuff and have fun in the snow! The Seed of an Idea - Elinor becomes fascinated by the Velcro on Ari's new watch and convinces her friends to help her find out how it works. First, they make a list of what Velcro sticks to and what it doesn't stick to, but they need more observations, so they head out onto the playground. While outside, they observe that Velcro is very similar to a burr seed that is stuck to Ari's shirt, which is no coincidence at all! That's when they learn that the invention of Velcro was based off the burr seed. Nature is full of all sorts of inventive ideas!
Butterfly Party - It's Olive's mom's birthday, and Olive wants to organize something really special for her: a garden party with REAL butterflies. But, how can they get butterflies to come to the party? The kids set off to observe butterflies and figure out that they like certain kinds of flowers, and not others. Ms. Mole offers to let them transplant some butterfly-friendly plants from her garden to Olive's, and it works! Before long, Olive's backyard is fluttering with butterflies, just in time for Olive's mom to enjoy her birthday party.More Than One Right Way - It's Halloween, and Elinor, Ari and Olive arrive in the classroom to discover Ms. Mole putting up pumpkin decorations. The enthusiastic kids want to help, so Ms. Mole suggests they make spiderweb decorations with yarn and glue. But, when each kid makes a different-looking spiderweb, they're not sure which one is the most like a real web. After observing different spiders in nature, the kids realize that different kinds of spiders make different kinds of webs, which means they were all right! They then head back into school to decorate the classroom and have a happy Halloween.
Frozen Fish - After the lake freezes over, Elinor and her friends wonder what happens to all of their fishy friends during the wintertime. How can they survive? Do they freeze? After Ranger Rabbit cuts a hole in the ice to check on the fish, the kids gaze down through the thick ice and learn that the whole lake isn't frozen after all. The ice is only at the top, and there's still liquid at the bottom where the fish live comfortably when the lake freezes in the winter. Pirate Treasure - While the kids are playing pirates in search of treasure, pirate Ari realizes that he forgot where he hid their treasure. But, no worries, because the kids are pirates, and pirates always figure it out. Unfortunately, it's not that simple, and they can't even draw a map, because Ari can't remember exactly how to get to the treasure. Luckily, their friend Philbert the Squirrel helps them out by teaching the kids about landmarks and how to use them to find your way. So, the mighty pirates finally find their loot. Arrrr!
Elinor and her friends must sneak past Mz. Mole to surprise her for Teacher's Day. / Rudy, the pig, helps Elinor and her friends sniff out some truffles.
Hiding in Plain Sight - Elinor and her friends are playing Hide-And-Go-Seek at recess, but no matter where they hide, the Goat twins always seem to find them. The kids decide they need a to find a better way to hide, so they observe some animals who are camouflaged, prompting Elinor to realize that she, Olive and Ari can use their shapes, colors and patterns to hide themselves in plain sight, so that the Goat Twins can't spot them. Owl Girl - Elinor isn't sure what she's going to be for Costume Day, but it has to be something INTERESTING. That night, Elinor is awakened by a strange "Whooo!" sound coming from outside, so she and her mom go out to investigate. While looking for the source of the strange sound, Elinor is surprised at how many things are happening outside at night while she sleeps. Suddenly, they hear the sound again and look up to see an owl soaring in the sky, which inspires Elinor to figure out exactly what she wants to be for the costume parade.
Elinor is the new Clean Captain at school and takes things too far. / During their visit to the beach, Ari and his friends learn why we lose our teeth.
The Town Picnic - It's time for the Animal Town picnic, but Ari is growing impatient waiting for Ms. Llama's famous ketchup, which just won't come out of the bottle. Meanwhile, Elinor and her friends follow a bee to its hive and observe the honey-making process, where they discover that honey is goopier when it has less water in it. Using this new-found knowledge, the kids are inspired to solve M. Llama's ketchup problem by adding water and making it less goopy, just in time for Ari to enjoy his delicious sandwich. Yum! The Amazing Expandable Clubhouse - Elinor, Olive and Ari are happy to welcome new members to The Explorer's Club, but as more and more kids join, a big problem arises: their clubhouse isn't big enough to fit all the new Explorers! When the entire Clubhouse rolls down the hill, Elinor and her friends need to find a solution. After observing their snail friends, Norma and Lulu, they realize that a snail's shell expands as it grows, which gives them the idea to EXPAND their Clubhouse, adding new sections to make it nice and spacious for all to play!
Olive's Library - It's Olive's birthday party and everyone has given her a book as a present, which makes Olive very happy. However, when she goes to her room to put them away, Olive finds there's no more room. Her shelf is CRAMMED full of books. What should she do with all these books? While outside playing, the kids observe how ants share food by storing it in a special communal room. Inspired by this, the kids help Olive make a little lending library so she can share her books with everyone in Animal Town!Nature Walk - It's Nature Day at school and Elinor, Olive and Ari have to make a Nature Walk at recess. But, it's a windy day and they run into problems when their arrow signs keep blowing over, confusing their classmates and causing them to get turned around on the nature path. Fortunately, the three kids learn how to improve their signs by copying an idea from the trees: underground roots! The kids bury the bottom part of their arrow signs, just like a tree, which works perfectly.
Elinor and her friends must sneak past Mz. Mole to surprise her for Teacher's Day. / Rudy, the pig, helps Elinor and her friends sniff out some truffles.
After Ari's plushie is taken by an eagle, the kids travel to Moose Mountain with Dr. June Groundhog to retrieve it.
After Ari's plushie is taken by an eagle, the kids travel to Moose Mountain with Dr. June Groundhog to retrieve it.
After Elinor breaks her arm, she learns about the importance of bones. / The kids need to build a craft for the nature craft show and get inspired by mud.
