elinor wonders why

Leave It To Ari - Elinor, Olive and Ari are helping Ari's dad rake the leaves in their yard, which leads them to wonder, "Who rakes the leaves in the forest?" They need more observations, so they head out to the forest, where they look at the leaves more closely and notice that some of them are fresh, others are a little worn, and others are really old and crumbling. The kids also notice some of the dirt on the ground has little bits of leaves in it, and they realize that the leaves that fall on the forest floor eventually get old and go back into the soil, just like the compost that Ari's Dad makes. Snow Friend - Elinor, Ari and Olive are building a giant Snow Friend, but there isn't enough snow to finish their masterpiece. Luckily, the next day brings fresh new snow, but this snow won't stay packed at all - it just falls apart. After they go in the house to warm up, they observe some snow melt and get sticky, and they figure out a solution - warm up the snow! When they put their plan into action, the warm snow has just the right stickiness for packing. Just in time to build a super Snow Friend. Hurrah!

The Science of Staying Warm - It's a wintery Saturday morning and Elinor, Olive and Ari are getting ready to go out and play in the snow with other kids, but Olive wonders why she has to wear so many winter clothes. This catches Elinor's curiosity, so she observes that some kids have thick fur (like her) and others (like Olive) don't. At the same time, she sees that the kids with thick fur don't need coats, and the ones without thick fur need thicker coats. They conclude that fur must help animals stay warm. Now that Olive understands, she's excited to put on her winter stuff and have fun in the snow! The Seed of an Idea - Elinor becomes fascinated by the Velcro on Ari's new watch and convinces her friends to help her find out how it works. First, they make a list of what Velcro sticks to and what it doesn't stick to, but they need more observations, so they head out onto the playground. While outside, they observe that Velcro is very similar to a burr seed that is stuck to Ari's shirt, which is no coincidence at all! That's when they learn that the invention of Velcro was based off the burr seed. Nature is full of all sorts of inventive ideas!

Elinor is friends with a chickadee bird she names Chicky, but when snow covers the yard, she starts to worry about how Chicky will find food in the winter. She and her friends then observe that birds all have a unique way of finding food during the winter months, called foraging. This new knowledge inspires Elinor, Olive and Ari to build bird feeders to make food easier to find for their feathery friends!

The House That Ants Built - Elinor and her friends are trying to make an awesome couch cushion castle, but they each have their own ideas of how to build it. When they can't seem to share materials, it looks like all hope is lost, until Elinor notices ants walking by her windowsill. Fascinated, the kids follow the ants and notice them co-operating with each other to build the perfect nest. Now they know just what to do. The kids go back inside and now that they're working together, the castle-building is much smoother. They can even move the biggest pillow - together! Special Places - When Ari can't find his favorite ball, he and his friends retrace his footsteps, where they observe a bird with eggs in her nest, then find Mr. Dog burying a toy. Mr. Dog explains he loves to put things away, which is why he buries them and keeps them safe in their "special place." At that moment, Ari suddenly remembers where he left his ball. Elinor and Olive help him find a "special place" to keep it, AFTER they finish playing, of course!

Make Music Naturally - The kids learn that Senor Tapir is putting on a concert. They want to participate, but don't have any instruments. After hearing all of the beautiful sounds around them in nature, Elinor realizes that they can make their own by listening to nature. Senor Tapir is thrilled with their natural, handmade instruments, and together they perform a song about making music - naturally. Light the Way - The kids are having a backyard camp out, but after Elinor's Dad falls asleep, they need to find a way to communicate quietly without waking him. As they observe some fireflies, the kids see how the fireflies signal to one another by lighting up, and realize they can do that with their flashlights. They blink their flashlights on and off as a way to communicate while being quiet. Shhh!

The Tomato Drop - Elinor, Ari and Olive are having a fun day at the Animal Town Tomato Festival, but the day is about to get even better as they enter the 'tomato drop' contest. After their first two tomatoes smash into goop when they hit the ground, the kids have to figure out a better way to drop their tomatoes. This is when Elinor notices other things falling softly in nature, like the fall leaves or feathers from birds. Using those things as inspiration, Elinor and friends quickly cobble together a tomato parachute, with a scarf as the chute. Sure enough, when Elinor drops their tomato chute, it falls slowly and lands intact. YAY! Look What I Can Do - Elinor and her friends are playing soccer. Elinor and Ari notice all their friends are pretty good at the game, but they aren't. After further observation, they realize all their friends have a specific talent that makes them good during play. With Ms. Mole's help, Elinor realizes everyone has their own special abilities. Ari can fly, so he makes an awesome goalie. And Elinor's talent? Bouncing the ball with her ears - GOOOAL!