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What does a single bottle cap have to do with the whole ocean?

 It begins as an ordinary morning at French Creek Harbour, when Larry the Lobster spots something bobbing against the hull of the Mellow Submarine: a faded orange bottle cap, brittle at the edges, with a patch of algae clinging to one side. Captain Dave recognizes that look. It's plastic that has been in the water a long time. That one small find sends them out on a slow patrol along the coast, where they discover bits of netting tangled in kelp, a waterlogged foam cup, shreds of plastic wrap, and eventually a seagull sitting too still in the water near some rocks. A call to the Parksville-Qualicum Beach Wildlife Recovery Centre brings a rescue team, and a volunteer named Daria explains how microplastics travel up the food chain from zooplankton to orcas to humans. Larry listens carefully and writes it all down. By the time they return to the dock, Larry has a new idea: a community collection bucket on the pier so anyone out on the water can add what they find. Because, as Larry puts it, the math goes both ways. This episode gently introduces children to ocean plastics, microplastics, wildlife rescue, and the power of small actions, all set along the beautiful and familiar coastline of Vancouver Island.

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Download and print colouring pages from the Peter and Gracie Cathedral Grove Adventure: https://bit.ly/S2EP37ColouringPages

Have you ever stood next to a tree that was alive when knights rode horses through muddy fields in Europe? 

In this episode of Skookum Kid’s Stories, Peter and his American Eskimo dog Gracie follow their dad into Cathedral Grove - a breathtaking old-growth forest tucked inside McMillan Provincial Park, right on the highway between Parksville and Port Alberni on Vancouver Island. The moment Peter steps off the path, the noise of the world disappears. Even Gracie, never one to stand still, goes quiet. Together they find an enormous western red cedar, about eight hundred years old, its trunk four metres across and its roots spreading across the forest floor like sleeping giants. As they settle on a wide root and Gracie tucks herself between them, Dad begins a journey through time - from knights in armour and quill pens, to Gutenberg’s printing press, to the first ships arriving on the Pacific coast. Peter fills his small green notebook. Through it all, the tree simply stands - patient, enormous, and quietly keeping its own kind of record. 

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What grows 30 metres tall in a single season and holds entire ocean communities together? 

Captain Dave and Larry the Lobster have been planning this dive for nineteen days. When the Mellow Submarine finally slips beneath the surface near Saratoga Beach, they find something that stops even clipboard-carrying Larry in his tracks: a towering bull kelp forest, its amber stalks rising from the rocky sea floor in great golden columns, its canopy filtering the afternoon light into slow sweeping beams. Inside, they encounter black rockfish and lingcod, a painted greenling that has turned itself into living kelp, and a decorator crab wearing an ever-changing costume of sponge and algae. And then, with the quiet ease of someone arriving home, a sea otter drops through the canopy, wraps itself in a long frond, and falls asleep. 

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Download and print colouring pages from Peter and Gracie’s Missing Sock Adventure: https://bit.ly/S2EP35ColouringPages

Have you ever wondered where missing socks really go?

When three socks vanish from the backyard clothesline, Peter and his clever American Eskimo dog Gracie put on their detective hats and set out to crack the case. Armed with a magnifying glass, a notebook, and Gracie's extraordinary nose, the duo follow a trail of clues through their Coombs neighbourhood - from tiny paw prints in the dirt to scratch marks on the fence post. Their investigation leads them next door to Mrs. Chen's yard, where a bushy-tailed squirrel has been busy collecting socks to line a cosy winter nest. But solving the mystery is only the beginning. Peter and Gracie must figure out how to get the socks back while still keeping the squirrel warm - and the answer turns out to be a heartwarming trade. This episode weaves together themes of kindness, patience, creative problem-solving, and respect for the natural world. A perfect listen for curious little detectives and the grown-ups who love them.

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 What does it feel like to arrive somewhere new and wonder if you'll ever belong?

 When a beautiful blue sailboat sails into French Creek Harbour one sunny morning, Captain Dave and Larry the Lobster are quick to say hello. On board is Suki — a curious, notebook-carrying seven-year-old who has just moved up the coast with her family, leaving behind her best friend and everything familiar. She isn't sure she'll like French Creek. She isn't sure about much of anything yet. But over one remarkable day, Suki discovers cormorants with design flaws, a sculpin that looks just like a fisherman named Gerald, and a lobster who understands something about missing a place you used to call home. Set along the real shores of the Strait of Georgia, this gentle episode invites children and families to talk about new beginnings, the courage it takes to try somewhere new, and the way community shows up with fresh bread and blackberry jam from Denman Island. A warm, unhurried story for families anywhere on Vancouver Island — or anywhere that ever felt unfamiliar at first.