After Elinor breaks her arm, she learns about the importance of bones. / The kids need to build a craft for the nature craft show and get inspired by mud.
The kids try to determine what the weather will be like during Animal Town's parade. / Olive must figure out what has given her the hiccups before the curtains open for their big play.
The kids try to determine what the weather will be like during Animal Town's parade. / Olive must figure out what has given her the hiccups before the curtains open for their big play.
Elinor notices her house looks different in the dark. / When the kids' toys get stuck in a tree, they must figure out a way to get them down.
Elinor notices her house looks different in the dark. / When the kids' toys get stuck in a tree, they must figure out a way to get them down.
Burrowing Owl Girl - Elinor is very excited, because she's visiting her grandparents in the desert. While out exploring with her grandmother, the always curious Elinor comes across a peculiar looking owl that is smaller than any other owl she's ever seen. Even more peculiar, this owl is out during the day! How can that be? After some careful observations, she realizes she DOESN'T know everything there is to know about owls, and learns that the owl she spotted is a burrowing owl, which lives in the desert and runs around during the day. Elinor is reminded that nature is full of surprises!Olive's Tree - Olive shows her friends her favorite tree in the forest. The next day, however, they're sad to see that the tree has fallen over. The three little scientists set out to find out why, and soon learn that Olive's tree has simply entered the final stage of its life cycle. Trees go from a seed, to sprout, to sapling, to full mature tree and finally, to a wildlife tree, which is a tree that has fallen over. Even though the tree has fallen, Olive is comforted to know that it will still be around for a long time, providing a home to many creatures in the forest.
The kids try to determine what the weather will be like during Animal Town's parade. / Olive must figure out what has given her the hiccups before the curtains open for their big play.
Burrowing Owl Girl - Elinor is very excited, because she's visiting her grandparents in the desert. While out exploring with her grandmother, the always curious Elinor comes across a peculiar looking owl that is smaller than any other owl she's ever seen. Even more peculiar, this owl is out during the day! How can that be? After some careful observations, she realizes she DOESN'T know everything there is to know about owls, and learns that the owl she spotted is a burrowing owl, which lives in the desert and runs around during the day. Elinor is reminded that nature is full of surprises!Olive's Tree - Olive shows her friends her favorite tree in the forest. The next day, however, they're sad to see that the tree has fallen over. The three little scientists set out to find out why, and soon learn that Olive's tree has simply entered the final stage of its life cycle. Trees go from a seed, to sprout, to sapling, to full mature tree and finally, to a wildlife tree, which is a tree that has fallen over. Even though the tree has fallen, Olive is comforted to know that it will still be around for a long time, providing a home to many creatures in the forest.
After Elinor breaks her arm, she learns about the importance of bones. / The kids need to build a craft for the nature craft show and get inspired by mud.
After Elinor breaks her arm, she learns about the importance of bones. / The kids need to build a craft for the nature craft show and get inspired by mud.
The kids try to determine what the weather will be like during Animal Town's parade. / Olive must figure out what has given her the hiccups before the curtains open for their big play.
After Ari's plushie is taken by an eagle, the kids travel to Moose Mountain with Dr. June Groundhog to retrieve it.
After Ari's plushie is taken by an eagle, the kids travel to Moose Mountain with Dr. June Groundhog to retrieve it.
Elinor notices her house looks different in the dark. / When the kids' toys get stuck in a tree, they must figure out a way to get them down.
It's the Flower Garden's grand opening, and the kids must spread the news! / After the kids' snow sculptures are ruined, they must find out who did it!
The Science of Staying Warm - It's a wintery Saturday morning and Elinor, Olive and Ari are getting ready to go out and play in the snow with other kids, but Olive wonders why she has to wear so many winter clothes. This catches Elinor's curiosity, so she observes that some kids have thick fur (like her) and others (like Olive) don't. At the same time, she sees that the kids with thick fur don't need coats, and the ones without thick fur need thicker coats. They conclude that fur must help animals stay warm. Now that Olive understands, she's excited to put on her winter stuff and have fun in the snow!The Seed of an Idea - Elinor becomes fascinated by the Velcro on Ari's new watch and convinces her friends to help her find out how it works. First, they make a list of what Velcro sticks to and what it doesn't stick to, but they need more observations, so they head out onto the playground. While outside, they observe that Velcro is very similar to a burr seed that is stuck to Ari's shirt, which is no coincidence at all! That's when they learn that the invention of Velcro was based off the burr seed. Nature is full of all sorts of inventive ideas!
Elinor is on a bit of a fish kick, so she's super happy when she comes across a new fish friend in the pond. Elinor names her friend Spotty and can't wait to show Olive and Ari, but after some time passes, she notices something peculiar about Spotty. She's grown legs! After some careful observation, the kids determine that Spotty is not a fish at all - she's a tadpole turning into a frog. Elinor couldn't be happier with her new frog friend, be-cause now she's on a frog kick. After Mr. Lion demonstrates a fun dance for the kids, he encourages them to come up with their own dance routine to express something that they think is special. Elinor, Ari and Olive see that the other kids are coming up with awesome dances, but can't think of what their dance should be about. When they observe some nearby cranes, they discov-er that even birds dance to communicate and express their feelings. Inspired, the kids do a dance that communicates to their friends what they learned and how happy they are to have discovered these amazing animals.
