Wow, what a big storm we had last night! Let’s see what happened outside. Oh no, there are branches everywhere! Be careful!
“Hey, Lily! Zach! Is that you?” called Rex. “There’s a branch blocking my door, and I can’t get out.”
“Don’t worry, Lily. I can help,” said Zach as he pushed the branch away.
“Hey, Rex! Did you see the storm last night?” asked Zach.
“Yes, lots of things blew down. I’ll be busy fixing things,” replied Rex.
“I’m going to check out what else happened. Bye, Zach!” said Rex.
“See you later, Rex!” Zach waved.
“Hey, Zach, where are you going?” asked Lily.
“Hi, Lily! I’m going to see if Bob the boat is okay after the storm. Want to come?”
“Of course! Let’s go,” said Lily.
“Hi, Zurby’s! Good morning!” greeted Bob. “Oh no, where’s the raft?”
“The rope’s broken. The raft must have washed away during the storm. We need to find it!” said Bob.
“I have an idea! Let’s call Chase to help us. He can see more from the air,” suggested Lily.
“Great idea, Lily!” Zach agreed.
“Zach to Chase, come in, Chase!”
“Hi, Zach! What do you need?” replied Chase.
“We lost the raft. Can you help us find it?” asked Zach.
“No problem, Zach! I’m on my way,” said Chase.
“Oh no, the raft is broken on the rocks,” reported Chase.
“Thanks for helping us find it, Chase!” said Zach.
“Anytime! See you later,” Chase flew away.
“Oh no, the raft is broken. Can we fix it?” asked Lily.
“I don’t think so. We’ll have to make a new one,” said Bob.
“What should we use?” wondered Lily.
“It should be made of something that floats,” Bob suggested.
“Look, a leaf! It floats!” said Lily.
“It’s too small. Maybe we need more leaves,” Zach thought.
“Or we could use sticks! Wood floats,” suggested Rex.
“Great idea, Rex!” said Lily.
“Let’s arrange the sticks in a square and tie them together,” said Lily.
“Does anyone have string?” asked Zach.
“I do!” said Rex.
“Great! Let’s get to work!” said Lily.
“Wow, it looks awesome! Let’s try it in the water,” said Zach.
“Yay! It floats!” cheered Lily.
“Look how beautiful the lake is today!” said Zach.
“Let’s go play by the water!” suggested Lily.
“I love playing by the water!” said Zach.
“Me too! Let’s go!” said Lily.
“Whoa, big rocks! Let’s drive on them!” said Zach.
“I don’t think it’s working, Zach,” said Lily.
“Maybe we need to try another way,” suggested Zach.
“Let’s find some rocks to get up on!” said Lily.
“Let’s try this way!” said Zach.
“I love driving on these rock trails!” said Lily.
“Oh no, a big gap! We need to go back and try another way,” said Zach.
“Let’s try the other direction!” suggested Lily.
“Can you help us, Sandy?” asked Zach.
“Sure! I can push rocks into the gap,” said Sandy.
“Great! Now we can drive across!” said Zach.
“Look, we made it to the other side!” cheered Lily.
“Hey, Zach! What do you want to do today?” asked Lily.
“Let’s play some silly games!” said Zach.
“I love zigzags! Let’s do zigzags!” said Lily.
“Wow, look at this trail! It’s full of mud puddles!” said Zach.
“Let’s drive through them!” said Lily.
“What if we got some mud and put it on the trail?” suggested Zach.
“Great idea! Let’s get some from Zerbytown Marsh!” said Lily.
“Marge, can you give us some mud?” asked Zach.
“Sure! Here you go!” said Marge.
“Let’s go fast so it doesn’t dry out!” said Lily.
“Yay! It’s still muddy! Let’s drive on it!” cheered Zach.
“This is so much fun!” said Lily.
“Let’s go back and see if we can figure out how to keep it muddy,” suggested Zach.
