 It's time. It's time. It's time. For what? For the curious giraffe show. Sit back and relax. We'll sing chat and laugh all on the curious giraffe show. Welcome back, my curious crew. And today Lauren is going to use Jeanette, the curious giraffe, to find out who's who on the curious crew. Go ahead. What's your name? Dona. Hi Dona. What's your name? Megan. Hi Megan. What's your name? Emily. Hi Emily. What's your name Lauren? Hi Lauren. What's your name? Aurora. Hi Aurora. What's your name? Milo. Hi Milo. What's your name? Dorothy. Hi Dorothy. Hi. It always helps me to know everybody's name. Thank you very much. So as you know, my giraffes, George the curious giraffe and Jeanette the curious giraffe, they always whisper questions about things they want to learn about. And our first show was about awesome animals. A, A. Our next show was about being brave. The B. Today's show is about courageous children. C, C. So we're going to sing about it in our song and learn more about it. Did you want to say something Dona? About the G.G. G.G. What about the G.G. show? What about giraffes? I love that idea. I haven't gotten to play on that one quite yet, but it's something with giraffe because giraffe starts with G. Great idea Dona. Giraffe looked over at eagle and said why was I born to walk? Why were you born to fly? Eagle just shrugged and gave a high five. Hey we all share one big sky. Oh yeah. Share one big sky. Share one big sky. Give the world a big high five. Yeah we're different and we know it but we all get along. Cause we can all share and we can all care. We're different but we all belong. Giraffe looked over at the children and said I see you've spoken up and made a difference in the world. How did you get to be such courageous boys and girls underneath this one big sky? Oh yeah. Share one big sky. Share one big sky. Give the world a big high five. Yeah we're different and we know it but we all get along. Cause we can all share and we can all care. We're different but we all belong. What is today's question about? Just children. That's right. I noticed one day how many times either in the newspaper or on the news or on the radio I heard about children who had changed something in the world for better. And I thought wow. And so I wrote a song about that. You wrote a song? I wrote this song. Yes. I wrote the first song too. The one about the curious giraffes. So it's called They've Done It Again. So let's do the chorus and then we'll sing some stories about what they've done. And I'll pass out. I only have three. I see Lauren already got to do the puppet. Who likes to read? Okay those three this time. This time those three. But you'll get another. We'll think of something special for each of you. Okay. Now I'm going to give. I don't know. We'll try this and if anybody needs help we'll have maybe Aurora or Milo can help. Okay. But we'll try it. Here we go. They've done it again. They've done it again. The children have done it again. What now? Stirred up with emotion. They worked with devotion. And changed how the outcome would end. Again they changed how the outcome would end. When they heard the news it gave them the blues. Now how about, Megan will you read yours? The first line, the top line. The manatees. The manatees might go extinct. Yes. The manatees might go extinct. Oh no. At first they were sad. And then they were mad. Then they spoke up and got them. Oh I'm sorry. Then they spoke up and read the bottom line. Got them protected. Got them protected you know. They got them protected you know. They've done it again. They've done it again. The children have done it again. What now? Worked up with emotion. They worked with devotion. And changed how the outcome would end. Again they changed how the outcome would end. They've done it again. They've done it again. The children have done it again. Whoops. And then when they heard the news it gave them the blues. What does yours say? Their grandmother. Their grandmother tree had to go. Their grandmother tree had to go. Oh no. At first they were sad. And then they were mad. Then what does it say on the bottom? Kept that standing. They kept that tree standing. You know. You know. They kept that tree standing. You know. Here we go. They've done it again. They've done it again. The children have done it again. What now? Stirred up with emotion. They worked with devotion. And changed how the outcome would end. Again they changed how the outcome would end. When they heard the news it gave them the blues. Their very last bookstore might close. Their very last bookstore might close. Oh no. At first they were sad. And then they were mad. Then? Door open. They kept that store open. You know. You know. They kept that store open. You know. So when you are sad. Or when you are mad. Speak up. Gather. Help follow through. Whatever your age is. When something outrageous. Who knows it could change thanks to you. To you. The outcome could change thanks to you. Okay. Now. Megan did you want to say something about some of those? You also turned it into a video and you helped protect them also. I added on but guess who started it? The school children. When they were learning about endangered animals in Florida. They learned about their beautiful gentle manatees. That were very much in danger. And they wrote letters. So many school children wrote letters. That the grownups who make the laws made a law to protect the manatees. So now it is law to slow down when you are driving a motorboat. So you don't bump into them and hurt them. Very powerful. Now what is