The kids are out summer caroling with Senor Tapir, singing their brand new Sunny Summer Song to Animal Town residents. But, by the time they arrive at Mr. Dog's house, it's nighttime and they can't seem to get a word out because they are distracted by flutter-ing moths. After they learn the moths are attracted to Mr. Dog's porch light, they figure out an easy solution - just turn off the light! The kids learn that there are simple things we can do to lessen our impact on nature, and complete their Sunny Summer Song in the dark. The kids decide to give away the peaches they've picked from Elinor's peach tree to all their friends in Animal Town. Everyone loves their peaches, but soon their basket is emp-ty. They head to Farmer Bear's farm to get more, but when they get there, they discover that there is only one peach left on the tree! Is Animal Town out of peaches? After some observations, they learn that certain fruits only grow in certain seasons. The peaches might be gone, but they'll be back next summer, and now that it's almost fall, they can pick another fresh and juicy fruit for their friends -- apples!
After Elinor breaks her arm, she learns about the importance of bones. / The kids need to build a craft for the nature craft show and get inspired by mud.
Butterfly Party - It's Olive's mom's birthday, and Olive wants to organize something really special for her: a garden party with REAL butterflies. But, how can they get butterflies to come to the party? The kids set off to observe butterflies and figure out that they like certain kinds of flowers, and not others. Ms. Mole offers to let them transplant some butterfly-friendly plants from her garden to Olive's, and it works! Before long, Olive's backyard is fluttering with butterflies, just in time for Olive's mom to enjoy her birthday party.More Than One Right Way - It's Halloween, and Elinor, Ari and Olive arrive in the classroom to discover Ms. Mole putting up pumpkin decorations. The enthusiastic kids want to help, so Ms. Mole suggests they make spiderweb decorations with yarn and glue. But, when each kid makes a different-looking spiderweb, they're not sure which one is the most like a real web. After observing different spiders in nature, the kids realize that different kinds of spiders make different kinds of webs, which means they were all right! They then head back into school to decorate the classroom and have a happy Halloween.
Butterfly Party - It's Olive's mom's birthday, and Olive wants to organize something really special for her: a garden party with REAL butterflies. But, how can they get butterflies to come to the party? The kids set off to observe butterflies and figure out that they like certain kinds of flowers, and not others. Ms. Mole offers to let them transplant some butterfly-friendly plants from her garden to Olive's, and it works! Before long, Olive's backyard is fluttering with butterflies, just in time for Olive's mom to enjoy her birthday party.More Than One Right Way - It's Halloween, and Elinor, Ari and Olive arrive in the classroom to discover Ms. Mole putting up pumpkin decorations. The enthusiastic kids want to help, so Ms. Mole suggests they make spiderweb decorations with yarn and glue. But, when each kid makes a different-looking spiderweb, they're not sure which one is the most like a real web. After observing different spiders in nature, the kids realize that different kinds of spiders make different kinds of webs, which means they were all right! They then head back into school to decorate the classroom and have a happy Halloween.
The Science of Staying Warm - It's a wintery Saturday morning and Elinor, Olive and Ari are getting ready to go out and play in the snow with other kids, but Olive wonders why she has to wear so many winter clothes. This catches Elinor's curiosity, so she observes that some kids have thick fur (like her) and others (like Olive) don't. At the same time, she sees that the kids with thick fur don't need coats, and the ones without thick fur need thicker coats. They conclude that fur must help animals stay warm. Now that Olive understands, she's excited to put on her winter stuff and have fun in the snow!The Seed of an Idea - Elinor becomes fascinated by the Velcro on Ari's new watch and convinces her friends to help her find out how it works. First, they make a list of what Velcro sticks to and what it doesn't stick to, but they need more observations, so they head out onto the playground. While outside, they observe that Velcro is very similar to a burr seed that is stuck to Ari's shirt, which is no coincidence at all! That's when they learn that the invention of Velcro was based off the burr seed. Nature is full of all sorts of inventive ideas!
Butterfly Party - It's Olive's mom's birthday, and Olive wants to organize something really special for her: a garden party with REAL butterflies. But, how can they get butterflies to come to the party? The kids set off to observe butterflies and figure out that they like certain kinds of flowers, and not others. Ms. Mole offers to let them transplant some butterfly-friendly plants from her garden to Olive's, and it works! Before long, Olive's backyard is fluttering with butterflies, just in time for Olive's mom to enjoy her birthday party.More Than One Right Way - It's Halloween, and Elinor, Ari and Olive arrive in the classroom to discover Ms. Mole putting up pumpkin decorations. The enthusiastic kids want to help, so Ms. Mole suggests they make spiderweb decorations with yarn and glue. But, when each kid makes a different-looking spiderweb, they're not sure which one is the most like a real web. After observing different spiders in nature, the kids realize that different kinds of spiders make different kinds of webs, which means they were all right! They then head back into school to decorate the classroom and have a happy Halloween.
Butterfly Party - It's Olive's mom's birthday, and Olive wants to organize something really special for her: a garden party with REAL butterflies. But, how can they get butterflies to come to the party? The kids set off to observe butterflies and figure out that they like certain kinds of flowers, and not others. Ms. Mole offers to let them transplant some butterfly-friendly plants from her garden to Olive's, and it works! Before long, Olive's backyard is fluttering with butterflies, just in time for Olive's mom to enjoy her birthday party.More Than One Right Way - It's Halloween, and Elinor, Ari and Olive arrive in the classroom to discover Ms. Mole putting up pumpkin decorations. The enthusiastic kids want to help, so Ms. Mole suggests they make spiderweb decorations with yarn and glue. But, when each kid makes a different-looking spiderweb, they're not sure which one is the most like a real web. After observing different spiders in nature, the kids realize that different kinds of spiders make different kinds of webs, which means they were all right! They then head back into school to decorate the classroom and have a happy Halloween.
The kids try to determine what the weather will be like during Animal Town's parade. / Olive must figure out what has given her the hiccups before the curtains open for their big play.