“Okay, let’s go!” said Lily.
“Remember, answers are everywhere!” said Zach.
Storm Cleanup Adventure: After a storm, things can get messy outside. With an adult, go on a mini adventure in your backyard or a nearby park. Look for branches, leaves, or other things that might have fallen. Can you help clean up like Zach and Lily did? Talk about why it’s important to keep our environment clean and how storms can change the way things look outside.
Floating Experiment: Just like Lily and Zach built a raft, you can explore what floats and what sinks. Gather small objects like leaves, sticks, stones, and plastic toys. Fill a basin with water and predict which items will float or sink. Test your predictions and discuss why some things float while others sink. What materials would you choose to build a raft that floats?
Bridge Building Challenge: Use blocks, toy cars, and small rocks to create a bridge at home. Imagine there’s a gap like in the story, and you need to help your toys cross it. How can you arrange the blocks and rocks to make a sturdy bridge? Try different designs and see which one works best. Discuss what makes a bridge strong and how teamwork can help solve problems.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript, removing any unnecessary or repetitive phrases while maintaining the essence of the conversation:
—
[Music]
Wow, that was some storm last night! Let’s see if anything happened. Whoa, there are branches on the ground. Careful!
Hey, Lily! Zach! Is that you? There’s a branch blocking my door, and I can’t get out.
Oh, don’t worry, Lily. I can get it. I’ll just push it over here.
Hey, Rex! Did you see that storm last night?
Yeah, lots of things blew down in the wind. I’m going to be hard at work fixing things.
Wow, I’m going to check out what else happened. Bye, Zach!
See you later, Rex!
Hey, Zach, where are you going?
Oh, hi, Lily! I’m going to see what else happened last night during the storm. I thought I’d check on Bob the boat.
Oh, can I come?
Of course! Come on, let’s go.
Hi, Zurby’s! Good to see you this wonderful morning. Hi, Bob! We just came down to see if you’re okay after the storm.
Oh, problemo! Where’s the raft, Bob?
I don’t know. It’s usually tied up right here, but look—the rope’s broken. The raft must have washed away during the storm. We have to search for it!
We’ll help search from the land. Ready?
[Music]
I don’t see the raft over here. Do you see it, Lily?
No, I don’t see it.
Oh, I have an idea! Maybe we should call Chase to help us. He can see more from the air.
Oh, good idea, Lily!
Zach to Chase, come in, Chase!
Oh, yes, this is Chase. What do you need?
Hi, Chase! We need you to look over Zerbytown Lake. We lost the raft; it must have washed away in the storm.
Oh no, problemo, Zach! I’m on my way.
Do you see him?
No, not yet.
Oh, there he is!
Hi, guys! Here I go looking for the raft.
Okay, let me see. Oh, wait a minute. Yep, Chase to Zach, I see something, but you’re not going to like it.
Is it the raft?
Yeah, but it’s all broken up on the rocks. I’m sorry about that, Zach.
Well, thanks for helping us find it, Chase!
Anytime! See you later.
[Music]
Oh no, look at the raft! It’s all broken up. The storm must have damaged it on the shore. Do you think we can fix it?
I don’t think so. We’ll have to make a new one.
Okay, so where do we start?
I don’t know, Bob. You must know how to make a raft.
Uh, I have no idea, except I think it should be made of something that floats.
Great! Let’s see what we can find. Remember, answers are everywhere!
Alright! Look at this!
What?
Over here!
Where?
Right here!
Oh, it’s a leaf!
Oh yeah, it floats!
It’s awfully small. Maybe if we had a lot of leaves, it might work.
Okay, let’s go!
[Music]
Alright, come on, Rex!
Okay, I’m coming.
Where do you want them?
Just put them in the water.
Yep, right there!
Okay, here we go—dumping leaves!
Oh, see? They’re floating!
Well, I got my life jacket on. I’m going to see if they’ll take my weight.
Okay, here I go!
Yeah!
