Hey there! Let’s go on a fun adventure down a trail we haven’t explored in a while. Oh, look over there! It’s the Derbytown maze! Have you ever tried solving it?
Every time we tried, we got to the center but couldn’t find our way out. We always needed Chase to help us. But today feels different. Let’s solve it!
We started by going straight, then turning here and there. We were careful not to hit any dead ends. And guess what? We made it to the center! How did we know? We built a mud puddle there!
Playing in the mud was fun, but now we had to find our way out. All the exits looked the same, and we got confused. We tried different paths but ended up lost again. Time to call Chase!
Chase flew above us and guided us out. “Go left, then right,” he said, and soon we were out of the maze. Thanks, Chase! No Zerby has ever solved this maze, but we won’t give up!
This time, we decided to remember our turns. Right, left, straight, and so on. But it was tricky, and we got mixed up again. We called Chase for help once more. He got us out safely.
We noticed a trail of rocks. Phil was moving rocks, and some fell along the way. We got an idea! Let’s use rocks to mark our path. We dropped rocks as we went, creating a trail to follow back out.
It worked! We followed the rocks and found our way out. But then Phil cleaned up the rocks, and we had to solve the maze again. Oh well, more fun for us!
Bob the Boat didn’t have a garage. We decided to build him one. But it needed to float! We tried using sticks, but the garage floated away. What now?
We realized rocks could help. We placed rocks in the water, and the garage sat on top. It worked! Bob loved his new garage, and it stayed put. Hooray!
On the Three Gullies Trail, there was a sharp turn we always flew off. We tried going slow, but it wasn’t fun. We needed a new plan.
We built a banked turn, a slope that helps you go faster around corners. It worked perfectly! We zoomed around the turn without flying off. Let’s make banked turns everywhere!
And that’s our adventure! Remember, if you get stuck, try, try again. Answers are everywhere!
Maze Mapping: Create your own mini-maze at home using pillows, chairs, or boxes. Ask a family member to help you navigate through it. Use small objects like toy cars or blocks to mark your path as you go. Once you reach the end, try to find your way back using the markers. Discuss with your family how marking your path helped you and what other strategies you could use to remember your way.
Floating Garage Experiment: Gather some materials like small sticks, leaves, and pebbles. Fill a shallow container with water to create a mini pond. Try building a floating structure using the materials you collected. Experiment with different combinations to see which ones float best and can hold a small toy. Talk about why some materials float better than others and how you can use this knowledge to build better floating structures.
Banked Turn Challenge: Use a toy car and a piece of cardboard to create a small ramp. Place the ramp on a slight incline to mimic a banked turn. Roll the car down the ramp and observe how it moves. Try adjusting the angle of the ramp to see how it affects the car’s speed and direction. Discuss with a friend or family member how banked turns help vehicles move faster and safer around corners.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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We haven’t been down this trail for a while. Let’s go!
Hey, wait, what’s that over there? Oh, it’s the Derbytown maze!
Oh yeah, I forgot all about that. Did we ever solve it?
Nope! Every time we tried, we were able to get to the center, but then we got lost and had to call Chase to lead us back out.
Alright, but I have a feeling today’s the day we solve it!
I have that feeling too! Let’s go!
Alright, let’s go this way. I’m right there.
Okay, um, let’s go. This looks good, straight down here. I think this is the way, and then this way. Come on!
I think you’re right, Zach, and I’m pretty sure we’ll go this way. We haven’t hit a dead end yet!
Here we go!
Hey, we made it to the center of the maze!
Wait, how do you know?
Because at the center, we built this mud puddle!
Alright, let’s play!
Well, that was easy.
No, don’t you remember? Getting to the center of the maze was always easy. It was getting out that was the tricky part.
Well, we just have to follow the same path we came in on, right?
Good thinking, Rex! So where did we come from?
It was there!
Oh no, no, it was there!
No, uh-uh. All the exits look the same!
Oh, you’re right. Well, let’s go this way over here. Come on!
Okay!
Yeah, I’m pretty sure we went around this way over here. Yup, I think you’re right.
And then this way. Come on, this looks correct.
And then we went this way.
I think this is the way!
No, we didn’t go that way.
Uh, right! Hey, why don’t we try over here?