The Town Picnic - It's time for the Animal Town picnic, but Ari is growing impatient waiting for Ms. Llama's famous ketchup, which just won't come out of the bottle. Meanwhile, Elinor and her friends follow a bee to its hive and observe the honey-making process, where they discover that honey is goopier when it has less water in it. Using this new-found knowledge, the kids are inspired to solve M. Llama's ketchup problem by adding water and making it less goopy, just in time for Ari to enjoy his delicious sandwich. Yum!The Amazing Expandable Clubhouse - Elinor, Olive and Ari are happy to welcome new members to The Explorer's Club, but as more and more kids join, a big problem arises: their clubhouse isn't big enough to fit all the new Explorers! When the entire Clubhouse rolls down the hill, Elinor and her friends need to find a solution. After observing their snail friends, Norma and Lulu, they realize that a snail's shell expands as it grows, which gives them the idea to EXPAND their Clubhouse, adding new sections to make it nice and spacious for all to play!
The House That Ants Built - Elinor and her friends are trying to make an awesome couch cushion castle, but they each have their own ideas of how to build it. When they can't seem to share materials, it looks like all hope is lost, until Elinor notices ants walking by her windowsill. Fascinated, the kids follow the ants and notice them co-operating with each other to build the perfect nest. Now they know just what to do. The kids go back inside and now that they're working together, the castle-building is much smoother. They can even move the biggest pillow - together! Special Places - When Ari can't find his favorite ball, he and his friends retrace his footsteps, where they observe a bird with eggs in her nest, then find Mr. Dog burying a toy. Mr. Dog explains he loves to put things away, which is why he buries them and keeps them safe in their "special place." At that moment, Ari suddenly remembers where he left his ball. Elinor and Olive help him find a "special place" to keep it, AFTER they finish playing, of course!
The Paper Trail - The kids are making a storybook when they run out of paper, so they decide to get more from the store. Unfortunately, the store is out of paper too, so the kids wonder: where can they get more? This question brings them to Mr. Beaver's paper mill, where they learn that paper comes from trees, and the trees come from- a tree farm! After learning all the steps and how nature plays a significant role in making paper, the kids realize that it's important not to waste it. This inspires them to finish their story by drawing on the back of their old paper.Bath Time - After Ari's parents let him skip bath time, he's determined to never have a bath again. This makes Elinor, Ari and Olive ask the question, why do we have to take baths anyway? They learn all about the different ways animals keep themselves clean, but Ari is still adamant about never bathing again. That is, until he starts to get really sticky and itchy, which disrupts his playtime. He finally gives in to bath time and makes himself squeaky clean, but don't worry, he'll have plenty time to get dirty again tomorrow!
The Tomato Drop - Elinor, Ari and Olive are having a fun day at the Animal Town Tomato Festival, but the day is about to get even better as they enter the 'tomato drop' contest. After their first two tomatoes smash into goop when they hit the ground, the kids have to figure out a better way to drop their tomatoes. This is when Elinor notices other things falling softly in nature, like the fall leaves or feathers from birds. Using those things as inspiration, Elinor and friends quickly cobble together a tomato parachute, with a scarf as the chute. Sure enough, when Elinor drops their tomato chute, it falls slowly and lands intact. YAY! Look What I Can Do - Elinor and her friends are playing soccer. Elinor and Ari notice all their friends are pretty good at the game, but they aren't. After further observation, they realize all their friends have a specific talent that makes them good during play. With Ms. Mole's help, Elinor realizes everyone has their own special abilities. Ari can fly, so he makes an awesome goalie. And Elinor's talent? Bouncing the ball with her ears - GOOOAL!
Bubble House - The kids find a spittle bug, which is a bug that lives in bubbles. They watch it building itself a bubble house, and it inspires the kids to build one of their very own. They try to make one big bubble, but it's a lot harder than they thought, and the bubbles keep popping. After observing the spittle bug a bit more closely, they realize it uses its body like a straw to blow lots of small bubbles, so the kids imitate the spittle bug by blowing lots and lots of little bubbles in a pile, and it works. Their very own bubble house!The Syrup Tree - The kids are helping Farmer Bear as she makes her famous maple syrup by collecting tree sap and boiling it until it's syrupy, then pouring it into bottles. There's one problem though, there's a lot of bottles to fill and she only has one ladle. Inspired by how tree sap delivers nutrients to the entire tree, Elinor and her friends make the perfect delivery system that resembles branches on a tree that distributes the syrup to multiple bottles. Time for some pancakes!
The Lizard Lounge - Mrs. Beaver wants to build a new park bench in a perfect spot, but there's a giant rock in the way. No problem, they'll just move it, but then they run into another problem: lizards, who keep reappearing on the rock. With a little observation, Elinor and her friends realize that lizards like the rock because it's in the sun, and the lizards need a warm place to rest because they're cold blooded. So, the kids make a new cozy spot in the sun for their lizard friends. Eventually, the lizards move and Mrs. Beaver is able to build the bench. Feathers - When Ari finds a particularly cool feather and puts it in his cap, Elinor starts to wonder why birds have feathers in the first place. It's time for more observations! The group splits up and each of the kids observe interesting birds and conclude that birds need feathers for different reasons: to fly, to stay warm, and for decorations, sort of like their very own version of clothes! Ms. Mole confirms they are ALL right. In the end, Ari realizes there's another cool thing you can do with a feather - it makes a perfect sandcastle flag!
Elinor gives Hazel some strawberry seeds to grow at home, but the only problem is that Hazel lives in an apartment building and doesn't have a backyard to make a garden in. That doesn't stop the kids from trying! Knowing they need the three S's (seeds, sun and soil) to grow plants, they gather what they need and discover that Hazel's balcony makes the perfect spot to grow strawberries. You really can make a garden anywhere! Elinor and the Exploring Club decide to go on a musical exploring march in the forest with all their instruments so they can play a loud song for all the animals and creatures to hear. But, while they march and play, they realize one thing is missing during their walk - the animals and creatures! The club discovers that their loud music is keeping the ani-mals and creatures away, so they decide to keep quiet and enjoy the sounds of nature.