important in that story. Is that if one child had written a letter. Do you think it would have changed things? No. Not as much. But one child told another child who told another child who told another child who told another child who told another. And together that's the part about gather help. Together lots and lots and lots of letters. Those grownups had to pay attention right? So give yourselves a pat on the back. Say kids are great. Kids are great. We have voices. We know what's good. We know what's good. We can help. We can help. Yes. So I have a song here about the grandmother tree story. And this one. Megan. I know this song. You know this one well. Those of you who have heard my CD know it really well. If it's new to you just you can enjoy the story. Sing along if you know it. On our school playground on one side you'll see our very own guardian grandmother tree. She stood long before the old black top was paved and here's the true story of how she was saved. Grandmother was just like all pines in this place except that on one side there's a kind face and down near the ground there's a great resting place. A stone is ingrown in her trunk near the base. On hot sunny days children played in her shade around her white trunk fairy houses were made while she watches over the new trail beyond right next to the wetland and small tadpole pond and so set the scene where we played every day it's how we expected it always to stay till one clear blue morning we all were dismayed on grandmother's back a red X had been sprayed now what did this mean tell us what could this be why have they painted our grandmother tree we trembled and cried and our hearts filled with dread why was she crossed out would our friends soon be dead the kids started screaming we made a big scene how could the grown-ups do something so mean their teacher agreed they could take time to write letters to save her speak up for her rights they met with the principal found out the facts why grandmother tree had been marked for the X he said that her branches had grown much too tall if the wind got too strong they could fall on us all so the children fought and they were very respectful they listened but they said well couldn't you just trim the top part so they said could they trim the top part and leave all the rest could they slow down and think before taking the best he said he acknowledged their show of concern but they should just go now that they had our turn so with cards and with songs and with trembling fears they offered our grandmother tree our sad tears we offered her water we offered her hugs we kissed her rough bark bid farewell to her bugs well they held off the cutting until school was out when she was cut down we would not be about when fall came we dreaded that big empty space wonder of wonders we saw her kind face we stepped back and studied her branches up high grandma had a haircut way up in the sky the kids hugged their teacher who hugged them right back and grandmother winked at that whole happy pack grandmother still winks at that whole happy pack true story, yes Megan when I was on a different episode you did a play where different kids did different roles we acted that out one day, we did and now I've learned about those were children in Massachusetts who saved the tree really? was it shoots for elementary school? have you ever heard of Leverett elementary school? no Leverett school is near shootsberry school it's the next town over I used to teach there and I was the teacher in that song really? yes but it was I might not have done anything I might have been sad but it was because the children spoke up with loud clear voices and said we're really sad and we're really mad and can't we do something and so I said well sure let's write letters to the principal and it changed and that tree is still there but then I have a friend in California and she said the children in California saved their favorite tree so here is a song about that there's a cedar in the park where we go to play we thought our tree would never go away now we dance ring around the tree ring around the tree all together for the cedar tree we always ate our lunch in the shade of the tree underneath the branches was our place to be ring around the tree ring around the tree all together for the cedar tree our teacher named her dog for our friend in the park cedar the dog had a different kind of bark woof ring around the tree ring around the tree all together for the cedar tree parent told the teacher oh oh oh the city says our cedar has to go ring around the tree ring around the tree for our cedar tree the parent told the teacher the teacher told us we started in DeGal and we started in Defas ring around the tree ring around the tree all together for the cedar tree the teacher told us and we asked why why does our cedar have to die ring around the tree ring around the tree all together for the cedar tree the roots break the pavement and people might trip so we started thinking zip zip zip ring around the tree ring around the tree all together for the cedar tree we thought and we thought and finally we said move the pavement not the tree how about that move the sidewalk farther from the tree ring around the tree ring around the tree all together for the cedar tree who shall we write to who can say our tree won't have to fall ring around the tree ring around the tree all together for the cedar tree where is the mayor here is she come to the park and save our tree ring around the tree ring around the tree all together for the cedar tree and