 It's time! It's time! It's time! For what? For the Fierce Giraffe Show! Sit back and relax, so we'll sing chat and laugh, but one the curious Giraffe Show! And I'm so glad you're back again. In fact, this particular curious crew have all been here before, but Grace, would you and Jeanette help us know who's in the crew? Who's who in the curious crew today? Hi, Megan. Remember to speak up! What's your name? Levi. Hi, Levi. What's your name? Lily. Hi, Lily. What's your name? Bella. Hi, Bella. Hi, Brendan. What's your name? Dorothy. Hi, Dorothy. What's your name? I'm Grace. Hi, Grace. Okay, well, Jeanette and George are curious about something new today, so let's sing their famous... Very curious indeed. Very curious. Okay, so let's hear what their new question is. Start with the familiar and move to something new. Here we go. Giraffe looked over at Eagle and said, Why was I born to walk? Why were you born to fly? Eagle just shrunk 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 but we all get along. Cause we can all share and we can all care. We're different but we all belong. Here's the new part. Giraffe looked over at the marchers and said, Why are they all together? What do their signs say? The marchers said, We speak up in a great big way 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 but we all get along. Cause we can all share and we can all care. We're different but we all belong. Alright, so Jeanette and George have been out and about and they have seen some marches. Have any of you seen some marches? And do you know why do they march? For peace. For equality. For equality. For equal rights. For equal rights for all people. But what I know is like the women's march that happened. Yes, it was a big march. Yes, for equality for women. There we go. Yes. And for Black Lives Matter too. And for Black Lives Matter. Absolutely. So they're raising our awareness of things. And when you come together, more people listen, right? And so we have a couple songs about how kids have made a difference by coming together and working together for something they believed in. So the first one is Grandmother Tree. It's a long one but it's an interesting story. So we're going to sing it to the world and let them know how kids at your school save the Grandmother Tree. Here we go. True story. From before the old black top was paid and here's the true story of how she was saved. Grandmother was just like all kinds in this place except that on one side she has a kind face and down near the ground there's a great resting place. A stone is ingrown in her truck near the base. On hot sunny days children played in her shade around her wide trunk fairy houses were made while she watches over the new trail beyond right next to the wetland tech small-taple 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. There's back a red axe had been sprayed. Oh what did this mean? Tell us what could this be? Oh 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 they made a big scene. How could the grown-ups do something so mean? The teacher agreed they could take time to write. Letters to save her speak up for her rights. They met when the principal found out the facts. Why didn't Mark for the axe? He said that her branches had grown much too tall. If the wind got too strong they could fall on us all. Could they trim the top part and leave us the rest? Could they slow down and think before taking the best? He said he acknowledged our show of concern. But we should just go now that we've had our turn. How about Bella, would you come over and just hold this just like that? There you go. Turn your body sideways. Perfect. Very nice. With cards and with songs. With cards and with songs and with trembling tears. We offered our Grandmother Tree our sad tears. We offered her water. We offered her hugs. We kissed her off-bark, bid farewell to her bugs. Held off the cutting until school was out. When she was cut down we would not be about that big empty space. But 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 pat. Grandmother still winked at that whole happy pat. That is a true story. Thank you, Bella. Yeah, it's still in our school today. It's still there. Because of what the kids did. Yes, and it's my belief that if only one child had spoken, probably the grownups would have gone on with their plan. That's the one that's in the back dear the observation deck. Yeah, and there's a bit of stone near the ground that children can sit. It's like a chair. And it's like a chair, like a grandmother's lap. So we call her the grandmother tree. Wait, wait. Yes. It's on the paper. It says, and so we set the scene where we played every day and how we expect, you said, and how they expected. Oh, okay. Thank you. I prefer we, but sometimes in my head I forget. So sometimes I'm looking. So thank you. If you have the songbook, you can sing it exactly right. If not, sometimes that changes over time. Do I have mantis again? Yes. And do you know why? Why do you think we're doing the mantis song? They're in danger. And what happened? How did they get saved? The children. Yeah. The children. So listen to the song. Again, it's the children. Our classroom was studying endangered species. My friend Jackson, I did mantis. Okay. I'm glad. I'm glad even. So this happened down in Florida, but school children in Massachusetts are saving, want us to save them too. I said something about it that maybe I wouldn't have ever gotten to see one. It's true. Exactly. So here we go. That's not good. They're so gentle. So everybody imagine that you're seeing them now. Here's the ears. They ate their greens and did their part to keep the water clean. But when a speedboat speeds, it can hurt the men. So if you're driving slow down, please. And watch out for men. A T is gentle as she's free. She's trusting you. Keep her safe from harm. She'll be flippers of white tail and back. I'll hurt to get around and get her snack. She loves to body surf and barrel roll. And a thousand pounds. That's quite incredible. But when a speedboat speeds, it can hurt the men. If you're driving slow down, please. Jump from energy. She's gentle as she is trusting you. Keep her safe from harm in nineteen hundred and seventy-five. School children got them classified. As endangered species they survived. And now they are our joy and pride. But when a speedboat speeds, You're driving slow down. again the grown-ups weren't paying attention but the kids brought it to their attention and they made laws that both that all the grown-ups took head to follow isn't that amazing 1975 we could make rules that kids have to roll okay now Bella can our grace can you reach into George's facts and pass it to Brendan to read and a loud clear voice Brendan just the part that's underlined bring out that newspaper this is about a kid that grew up in Amherst yeah no just there right here it's hard it's high because it's very okay yeah I underlined it with pen loud clear voice all right start you want some stuff that's weird it's weird okay this is to all kids in the area and especially to those who feel like their problems and their problems in the world and who would like to do something about them