After Elinor breaks her arm, she learns about the importance of bones. / The kids need to build a craft for the nature craft show and get inspired by mud.
The Town Picnic - It's time for the Animal Town picnic, but Ari is growing impatient waiting for Ms. Llama's famous ketchup, which just won't come out of the bottle. Meanwhile, Elinor and her friends follow a bee to its hive and observe the honey-making process, where they discover that honey is goopier when it has less water in it. Using this new-found knowledge, the kids are inspired to solve M. Llama's ketchup problem by adding water and making it less goopy, just in time for Ari to enjoy his delicious sandwich. Yum!The Amazing Expandable Clubhouse - Elinor, Olive and Ari are happy to welcome new members to The Explorer's Club, but as more and more kids join, a big problem arises: their clubhouse isn't big enough to fit all the new Explorers! When the entire Clubhouse rolls down the hill, Elinor and her friends need to find a solution. After observing their snail friends, Norma and Lulu, they realize that a snail's shell expands as it grows, which gives them the idea to EXPAND their Clubhouse, adding new sections to make it nice and spacious for all to play!
Bubble House - The kids find a spittle bug, which is a bug that lives in bubbles. They watch it building itself a bubble house, and it inspires the kids to build one of their very own. They try to make one big bubble, but it's a lot harder than they thought, and the bubbles keep popping. After observing the spittle bug a bit more closely, they realize it uses its body like a straw to blow lots of small bubbles, so the kids imitate the spittle bug by blowing lots and lots of little bubbles in a pile, and it works. Their very own bubble house!The Syrup Tree - The kids are helping Farmer Bear as she makes her famous maple syrup by collecting tree sap and boiling it until it's syrupy, then pouring it into bottles. There's one problem though, there's a lot of bottles to fill and she only has one ladle. Inspired by how tree sap delivers nutrients to the entire tree, Elinor and her friends make the perfect delivery system that resembles branches on a tree that distributes the syrup to multiple bottles. Time for some pancakes!
Bird Song - Elinor's Dad is having trouble sleeping in because of the noisy birds outside his window, so Elinor decides to find out why birds sing, and hopefully get her Dad a little peace and quiet. Ari and Olive join her, and the kids come to realize birds sing to communicate, just like how we talk to communicate. The next morning, Elinor uses a whistle to call the bird away so her dad can finally get some sleep. No Need to Shout - Elinor loses her voice just before she and her friends are supposed to sing their song for the class. She needs to figure out another way to perform, so she and her friends decide to observe nature outside for some ideas. They notice that all sorts of animals use different ways to communicate by using actions instead of words, like a dog wagging its tail vigorously or a baby crying. This gives Elinor the idea that she can act out the actions of the song during their presentation. The show must go on!
Hiding in Plain Sight - Elinor and her friends are playing Hide-And-Go-Seek at recess, but no matter where they hide, the Goat twins always seem to find them. The kids decide they need a to find a better way to hide, so they observe some animals who are camouflaged, prompting Elinor to realize that she, Olive and Ari can use their shapes, colors and patterns to hide themselves in plain sight, so that the Goat Twins can't spot them.Owl Girl - Elinor isn't sure what she's going to be for Costume Day, but it has to be something INTERESTING. That night, Elinor is awakened by a strange "Whooo!" sound coming from outside, so she and her mom go out to investigate. While looking for the source of the strange sound, Elinor is surprised at how many things are happening outside at night while she sleeps. Suddenly, they hear the sound again and look up to see an owl soaring in the sky, which inspires Elinor to figure out exactly what she wants to be for the costume parade.
Bubble House - The kids find a spittle bug, which is a bug that lives in bubbles. They watch it building itself a bubble house, and it inspires the kids to build one of their very own. They try to make one big bubble, but it's a lot harder than they thought, and the bubbles keep popping. After observing the spittle bug a bit more closely, they realize it uses its body like a straw to blow lots of small bubbles, so the kids imitate the spittle bug by blowing lots and lots of little bubbles in a pile, and it works. Their very own bubble house! The Syrup Tree - The kids are helping Farmer Bear as she makes her famous maple syrup by collecting tree sap and boiling it until it's syrupy, then pouring it into bottles. There's one problem though, there's a lot of bottles to fill and she only has one ladle. Inspired by how tree sap delivers nutrients to the entire tree, Elinor and her friends make the perfect delivery system that resembles branches on a tree that distributes the syrup to multiple bottles. Time for some pancakes!
The Tomato Drop - Elinor, Ari and Olive are having a fun day at the Animal Town Tomato Festival, but the day is about to get even better as they enter the 'tomato drop' contest. After their first two tomatoes smash into goop when they hit the ground, the kids have to figure out a better way to drop their tomatoes. This is when Elinor notices other things falling softly in nature, like the fall leaves or feathers from birds. Using those things as inspiration, Elinor and friends quickly cobble together a tomato parachute, with a scarf as the chute. Sure enough, when Elinor drops their tomato chute, it falls slowly and lands intact. YAY!Look What I Can Do - Elinor and her friends are playing soccer. Elinor and Ari notice all their friends are pretty good at the game, but they aren't. After further observation, they realize all their friends have a specific talent that makes them good during play. With Ms. Mole's help, Elinor realizes everyone has their own special abilities. Ari can fly, so he makes an awesome goalie. And Elinor's talent? Bouncing the ball with her ears - GOOOAL!
Elinor notices her house looks different in the dark. / When the kids' toys get stuck in a tree, they must figure out a way to get them down.