Oh, okay. I don’t know if that’s right, but maybe…
I don’t know, then around this corner…
Hmm, this doesn’t seem right either, Zach.
Oh no, dead end! I have no idea where we are!
I think we’re stuck.
That’s ridiculous! Super maze solvers don’t get stuck!
Then where are we?
I have no idea.
Huh, maybe we should call Chase.
Zach to Chase, can you come and help us?
Sure thing, Zerbies! I’ll be right there.
Okay, I can see you from way up here.
Hey Chase, can you lead us out?
No problem! First, you back out, then you go left.
Okay!
Good! Next, turn left there.
Here, now go down that straightaway.
Okay, now turn that next corner.
Okay, and you’re out!
Yay! Thanks, Chase! Sorry we had to call you.
Oh, it’s okay, Zach. No Zerby has ever solved that maze.
No Zerby has ever solved it?
Nope! We’d be the first!
Well, I’ll see you later.
Are you thinking what I’m thinking?
Let’s try, try again!
Right! But what should we do differently this time?
We’ll remember what turns we took, and that way we can get back out!
Okay, alright! I’ll call out the turns, and you remember.
Alright! First turn, right!
Alright, and then the next turn is a left.
Okay, right, and then left, and then we’re going straight.
Right, and then a left, and then straight, two more rights.
That’s a left, two rights, then another left.
Oh, and then a straight, uh, a banana, and a right, mud puddle, bathtub…
Oh no, and here we are, Rex! I think we should head back before we forget the way!
Okay, uh, which way do we go?
Uh, left, right, um, then, uh, uh, banana…
Ah, sorry, Zach, I have no idea!
Yeah, it was a lot of turns, huh?
Rex to Chase, we need some more help!
Thanks for getting us out again, Chase!
There you go!
Don’t worry, Zerbies! Like I said, this maze is so hard, no Zerby has ever solved it.
I’m sure we can do it! We just need to try, try again!
But what should we do this time?
I don’t know, let’s look around. Answers are everywhere!
You’re right, Zach! Answers are everywhere!
Come on over here!
Do you see anything?
No, not yet.
Oh, hey, look! A trail of rocks!
Let’s follow it!
Okay!
Hey Phil, you left a trail of rocks!
Hey, Zerbies! I’m just moving some rocks from one pile to another. I must have dropped some.
Wait, Rex! I think I found the answer! Quick, put some rocks in your dump and follow me!
Okay, here’s my plan: you drop a trail of rocks, and then we follow the trail back out.
Oh, okay! Let’s try!
Okay, I’ll go first and you follow me!
Okay, here I go! I’m gonna start by jumping!
There we go, starting the path and putting some rocks down there and over there.
Keep coming this way! I got a nice little trail going on here!
It’s working! We can follow the rocks all the way back!
Okay, let’s keep going!
Dumping rocks!
Okay, we’re at the center, but let’s see if our plan worked. Which way should we go to head back out?
All the exits look the same!
Yeah, but only one has rocks!
Let’s go!
Okay, did we come this way?
Well, we must have because look, there’s rocks!
Oh, well that means we’re on the right track!
Look, Rex! There’s the gate where we started!
We did it!
And the rocks are there so that we can always solve the maze again!
Oh, hey guys! I was cleaning up my rocks and I saw some in the maze there, so now I’ve cleaned them all up!
Ha ha! Uh, Phil, those were for getting out!
Oh, sorry!
What do we do?
Back into the maze! Let’s solve it again!
Oh, alright!
Yeah, I’m coming too!
Oh yes, I get to solve it again!
This can be put forward!
I love garage painting day!
Hey Jewel, I just love your garage! Do you think the garage is big enough?
Lily, I don’t want Zerbies to think I don’t love jewels!
Oh, I think they’ll see that! Great job!
Hey Zach, did you finish your garage?
I did! What do you think?
I like it! It looks just like you!
I never noticed how much each Zerby’s garage looks just like them!
I never noticed that either! That’s neat!
Yeah!
Hey, what does Bob the Boat’s garage look like?
Bob’s? Hmm, I can’t remember. Let’s go find out!
Okay!
Okay, catch me, Lily!
Okay, you got me!
Okay, this way!
Okay, I see him! I’m right behind you!
Hey Bob!
Oh, hi Zach! Hi Lily!
Hey, what’s going on? Where’s your garage, Bob?