I don’t think it’s working.
Yeah, the leaves just floated away.
Um, Zach, I don’t think you can make a raft from leaves.
I know! Now what else floats?
Wood floats! How about I go get a great big stick?
Yeah, that would be great! Thank you, Rex!
You’re welcome!
Alright, where do you want it, Lily?
In the water, please!
Okay, here it comes—dumping the stick!
Alright, my turn!
Okay, go for it, Lily!
Here I go!
Uh, well, I’m on it and I’m floating, but I think it’s my life jacket that’s keeping me afloat.
Yeah, I think we have to try again.
Maybe we need more sticks!
Yeah, that’s just what I was thinking!
[Music]
Oh, this is awesome! We can use all these fallen branches to make a new raft!
Okay, Lily, do you want these in the water?
Not yet! I think we should arrange them in a square so we can drive onto them.
Alright, good idea, Lily!
Got ’em sturdy!
Yep, I’ll take it from here.
Okay, they’re all in a square, and all we have to do now is tie them together.
Uh, does anyone have any string?
I do!
Oh, good! Great! Let’s get to work!
Try this here and over here.
Try that!
Wow, that looks awesome!
Oh, let’s try it! Where do you want it, Lily?
In the water, please!
Okay, and… there!
Yay! It floats!
Alright, okay, come on, Lily! Let’s see if it holds up!
Okay!
Yeah!
Okay, here it goes!
You’re floating!
Oh, it’s very floaty!
Oh, it’s fine! Now you could go for a ride!
Sure!
Alright, can I come too?
I don’t know…
You’re too heavy, Rex! It’s sinking!
[Music]
Oh, look how beautiful the lake looks today!
Yeah, why don’t we go down there and play around a little bit?
What do you think?
Come on, that sounds great!
Okay, this way!
Oh, I love playing by the water!
Me too! It’s so beautiful!
It’s this way! Come on!
Okay!
Whoa, rocks! Big rocks! They should be a lot of fun to drive on!
Wow! Come on!
Okay, hold on!
I guess that didn’t work.
Oh, here, let me help you!
Thanks, Lily! Keep pushing!
Don’t keep pushing! Try it again!
Okay, try it again!
Alright, here we go!
I don’t think it’s working, Zach.
Yeah, these rocks are a little too big for me.
I guess I can’t drive over them.
Hmm, but they’re kind of flat on top.
Yeah, I bet if we could get on top, we could drive along once we’re up there!
Oh yeah, look at that! Let’s go find some rocks to get up on!
Okay!
Which way are we going to go?
We should go the other way, Lily!
Go the other way?
Yeah!
I’ll go the other way! Come on!
Okay!
Yeah, over here!
Okay, let’s see…
Uh, we’re over here.
No, those are just bushes.
Hey, what about these rocks?
Where?
Over here!
No, no, now wait! Come back!
I don’t see what you’re talking about!
These ones!
Come back! I want you to see these ones!
Which ones?
Where?
Yeah, right here!
These rocks!
Oh, here!
Uh, these ones are…
Oh, sorry!
Come on, let’s try!
Okay, you go first!
Whoa!
Hey, nice!
We’re doing it!
Yeah! Do you think we can drive all the way?
Well, I don’t know. I can’t really see. All I can see is your bumper!
Come on, this way!
Oh, look! We’ve come to a split in the trail! Which way should we go?
Oh no, I can’t see!
Hmm, well, they both look pretty good. Let’s try this way!
Okay!
I love driving on these rock trails! They’re so much fun!
[Music]
Oh, I don’t think we can drive across this gap!
Cross what?
I can still only see your bumper!
Back up, Zach! There’s a big gap in this trail! We’ll have to go back and try the other way!
Okay, uh, backing up, backing up, backing up!
Okay, this is the other direction we didn’t try. Let’s try it this way!
Yeah, that’s a good idea, Zach!
Oh, hold on, Lily! There’s another sort of gap here!