Ari is showing off his new drum moves to Elinor and Olive when Ari's mother asks him to be quieter so Ari's sister can take a nap. Ari puts a blanket inside his drum to make it qui-et, except that after Ari stops drumming, the drumming sounds continue! Where could they be coming from? The kids soon realize it's a woodpecker outside, pecking on the mailbox. They decide to put a blanket inside the mailbox to make it quiet, which makes the woodpecker fly off to find a better drumming spot. Ahh, Ari's sister can finally take a nap. After Olive stays up most of the night reading a fun book, she decides she's going to stay up late every night until she finishes. That makes the kids wonder, why do they need to sleep anyway? They observe nature to try to understand and find different animals rest-ing in different ways. After observing that Olive has trouble focusing and keeps yawning, the kids discover that all animals need some sort of rest in order to regain energy and stay healthy.
Backyard Soup - Elinor loves making "Backyard Soup," because all the ingredients come from their backyard garden. She's eager to try the same recipe when she visits her grandma and grandpa, but their backyard is a lot different than Elinor's, because they live in the desert. Elinor learns that different plants grow in different environments as she makes a whole different "Backyard Soup" with her grandparents, where the main ingredient is cactus! Colorful and Tasty - Elinor and her friends are selling lots of yummy cupcakes, but the problem is no one is buying any. The kids don't understand what's wrong, because everyone loves cupcakes. After observing how flowers attract bees through color and smell, they go back to their bake sale and decorate the table with fantastic colors, and use a fan to spread the aroma of the cupcakes. Before they know it, the place is "buzzing" and they sell every cupcake!
Elinor is friends with a chickadee bird she names Chicky, but when snow covers the yard, she starts to worry about how Chicky will find food in the winter. She and her friends then observe that birds all have a unique way of finding food during the winter months, called foraging. This new knowledge inspires Elinor, Olive and Ari to build bird feeders to make food easier to find for their feathery friends!
After Ari's plushie is taken by an eagle, the kids travel to Moose Mountain with Dr. June Groundhog to retrieve it.
Elinor is on a bit of a fish kick, so she's super happy when she comes across a new fish friend in the pond. Elinor names her friend Spotty and can't wait to show Olive and Ari, but after some time passes, she notices something peculiar about Spotty. She's grown legs! After some careful observation, the kids determine that Spotty is not a fish at all - she's a tadpole turning into a frog. Elinor couldn't be happier with her new frog friend, be-cause now she's on a frog kick. After Mr. Lion demonstrates a fun dance for the kids, he encourages them to come up with their own dance routine to express something that they think is special. Elinor, Ari and Olive see that the other kids are coming up with awesome dances, but can't think of what their dance should be about. When they observe some nearby cranes, they discov-er that even birds dance to communicate and express their feelings. Inspired, the kids do a dance that communicates to their friends what they learned and how happy they are to have discovered these amazing animals.
The Tomato Drop - Elinor, Ari and Olive are having a fun day at the Animal Town Tomato Festival, but the day is about to get even better as they enter the 'tomato drop' contest. After their first two tomatoes smash into goop when they hit the ground, the kids have to figure out a better way to drop their tomatoes. This is when Elinor notices other things falling softly in nature, like the fall leaves or feathers from birds. Using those things as inspiration, Elinor and friends quickly cobble together a tomato parachute, with a scarf as the chute. Sure enough, when Elinor drops their tomato chute, it falls slowly and lands intact. YAY!Look What I Can Do - Elinor and her friends are playing soccer. Elinor and Ari notice all their friends are pretty good at the game, but they aren't. After further observation, they realize all their friends have a specific talent that makes them good during play. With Ms. Mole's help, Elinor realizes everyone has their own special abilities. Ari can fly, so he makes an awesome goalie. And Elinor's talent? Bouncing the ball with her ears - GOOOAL!
Elinor is friends with a chickadee bird she names Chicky, but when snow covers the yard, she starts to worry about how Chicky will find food in the winter. She and her friends then observe that birds all have a unique way of finding food during the winter months, called foraging. This new knowledge inspires Elinor, Olive and Ari to build bird feeders to make food easier to find for their feathery friends!
Ms. Mole's Glasses - When Ms. Mole forgets her glasses at school, Elinor and her friends follow her to return them. Ms. Mole can't see anything without her glasses! The kids travel throughout Animal Town, just missing Ms. Mole at every turn. During their travels, the kids realize Ms. Mole has been shopping and getting around using different senses. By the time they finally reach Ms. Mole and return her glasses, she's got all her shopping done without them. Cool! Elinor Stops the Squish - Elinor and her friends want to bring Ms. Mole a cupcake for her birthday, but they're worried it will get squished on the way to school. The kids find inspiration in nature when they observe how different animals/creatures stay safe using their shells as a defense mechanism. Elinor, Ari and Olive use this idea as inspiration to make a shell around the cupcake using a hard coconut. Because of the kids' hard work and ingenuity, the cupcake makes it all the way to school without being squished, just in time for Ms. Mole to enjoy her present. Yum!
The House That Ants Built - Elinor and her friends are trying to make an awesome couch cushion castle, but they each have their own ideas of how to build it. When they can't seem to share materials, it looks like all hope is lost, until Elinor notices ants walking by her windowsill. Fascinated, the kids follow the ants and notice them co-operating with each other to build the perfect nest. Now they know just what to do. The kids go back inside and now that they're working together, the castle-building is much smoother. They can even move the biggest pillow - together!Special Places - When Ari can't find his favorite ball, he and his friends retrace his footsteps, where they observe a bird with eggs in her nest, then find Mr. Dog burying a toy. Mr. Dog explains he loves to put things away, which is why he buries them and keeps them safe in their "special place." At that moment, Ari suddenly remembers where he left his ball. Elinor and Olive help him find a "special place" to keep it, AFTER they finish playing, of course!