Oh, I don’t have a garage.
You don’t? Why not?
Well, I never thought I needed one. I just sleep right there at the docks at night.
But what if it rains?
Oh, I’m a boat! I’m always wet! A little rain never bothers me!
Okay, see you later!
Okay, see you later, Bob!
I don’t know why, but it makes me feel sad that Bob doesn’t have a garage of his own.
Me too! Come on, I have a plan!
I always thought he had a garage at the other end of the lake.
No, he doesn’t have one!
Hey, we could build him one and surprise him with it!
Ooh, that’s a good idea!
Yeah, let’s do it! Ready?
Hey Bob! Hi Zerbies! What’s going on?
Hey, is that a garage for me?
Wow! We all thought you should have a garage! What do you think?
Wow, it’s great! So where do you want it?
Over here is the water.
Okay, I’ll just swing it out and… um, that’s it!
Perfect! There we go!
And sadly, I’m not a submarine, so I can’t go under the water.
Bob’s garage needs to stay on top of the water.
Yes, you’re right!
Yeah, it’s okay! We’ll just try, try again!
So what should we do differently?
Hmm… oh, I know! I float, so maybe my garage should float too!
Yeah, that sounds like a great idea!
So we just need to find a way to make the garage float!
How do we do that?
How about sticks? Sticks float!
Good idea, Lily! That should work!
Alright, let’s go!
I’ll get the garage out of the water. Just let me know when you’re back with the sticks!
Okay, so here are some sticks, and we’ll line them up like this.
And then there’s an open end here so Bob can get in and out.
Now all we have to do is attach the garage to the sticks!
It looks great! Do you think it will work?
Well, let’s try it and find out!
Yeah!
Just lift it up and put it on the sticks!
Now to tie the sticks to the garage!
Now let’s see if it floats!
Wow! This is great! My own garage!
I just want to say thank you to you, Zerbies! I never had a garage before, and I didn’t think I needed one, but now that I have one, I’m so excited to use it!
And now every night I can come back to my garage, which will always be sitting right here!
Hey, where did it go? It floated away over there!
I better go get it!
Come back!
Alright, floating the garage didn’t work. I guess we should try, try again!
But I don’t know what to do!
Don’t worry, Zach! Answers are everywhere!
Hey, let’s go look around!
Oh, good idea, Lily!
What?
Okay…
Hmm, that’s a log. No, I guess we sort of tried that.
Uh, maybe something in the water?
Hey Lily, you’re floating! How are you doing that?
No, I’m not! I’m on a rock!
See?
Oh, hey Lily! Maybe you found the answer! Let’s get some rocks!
Okay, let’s go!
Come on! Wait, Lily! Wait for me!
Okay, so what we have is all of these rocks, and what we’re gonna do is place the rocks in the water where Bob’s garage will go.
I still don’t get it, Zach! How are rocks going to work? Rocks aren’t going to make Bob’s garage float!
Ah, but you see, we don’t need his garage to float!
We don’t?
Nope! Floating in the garage didn’t work this time! We’re gonna put rocks in the water, and the garage will sit on top of the rocks!
No, I get it! Good idea!
I’ll start placing the rocks and swing it out and put it right there!
Oh, I see! So it would fit right in here!
Hey, that’s great!
Here we go! Here comes the garage!
Wow! This is great! My very own garage sitting right here on the water!
But it’s sitting on the rocks, so it won’t blow away in the wind!
I’m gonna try it!
Alright!
Hey, look! I can drive right in here!
Hey, there’s a spot to hang some pictures!
And what is… oh, that closes the door!
That’s great! This place is good!
It makes me sleepy!
I think he fell asleep!
Okay, I think we should do something fun!
Yeah!
Yeah, definitely something fun! Do you have any ideas?
Oh, how about the Three Gullies Trail?
Oh yeah, that’s a great one! Let’s go!
Wait, isn’t this the trail with the really sharp turn?
Yeah, and the one where we always go flying off the path!
Yeah, we’ve never been able to go around that turn at all!
Oh, don’t worry, Zach! This time is gonna be different!
Yeah, let’s really turn hard this time!
Look, there it is!
Oh, we can do it! Let’s turn the whole corner without wiping out!
Okay, ready, set…
That was fun! Did you see how I went into the leaves?