Yeah, it’s pretty big.
All I can see is your bumper!
I think I could do it!
Okay, here we go!
Oh, really? I thought you said it was too big!
Yeah, uh, yeah, I didn’t make it.
Hmm, well, hold on! Hold still!
Hey, what are you doing?
Well, that didn’t work very well, did it?
Here, let me help you!
Okay, thank you!
Okay, wait, wait!
[Music]
Thanks!
So what do we do now, Zach?
I think we’re going to have to try again!
[Music]
That’s a great idea!
Over here! Right here!
Oh, this one straight ahead is too small.
Um, that could be too tight of a squeeze.
Excuse me!
Okay, let me see. This one is way too small.
Okay, I think I can fit through here!
Oh yeah, you’re doing it!
I’m making it!
I did it!
Wait a minute! I don’t know if you can make it through there, Lily!
No, I can try!
There! I got through that one!
No, let me try this one!
No, I can’t do it!
Looks like we’re going to have to try again!
Yeah, well, that’s a good idea! Let’s look around! There must be something we can do! Answers are everywhere!
Well, I see rocks—big rocks and small rocks—and I’m still kind of stuck.
Wait a minute! Rocks! That’s it! Come on, Lily! Let’s go back to the beginning!
Okay!
Um, Zach?
Yeah, I’m stuck!
Oh, here! Let me help you out!
And then…
Okay, come on!
Come on, Lily! It’s this way!
So what’s your plan?
You’ll see!
Zach to Chase, come in, Chase!
Hiya, Zach! This is Chase! What can I help you with?
Can you get Sandy to meet us at the end of Zerbytown Lake?
Well, sure thing, Zach! I’ll get her right away!
[Music]
Okay, Sandy should be here any minute. So what’s your plan?
I’ll show you! See that gap between those two rocks over there?
Yeah, I see it! What are you thinking?
You’ll see!
Excuse me!
Excuse me!
Hey, guys! She said you were looking for me!
Hi, Sandy! Do you think you can push some rocks into that gap for us?
I’m a bulldozer! Pushing things is what I do best!
Oh, I’ll get right to work!
I still don’t get what we’re doing.
Well, I was thinking back about when you tried to drive over me.
Oh, sorry about that! I thought it would work!
I love pushing rocks!
Yeah, but I think it would work! We just need something else in the gap besides me—a little more!
How’s it coming?
See? Rocks!
Okay, just move them around just a little bit more!
Nice! Almost there!
Oh yeah, that’s filling in real nice!
Real nice!
Ah, there we are! We’re done!
Thanks, Sandy! That looks great!
See? Now there’s something between the rocks we can drive across!
More rocks!
Hey, look at that! That’s a smart idea, Zach!
Zach! Hey, Zach! Wait for me!
Come on, wait!
Hey, Annie! Look at these rocks!
Oh wow! This must be it!
Oh, what is it?
I heard Zach and Lily were building a trail on top of the rocks!
Okay, let’s check it out!
Come on!
Alright, you go first!
Whoa!
Alright!
Come on this way!
I’m right behind you!
Hey, wait a minute! Look at that! We did it! We got to the other side!
Yeah!
What do you want to do now?
Let’s go back!
Oh, look who it is!
Oh hi, Jake! Hi, Annie!
What are you doing on the rocks?
Well, it looked like fun, so we thought we would drive along them!
How about you guys?
Well, we can’t!
Yeah, we can back it back up!
Well, if you guys back up first, then we’ll go forward!
But then we…
[Music]
Hey, Zach! What do you want to do today?
I don’t know! Let’s play some silly games!
Okay!
You got me!
Hey, you’re going backwards! How do you do that so fast?
I’ve been practicing driving backwards!
Let’s do some other stuff! What should we do?
Hey, I like zigzags! Let’s do zigzags!
Okay, here we go!
Zigzags!
Okay!
Yeah!