the last verse we can open up our circle now says so the kids and the moms and dads and the teachers in a ring we all save the tree and now we sing ring around the tree all together for the cedar tree wow okay so let's go back to our seats let's go back around or find your own seat that's fine I just was so excited to hear about that story yes the other two but we have these two trees near the fence that kids like to like play around in and like sit in the shade uh huh yes so you would want to take care of those trees because you love their shade the dance we did with the king around the tree ring around the tree was kind of like my mom's Irish circle dance was it? I love circle dance and Irish circle dance is I've only done a little bit of but I have learned dances from all over the world my mom does and she learned from her grandma is her family from Ireland? oh that's awesome that's wonderful my dad's family is from all sorts of places I have no idea your dad's family is from many other different places interesting lots to learn about yes Megan I'm a little bit Irish a little louder if you want to tell us what I'm a little bit Irish and you're a little bit Irish and your family visited there that's true okay so I wanted to tell you that so we talked about the manatees we talked about the trees oh the bookstore this was very cool on the news they said that a second grade class heard that their only bookstore was going to be closing and they were very upset and they said but we love going in there and looking at books they have books about so many different things why? why are they closing that store? we love that store and so what do you think their teacher said? what could they do? they could write letters they could write letters and they thought together about what to say and they learned who to write to and all the second graders wrote letters and what do you think happened? the bookstore stayed open they got the store to stay open and not only that the owner of the store came to that classroom of second graders and said thank you you saved my store and I am so happy that you did that here is a gift certificate for each of you each of those children got a $25 gift certificate to go shopping at the bookstore I said thank you because not only for them did they save the bookstore but for the whole city so the kids voices enough voices together made a difference isn't that exciting? so and then this week I picked up the newspaper and lo and behold in our town in Amherst it said that the second graders had written letters because they didn't like there used to be a sign on the Massachusetts Turnpike of a pilgrim hat with Indian arrows through it and they said what we have learned Native Americans or Indians taught us all about being taking care of each other and interdependence and that picture of arrows doesn't make us feel good can we change the sign and if your family goes driving now on the Massachusetts Turnpike you will see that they have a different sign again it was the second graders so those are all courageous children aren't they? are you in second grade? that is so cool Megan you're in first first grade also third grade third grade level and how about you? first and how about you? second second oh my goodness so all of you have great voices that if something bothers you you can write your own letter but if you get others to write with you you will be the voices of courageous children who help make the world a better place okay so this is just a fun song that actually Woody Guthrie wrote many many many years ago and then my friend Joni Kalem changed the words so that you could sing it for all time and the chorus goes and if you'd like to dance you can stand up and move any way that you want to you don't have to be in a circle holding hands but whenever we sing we all work together with a wiggle and a giggle okay go ahead stand up we'll start with the chorus and then when I stop when I sing the brown words I want you to sit down and hear the story part but when we sing the green you can be dancing any way you want to we all work together we all work together with a giggle and a grin we all work together with a wiggle and a giggle all work together with a giggle and a grin Milo you can clap you can be the rhythm my mama told me and my daddy told me too there's lots and lots of things for us to do we can clean up the earth and right a few wrongs and if we all work together it won't take long we all work together with a wiggle and a giggle we all work together with a giggle and a grin we all work together with a wiggle and a giggle there you go my grandma told me and my grandpa told me too there's lots and lots of things for us to do we can clean up the rivers clean up the streams and if we all work together it won't be a dream we all work together with a wiggle and a giggle all work together with a giggle and a grin all work together with a wiggle and a giggle all work together with a giggle and a grin my brother told me too there's lots and lots of things for us to do we can separate our trash we can recycle stuff and if we all work together it might be enough you can make a circle we all work together with a wiggle and a giggle all work together with a giggle and a grin all work together with a wiggle and a giggle all work together with a giggle and a grin very nice stay standing let's sing to our audience again stretch across there you go keep singing keep looking up keep asking questions and never give up keep singing keep looking up keep asking questions and never give up