The kids try to determine what the weather will be like during Animal Town's parade. / Olive must figure out what has given her the hiccups before the curtains open for their big play.
Speed Racer - Elinor has a need for speed and wants to make her racecar go faster! So, she and her friends observe birds and fish and come to realize that they are both very fast, because of the shape of their bodies, tails and wings. The kids then decide the best way to make their race car go faster is by changing its shape. They make the car more aerodynamic by building it the same shape as a bird or fish. Ready, set.... gooooo!One of These Goats - Substitute Teacher Mr. Hamster wants to learn everyone's names, but he has trouble telling the Goat twins apart, so Elinor, Ari and Olive decide to help him. This is tricky, because the Goat Twins look so much alike, especially today, when they've decided to wear the same color dress. After observing them closely and studying each Goat's characteristics, the kids realize that even though the Goats are very similar, there are many small ways to tell them apart if only you take a closer look.
Speed Racer - Elinor has a need for speed and wants to make her racecar go faster! So, she and her friends observe birds and fish and come to realize that they are both very fast, because of the shape of their bodies, tails and wings. The kids then decide the best way to make their race car go faster is by changing its shape. They make the car more aerodynamic by building it the same shape as a bird or fish. Ready, set.... gooooo! One of These Goats - Substitute Teacher Mr. Hamster wants to learn everyone's names, but he has trouble telling the Goat twins apart, so Elinor, Ari and Olive decide to help him. This is tricky, because the Goat Twins look so much alike, especially today, when they've decided to wear the same color dress. After observing them closely and studying each Goat's characteristics, the kids realize that even though the Goats are very similar, there are many small ways to tell them apart if only you take a closer look.
After having a disagreement, Olive and Ari learn about how nature works together, which helps them resolve their issue. / The kids learn the importance of meadows and make their own in Elinor's backyard.
The kids try to build a sandcastle, but finding the right spot on the beach is challenging. / Elinor uses the help of slime to get a stuck ring off Camilla's finger.
Ms. Mole's Glasses - When Ms. Mole forgets her glasses at school, Elinor and her friends follow her to return them. Ms. Mole can't see anything without her glasses! The kids travel throughout Animal Town, just missing Ms. Mole at every turn. During their travels, the kids realize Ms. Mole has been shopping and getting around using different senses. By the time they finally reach Ms. Mole and return her glasses, she's got all her shopping done without them. Cool!Elinor Stops the Squish - Elinor and her friends want to bring Ms. Mole a cupcake for her birthday, but they're worried it will get squished on the way to school. The kids find inspiration in nature when they observe how different animals/creatures stay safe using their shells as a defense mechanism. Elinor, Ari and Olive use this idea as inspiration to make a shell around the cupcake using a hard coconut. Because of the kids' hard work and ingenuity, the cupcake makes it all the way to school without being squished, just in time for Ms. Mole to enjoy her present. Yum!
Leave It To Ari - Elinor, Olive and Ari are helping Ari's dad rake the leaves in their yard, which leads them to wonder, "Who rakes the leaves in the forest?" They need more observations, so they head out to the forest, where they look at the leaves more closely and notice that some of them are fresh, others are a little worn, and others are really old and crumbling. The kids also notice some of the dirt on the ground has little bits of leaves in it, and they realize that the leaves that fall on the forest floor eventually get old and go back into the soil, just like the compost that Ari's Dad makes. Snow Friend - Elinor, Ari and Olive are building a giant Snow Friend, but there isn't enough snow to finish their masterpiece. Luckily, the next day brings fresh new snow, but this snow won't stay packed at all - it just falls apart. After they go in the house to warm up, they observe some snow melt and get sticky, and they figure out a solution - warm up the snow! When they put their plan into action, the warm snow has just the right stickiness for packing. Just in time to build a super Snow Friend. Hurrah!
Wind in the Web - Elinor and her friends volunteer to help Mr. Raccoon put up a sign for his bakery, but the sign keeps blowing away in the fall breeze. After Elinor observes a spider in its web and how the wind doesn't seem to affect it at all, she learns things that are wide will catch the wind, but if they have lots of holes like a spider's web, they will not. They try this new idea on their sign and cut holes in it, and it works. Problem solved, and just in time for all the folks to notice the sign and buy Mr. Raccoon's yummy baked treats!The Pokey Plant - It's Plant Day at school and Elinor is super excited to get a beautiful plant to take home. When she gets a cactus, she's a little disappointed at first, but after some careful observations, she and her friends learn lots of cool things about it, like how it grows in the desert, how it doesn't need much water and how the spikes keep it safe. Elinor decides her cactus is the coolest plant ever!
Ms. Mole's Glasses - When Ms. Mole forgets her glasses at school, Elinor and her friends follow her to return them. Ms. Mole can't see anything without her glasses! The kids travel throughout Animal Town, just missing Ms. Mole at every turn. During their travels, the kids realize Ms. Mole has been shopping and getting around using different senses. By the time they finally reach Ms. Mole and return her glasses, she's got all her shopping done without them. Cool!Elinor Stops the Squish - Elinor and her friends want to bring Ms. Mole a cupcake for her birthday, but they're worried it will get squished on the way to school. The kids find inspiration in nature when they observe how different animals/creatures stay safe using their shells as a defense mechanism. Elinor, Ari and Olive use this idea as inspiration to make a shell around the cupcake using a hard coconut. Because of the kids' hard work and ingenuity, the cupcake makes it all the way to school without being squished, just in time for Ms. Mole to enjoy her present. Yum!