Hey, that wasn’t a zigzag! That was a circle, Zach!
Oh yeah, that was a circle!
Whoa!
Hey, what should we do next? Should we try another trail?
Let’s try another trail!
Wow! Hey, Zach! Look at this trail! It’s loaded with mud puddles!
Alright!
Whoa! This is great!
Look, there’s another one over here!
Oh yeah!
Hey, look at this!
Hey, there’s a huge one!
Where? Up ahead!
Oh yeah!
Whoa! Look at this!
Hey, let’s see if there’s any more!
Okay, which way do you want to go?
You know what I love best about it?
Oh, what’s that?
When you switch it between your tires like this!
See? Watch! Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish!
You like that?
Yeah, it’s fine!
Hey, how about we go find some more puddles now, Zach?
Yeah, let’s do that!
Okay, let’s see…
Any more mud over here?
Uh, nope! I think that’s the end of the mud puddles!
Oh, that was so much fun! Wouldn’t it be great if there were more places with mud on this trail?
Yeah! We could just keep going from one muddy place to the next!
Hey, uh, Zach, what are you thinking?
Well, what if we got some mud and we put it on the trail?
Oh yeah! We can do that! But where are we going to get the mud from?
Zerbytown Marsh! It’s got the best mud anywhere!
Come on!
Marge!
Hi, guys! Chase said you wanted me to lend you a scoop!
Yep! One load of mud, please!
Sure! You got it!
There you go!
Oh, alright! Let’s go!
Hey, hey, Rex! Wait up! Wait up!
Whoa, whoa!
Enjoy the mud service!
Oh, this mud will be great when we finally get there!
Yeah!
Oh, oh, wait! I love this trail!
Wait! Won’t that take long?
No, but there’s more fun stuff on this one!
Oh, okay! Let’s go!
Look! You see that tree? Now it’s leaning over and everything! That’s fun!
Yeah, it is!
Yeah, let’s go this way!
Okay!
Let’s go!
That sure was fun taking those extra trails!
Sure was!
Okay, let’s put the mud right here!
Alright!
Alright! Let’s play in the mud!
What happened?
Huh? That’s not mud! It’s dirt!
Did you change the mud to dirt when I wasn’t looking?
No!
Oh, I think it dried out! I guess we don’t have any mud!
Well, we’ll just have to try again!
Huh, what should we do differently?
Maybe it took too long to get back this time. We’ll come straight here after we get the mud!
Deal!
No jumping, no leafing, no rock rolling, no wrecks!
Yeah! Come on! Let’s go!
Oh, oh, right! Right! Okay, come on! Let’s go!
Another load of mud! Yes, please, Strut!
Right! Scooping up and lifting and swinging over!
Oh, and there you go!
Thank you!
Okay, we’re gonna go really fast! Get ready!
[Music]
Come on! I’m coming!
Good luck, Zerbies!
Come on! We actually gotta go! Gotta go as fast as we can!
Okay!
We’re getting there!
Go drying up for this one!
We’re almost there!
Alright!
Come on!
Well, we made it in good time, Rex!
Okay, just drop that fresh mud right in the same spot!
Alright! And dumping!
Hey, it’s still muddy! Yay! Let’s drive on it!
Okay! Driving on the mud! Driving on the moon!
Uh-oh! This mud turns dry pretty quick!
I don’t get it! Why is this mud not staying muddy? It stays muddy in the marsh!
Don’t worry, Zach! We can always try again!
Yeah, you’re right! Why don’t we go back to the other mud puddles and see if we can figure out the secret?
Okay, come on!
It’s this way!
Oh, oh! Alright!
[Music]
So why does this mud stay muddy and ours doesn’t?
Uh, I don’t know!
Well, why is this puddle here?
Well, because it rained!
Hmm, and when it rains, there’s more water!
I think I’ve got it!
You do?
Yeah! Mud isn’t mud!
It’s not?
No! Mud is