 Hi there. Welcome back to the Curious Giraffe Show. Today we have George and Jerry. Jerry is our newest giraffe, and George is our oldest giraffe, and they're both curious, curious about each other, and curious about the world. So, let's get started and find out what today will be about. We sing to feel so much better. The day just gets dead. The squash muck will lead the way and push here. The squash muck is, or we don't know what a squash muck is. We all can. Today's story is a little different. I don't have it in a book yet, but I wrote this story song, and I wanted to spend some time with it and share it with you. I hope you'll like it. Okay, it's time to hear the story of the squash muck. Came down and covered the ground, creating giant puddles for miles around. We grabbed our boots and our other rain gear because my sister and I had to get out there. And as we headed to school that day, we found every puddle along the way, clumping and jumping and shouting, Make way! We laughed and we splashed. What a beautiful day. And then we felt the air get warm. We stopped to gaze at the passing storm. And as those rain clouds drifted by, we're the strangest watery. A squash muck, a squash muck. Well, listen for the giggle of a squash muck. Hee hee hee hee. I'd like to spend the day with you. This is... And again, go get your mom who was on the phone. Up in the hall, mama heard our call. Huffing and puffing week is a day to celebrate for long. A squash muck asked me to these days. I'm so excited. I'm so amazed. A squash muck, a squash muck. Well, listen for the giggle of a squash muck. The sun was shining now real strong. It can't take too long, for they always need fresh rain to come out. When puddles dry up, so she brought along a bucket and she scooped up some rain, so it wouldn't all be gone when the puddles all drained. For a squash muck, height and sinks, they're very favorite thing. So up we jumped and down we splashed. Our boots must have tickled. It's slippery back. Singing out, it said, You're back. Think I'm gonna have a giggle. Listen for the giggle of a squash muck. She didn't say where. Cause who on earth squash muck? And just couldn't. We took him home and put him in the sink. And booed and awed. And it gave us a wink. Then it sang out, Wink shmink. Don't wait too long. A squash muck thrill. A squash muck. So everyone could see us up there and scream into the people. It was our squash muck, now light as the breeze. As we skimmed over houses and roadways and trees. And our squash muck replied, Just tell them my name. Humans forget that we ever see one makes a wish come true. Many times when I sing this song, children say to me, Is it real? And here is the true story about the squash muck song. I made up the song. First I made up the story idea. Then I wrote it into a song. And I just totally thought it was a make-believe thing that I wished someday on a rainy, rainy day to find the true story of the squash muck song. So one day though, I sang the song for a group and there was a corona who said, I know what a squash muck is. I know where they live. And I was so surprised because to be honest, I didn't think they existed. And he told me that the squash muck was real. And he told me that he had been in a part of the world where much of the time it was very, very dry, didn't rain very much and the ground got dry and hard and that he was told not to drive in this certain area because when it rained these animals would come up from under the ground they would come up and swim and it made the people happy to see them so he said they existed. I just was so surprised. So, he did not say that they make wishes come true. I made that part up but isn't it okay to wish that you could do something? And in the song the squash muck wishes for clean water and clean air and for all the animals to be healthy. Truly a good wish that could come true. So, I want to sing another song that I wrote. It's a story but it's true this time. Every bit of it is true. Think back, think back, think back, think back some more for years and years and years they ate in a speed boat It's quite incredible I think that's funny but they say it's true in a speed boat but this is modeled after in parts of Florida and parts of Asia and you see how gentle they are they just don't have anything that would hurt anybody they just eat plants and but you see how their soft back is and can you imagine how hard they are to see in the water so for a while as boats got faster they would crash into them and hurt them and people were very very worried that they might not survive and when the school children heard about that they wrote letters to the people in the government and to their parents and to their community and they got everyone to say that they would post signs to remind drivers of speed boats to slow down and now you can go and see the manatees in different parts of Florida and perhaps in other parts of the world too but I've only seen them in Florida now I don't know what a squash muck looks like because I've never seen one but I'm very excited to hear that there is such a thing so sometimes when I want to imagine a squash muck I have taken some clay so here's some clay and squashed it hard squeeze squeeze squash squash squish squish and I flattened and flattened made it thin enough that it could hide in the shallow puddle that could be on your sidewalk or driveway so I sometimes have made a clay squash muck and I just imagine that they have big eyes looking out looking up at you they're sort of like what I visualize is kind of like a flounder that's flat under the water and swims kind of like that I like to imagine big eyes and this happy mouth that sings out I'd like to spend the day with you so that's one way that I make imagine a squash muck so you could try that at home you can get some earth and make some clay over if you don't have any kind of clay at home another thing that I've done is sometimes I just take a paper plate and imagine it much bigger could be much bigger and I draw I imagine it kind of blue and camouflaged in nature because people hardly ever see them so I add a blue color camouflaged in the water camouflage means it blends in so it's hard to see and that's its protection okay so I made a blue but you can make one any color you want for all we know they could be like birds or flowers that come in many different colors and then of course add the face and maybe this time let's imagine thinner eyes that are careful and don't open very wide because in the water they might be safer just with thin eyes I don't know I like to imagine but I still imagine that great big smile that can sing out and call out to children grown ups he he he he who who I'd like to spend the day with you I also had another idea since I learned from my friend Gary that he had actually been to a part of the world where they there was an animal that lived on the ground except for when it rained I was imagining what if he had he or she the animal had diggers and so I had the idea of putting clothespins on for diggers or I had the idea of taking a fork and a spoon because you can dig with those those would be good tools wouldn't they so here's the idea maybe their diggers look like a fork like a trowel in the garden or like a spoon that could be like a spade this kind of like a spoon in the garden and I need one more piece of tape you can experiment make your own idea because most of us have not seen one we don't know all around or not we don't know if they might be they might come back for some other kind of wonderful creature if we take care of the air and the water and the land so I would like to finish up with a song by Pam Duncan and have it here just a second here we go it's called Walk Lightly the earth Walk Lightly on the earth enjoy it and take care let's bring Jerry back up front enjoy there we go she's so excited okay here we go keep questions and never give up keep singing keep looking up keep asking questions and never give up so we'll see you next time bye bye