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What would you do if your creek dried up and your garden started to droop?

It hasn't rained in 31 days on Vancouver Island, and Peter can feel the difference everywhere — the lawn is crispy beige, the bird bath is bone dry, and Gracie is melting on the kitchen tiles. When Peter's mom shares a newspaper photo of a shrunken creek near Coombs, Peter decides it's time to do something. What follows is an adventure in water conservation: a four-minute shower timer, a basin for vegetable-washing water, a two-basin dog bath (Gracie's own contribution!), and a big blue rain barrel waiting patiently for the clouds to return. 

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What happens when Larry the Lobster knocks his clipboard overboard — and spots the biggest Dungeness crab in all of Baynes Sound on the way down? Captain Dave and Larry the Lobster are about to find out!

It begins as a quiet morning drifting through the sheltered waters of Baynes Sound, just off the east coast of Vancouver Island. But when Larry accidentally sends his clipboard to the bottom and leans over to look for it, he spots something extraordinary resting on the sandy floor below — a fully mature Dungeness crab the size of a dinner plate. They name him Gerald. Captain Dave cuts the engine, and together they slip over the side for one of the Mellow Submarine’s most quietly wonderful adventures. Larry and Gerald size each other up, raise a claw each in careful greeting, and arrive at a dignified understanding. Back on deck over warm mugs of tea, Captain Dave explains why Baynes Sound is one of the most biologically productive places on the BC coast — and what it really means to care for a place on behalf of the creatures that can’t think about it for themselves.

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When Peter’s mum starts making borscht from his great-grandmother’s Ukrainian recipe, it sparks the biggest idea Peter has ever had: a Neighbourhood Heritage Festival, right in Coombs! With Gracie trotting beside him, Peter spends two weeks knocking on doors, delivering colourful invitations, and discovering that the families around him carry extraordinary traditions from all over the world — from Ireland, India, Mexico, Japan, Scotland, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Greece.

From Mr. O’Brien’s Irish fiddle and Mrs. Kapoor’s Diwali samosas, to Mr. Johnson’s Coast Salish cedar weaving and Mr. Yamamoto’s origami cranes, the festival fills their field with colour, music, food, and stories. And Gracie — wearing her official “Festival Helper” bandana — is right in the thick of it, greeting every guest, sniffing origami, and even attempting Scottish Gaelic alongside the best of them.

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What happens when a bright yellow submarine shows up at a car show — on four wheels? Captain Dave and Larry the Lobster are about to find out!

It begins as a peaceful morning anchored near French Creek, just off Vancouver Island’s coast. But when Captain Dave spots the French Creek Marina Car Show on shore, he remembers something the Mellow Submarine has that most submarines don’t: retractable wheels. With the press of a big yellow button, four sturdy wheels deploy from the submarine’s hull — and the most unexpected entrant in car show history rolls right up the beach and through the gates. Larry the Lobster leads tour groups through the control room, explaining ballast tanks and sonar to wide-eyed kids. Car enthusiasts marvel at the submarine’s electric motors and solar-powered batteries. And at the end of the day, the organisers announce a brand-new award — one they’ve never given before — for Most Unique Vehicle.

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NEW! Download and print colouring pages featuring Peter and Gracie’s Big Bike Adventure! https://bit.ly/S2EP29ColouringPages

 The training wheels are off, the driveway is waiting, and Peter is ready to try something scary and wonderful. Set in Coombs on beautiful Vancouver Island, this episode follows Peter as he learns to ride his shiny red bike — one wobbly pedal at a time — with his fluffy white American Eskimo dog Gracie cheering him on every step of the way. When Peter finally makes it to the end of the driveway, his heart is pounding with the kind of pride that only comes from trying, falling, and trying again.

But the adventure doesn’t stop there. Peter realizes that some of the best places on Vancouver Island — like the famous Goats on the Roof in Coombs — might be too far for Gracie to run. So he hatches a wonderfully thoughtful plan: attach the old red wagon from the garage to his bike so Gracie can ride along in comfort. With Mum, Dad, and a toolbox full of determination, Peter and Gracie build their very own adventure rig — and set off together on their first big ride to the general store. 

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