After Elinor breaks her arm, she learns about the importance of bones. / The kids need to build a craft for the nature craft show and get inspired by mud.
The Lizard Lounge - Mrs. Beaver wants to build a new park bench in a perfect spot, but there's a giant rock in the way. No problem, they'll just move it, but then they run into another problem: lizards, who keep reappearing on the rock. With a little observation, Elinor and her friends realize that lizards like the rock because it's in the sun, and the lizards need a warm place to rest because they're cold blooded. So, the kids make a new cozy spot in the sun for their lizard friends. Eventually, the lizards move and Mrs. Beaver is able to build the bench.Feathers - When Ari finds a particularly cool feather and puts it in his cap, Elinor starts to wonder why birds have feathers in the first place. It's time for more observations! The group splits up and each of the kids observe interesting birds and conclude that birds need feathers for different reasons: to fly, to stay warm, and for decorations, sort of like their very own version of clothes! Ms. Mole confirms they are ALL right. In the end, Ari realizes there's another cool thing you can do with a feather - it makes a perfect sandcastle flag!
The kids each tell a spooky tale about a creature in nature who pretends to be scary. / Af-ter Ari's sandwich grows mold and he names it Doug, he's determined to learn more about it.
Backyard Soup - Elinor loves making "Backyard Soup," because all the ingredients come from their backyard garden. She's eager to try the same recipe when she visits her grandma and grandpa, but their backyard is a lot different than Elinor's, because they live in the desert. Elinor learns that different plants grow in different environments as she makes a whole different "Backyard Soup" with her grandparents, where the main ingredient is cactus!Colorful and Tasty - Elinor and her friends are selling lots of yummy cupcakes, but the problem is no one is buying any. The kids don't understand what's wrong, because everyone loves cupcakes. After observing how flowers attract bees through color and smell, they go back to their bake sale and decorate the table with fantastic colors, and use a fan to spread the aroma of the cupcakes. Before they know it, the place is "buzzing" and they sell every cupcake!
Elinor is friends with a chickadee bird she names Chicky, but when snow covers the yard, she starts to worry about how Chicky will find food in the winter. She and her friends then observe that birds all have a unique way of finding food during the winter months, called foraging. This new knowledge inspires Elinor, Olive and Ari to build bird feeders to make food easier to find for their feathery friends!
The kids are inspired by different colored foods. / The kids join a wildlife photographer and learn how to snap the perfect picture of a puffin.
Elinor notices her house looks different in the dark. / When the kids' toys get stuck in a tree, they must figure out a way to get them down.
Bird Song - Elinor's Dad is having trouble sleeping in because of the noisy birds outside his window, so Elinor decides to find out why birds sing, and hopefully get her Dad a little peace and quiet. Ari and Olive join her, and the kids come to realize birds sing to communicate, just like how we talk to communicate. The next morning, Elinor uses a whistle to call the bird away so her dad can finally get some sleep.No Need to Shout - Elinor loses her voice just before she and her friends are supposed to sing their song for the class. She needs to figure out another way to perform, so she and her friends decide to observe nature outside for some ideas. They notice that all sorts of animals use different ways to communicate by using actions instead of words, like a dog wagging its tail vigorously or a baby crying. This gives Elinor the idea that she can act out the actions of the song during their presentation. The show must go on!
Wind in the Web - Elinor and her friends volunteer to help Mr. Raccoon put up a sign for his bakery, but the sign keeps blowing away in the fall breeze. After Elinor observes a spider in its web and how the wind doesn't seem to affect it at all, she learns things that are wide will catch the wind, but if they have lots of holes like a spider's web, they will not. They try this new idea on their sign and cut holes in it, and it works. Problem solved, and just in time for all the folks to notice the sign and buy Mr. Raccoon's yummy baked treats! The Pokey Plant - It's Plant Day at school and Elinor is super excited to get a beautiful plant to take home. When she gets a cactus, she's a little disappointed at first, but after some careful observations, she and her friends learn lots of cool things about it, like how it grows in the desert, how it doesn't need much water and how the spikes keep it safe. Elinor decides her cactus is the coolest plant ever!
Leave It To Ari - Elinor, Olive and Ari are helping Ari's dad rake the leaves in their yard, which leads them to wonder, "Who rakes the leaves in the forest?" They need more observations, so they head out to the forest, where they look at the leaves more closely and notice that some of them are fresh, others are a little worn, and others are really old and crumbling. The kids also notice some of the dirt on the ground has little bits of leaves in it, and they realize that the leaves that fall on the forest floor eventually get old and go back into the soil, just like the compost that Ari's Dad makes.Snow Friend - Elinor, Ari and Olive are building a giant Snow Friend, but there isn't enough snow to finish their masterpiece. Luckily, the next day brings fresh new snow, but this snow won't stay packed at all - it just falls apart. After they go in the house to warm up, they observe some snow melt and get sticky, and they figure out a solution - warm up the snow! When they put their plan into action, the warm snow has just the right stickiness for packing. Just in time to build a super Snow Friend. Hurrah!
Backyard Soup - Elinor loves making "Backyard Soup," because all the ingredients come from their backyard garden. She's eager to try the same recipe when she visits her grandma and grandpa, but their backyard is a lot different than Elinor's, because they live in the desert. Elinor learns that different plants grow in different environments as she makes a whole different "Backyard Soup" with her grandparents, where the main ingredient is cactus!Colorful and Tasty - Elinor and her friends are selling lots of yummy cupcakes, but the problem is no one is buying any. The kids don't understand what's wrong, because everyone loves cupcakes. After observing how flowers attract bees through color and smell, they go back to their bake sale and decorate the table with fantastic colors, and use a fan to spread the aroma of the cupcakes. Before they know it, the place is "buzzing" and they sell every cupcake!
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