in sixth grade my teacher read our class a book called it's our world to it was a collection of stories about children around the world who had done some sort of active activists protests project one had gotten the city to create play playground so kids wouldn't play in the street and get hit by cars a class of kindergartners had started a fundraising project to protect rainforests from for a station the stories spanned all issues and geographies mm-hmm okay for me that book was a was a validation of what I had lived by as long as I can remember young people can do something anything and we don't need to wait our turn my advice to potential young activists is not is not to try to seem older than you are it's fine if adults think you're cute you're a cute kid I still get even I still get that even now that that I'm in college graduate and elected politician and it's rather fun as long as they also take you seriously thank you that was a big article and that was from Solomon Goldstein Rose Lily this is our new state representative he grew up in Amherst he played all with the kids here he still is our friend and in fact he was visiting the Pelham elementary school this afternoon so he's our very own and he's one of the youngest and they still tell him you're kind of cute but you know what they listen to him and he's helping us to take care of our world all right okay I want to yeah what's your question okay have a grace can you say like summer it's getting you are or Levi can you say in your own words in a way that Bella could understand okay so basically his teacher read a book because these kids like he's he's helping out and trying to help out and making other people think they should help out like they they made playground so children wouldn't get hit by cars and in the street in the street because they didn't have a playground and like kindergarteners are like fun reason to help the order yeah the rainforests okay so thank you thank you and Bella those were fine questions it was a big article for mostly older kids and so that was a good question here's my next question Bella for the six kids that are here today if I gave you a cardboard to turn into a sign about something you cared about because that's one way people that one way that people change something more serious that you know a way you feel about smoking that's not good to smoke think you just want to be killed and people think it's fun and they need to stop thinking it's fun because they're just gonna die yeah okay so that's one concern that you could make a sign about any other ideas and it's bad for the air and seriously yeah because like I've seen videos of like police officers apparently persecuting people like but then there are also like people sometimes like in some of those videos like they're it's the people that are actually instigating and being like come on you know that's a serious question and there's always two sides to each story and it might feel differently so what it might feel differently to the different people here's only some of them people like for no reason but then there's the other people that are good and trying to actually like help okay thank you and Megan wants to say just a second Megan and then Levi if you cut down trees plant another tree to replace it that's helpful and Levi what was your idea wow so you know what there are so many different ideas instead of making one sign we're gonna save this but I started to make up a song and I didn't know I wanted to have kids help figure out what else should go in the song so the only thing I have in our mystery box today is markers you can write songs you can make signs all right Levi I think good scribe for us so we're gonna start to sing the song and as you have an idea of what Levi can add to the song or Levi if you have an idea you speak up to okay listen first children have a lot to say see things in a clearer way and they've been told that so one fine day you'll be taking care of the earth so that won't show up I wanted to think okay so yeah what's your idea say an idea what would you like in the song children have a lot to say they see things in a clearer way they've been told that one fine day they will okay plant more trees is the way she'd like to say it plant more trees what else Lily want to do in the world if you were in charge you keep thinking okay don't smoke or drink alcohol no drugs no drugs okay that's a simple way okay okay now grace what's your idea okay okay Brandon keep thinking because you're a great songwriter too Bella you've given your idea did you want to say any no drugs does that feel like that includes the smoking and drinking they're saying no drugs does that feel comfortable okay and Brendan do you want to say anything yeah but we've already talked about that any other topic of a way to say the world you want safe driving be a safe drive no no okay okay so be careful driving children okay okay we're gonna have to keep going quickly okay so that's two different things so be safe driving children and then okay and what was your idea leave I you know if I want to hear leave ice too okay oh or only drive if you have to that was your idea because he was thinking about yes oh what's your other one okay that's like a whole verse right there okay so while he writes out that last idea I want to teach you a song put all your little animals in the middle for now like carefully honey with respect yeah cuz you're gonna need your hands okay and then we'll sing we'll try sing you're gonna need your hands stand up okay he's getting his last idea okay I'm gonna teach you a little bit of a new song okay so this is a song I made up at the Women's March okay and it says today's the day say that Bella learned the new song today's the day I set my mind be strong be strong be kind I know this song I'll find a way I'll find be strong be strong be kind okay and then the next part is just an echo okay I'm gonna have to flip back here you almost done okay ready to turn that into here we go this is it okay March okay get ready here we go I'll sing the first line you sing it right after me I will not let unkindness win I will not let unkindness win so I'll try to be a better friend so I'll try to be a better friend a smile a wave a welcome in a smile hope us all belong so we sing all together so sing this mighty song and start again today's the day I set my mind be strong be kind I'll find a way away I'll find be strong be kind so I will stop and look about and make sure there's not any doubt that everyone belongs all together so sing this mighty song today's the day I set my mind be strong be kind I'll find a way away I'll find be strong be kind I have more fun when our games we all get along today's the day I set my mind be strong be kind I'll find a way away I'll find be strong be kind out of time we had so much to sing and do so your song I'm gonna work on it and maybe next time we'll be able to sing your song okay so remember how to keep singing keep looking up keep singing keep looking up keep asking questions and never give up keep singing keep looking up keep asking questions and never give up thanks for joining us today we'll see you next time