I got leaves in my fan belt!
Yeah, it’s a good thing this pile of leaves was here!
Yeah, don’t you remember, Zach? We put the leaves here so we’d have a soft landing!
Oh yeah! Driving into the leaves is pretty fun!
Driving into the leaves is fun, but I’d rather drive into leaves because I want to drive into the leaves, not because I can’t go around a corner!
Hmm, I wonder why we always drive off.
It’s because the corner is so sharp!
Let me show you!
Okay, it goes along like this…
Uh-huh!
And then it turns all the way so you’re going back this way!
Oh wait, that’s it!
What’s it? Where? Who?
I know how we can drive around the corner! Come on, let’s try, try again!
Oh, okay! This is great! I knew you’d come up with something, Zach! You’re so smart!
Okay, ready, set…
Wait! The brakes! Why are we slowing down?
Watch!
Look at that!
See?
Huh! Going right around the corner!
So we go slow around the corner!
Yeah, well it worked, didn’t it?
Yeah, but it’s kind of boring!
Yeah, it’s not as much fun as going fast!
It’s not even as much fun as driving into the leaves!
I think we should try, try again!
Okay, let’s see if we can come up with a different idea!
Yeah!
I’ll tell you what, Axel! Let me watch what happens when you go fast like you normally do!
You mean go really, really fast?
Yeah, I mean really, really!
Yeah!
Alright, well I’m gonna go so fast! Don’t blink because you might miss me!
Here I go!
Okay, ready, set… turbo!
Oh wow! Did you see me?
Yeah, he stopped! I saw it! That was awesome!
It looks like you just can’t stay on the road!
You flew off right about here!
Yep, that’s where I flew off!
And went and run!
Wow!
So what if we put something here to stop you from flying off?
Oh, like what?
I know just the thing!
Exactly! Chase, come in!
Chase!
Hi there, Zach! This is Chase! What can I do for you?
Can you ask Rex to meet us on the Three Gullies Trail?
The one where everybody tumbles into the leaves?
That’s the one!
Alright, I’ll send them right over!
So then I did a turn like this, and it was like, oh!
Oh, I saw that! The mud went flying!
Yeah!
Oh, hey, there he is! What can I help with, Zach?
Hey Rex, can you build a wall right here?
Can I? Of course I can! Building things is what I do!
Okay, watch me!
I get a load of sticks!
Ooh, and dumping!
I draw a string across it and tie all the sticks together, and then I push it up there!
See, Axel? Now this wall will stop you from flying off the end of the turn!
Oh great! Let me try!
Ready, set…
I stopped!
Well, you didn’t go into the leaves, I guess!
But now I just bump into the sticks and stop!
I’m a Zerby who likes to move!
I agree! Looks like we should try, try again!
But what should we do?
I don’t know, but you know what we say? Answers are everywhere!
Let’s see if we can find something!
Oh, I’ll come too!
That’s the leaves! Now we already tried leaves!
Oh hey, look! A rock!
No, that’s not gonna help!
Oh, oh look! A little patch of grass!
Aren’t you a cute batch of grass? Yes, you are!
Come on, I don’t have any ideas! Let’s see if Axel found anything!
Whoa! That was fun! I just went up as I went around the corner!
I’m gonna try that again!
Wow, that’s really fun!
Hey Axel, did you find anything?
I forgot!
But look at the trick I can do!
Oh, it’s super fun! You should try it!
It’s great, isn’t it?
Yeah!
Yeah! And it gives me an idea! Come on!
Oh, okay!
I don’t get it! It looks really nice, but what’s it for?
It’s like when you were on that path in the forest! I think you should be able to go faster around the corner if it’s like this!
So what do I do?
Well, you drive in at the start, and then you drive up a little bit, then you go down the other side, and you don’t slow down!
Oh, it looks like fun! What do you call it?
Well, it’s a turn on a slope, so I call it a banked turn! Its side is raised so you can go faster around the corner!
Ooh, I’m gonna try it!
Okay, ready?
Wow!
Hey, did you see that?
Sure did!
Wow, that was great! I gotta try it!
Yeah!
Okay, ready, set… turbo!
You know what? We should make bank turns everywhere!
Come on! We could put one over here, or we could put one over here!
Oh, you know what? There’s no turn here!
Oh, that was fine for me!