Episode 1 Green Balloon Club Goes on Holiday

# Gather round, one and all

# You gotta answer the call

# Listen up, look around you

# There's a magical world to explore

# There's a nature adventure

# Coming your way soon

# So come and join us

# In this Green Balloon

# And when we fly We're higher than the moon

# So join us

# Ah, ah

# In our green balloon. #

Hello. I'm glad you're here.

We're going on holiday to Northern Ireland.

We're going to do something exciting. Look, we're arriving.

# Let's go together, somewhere we haven't been

# Making friends and doing things in places never seen

# Oh, it might be for a week, or just one day

# Let's go now, the sun is out, it's good to get away

# Oh, it's such a lovely morning and it's good to get away. #

ALL: Hi!

We're at Belfast Zoo.

-And we're going to be zookeepers for the day.

-We can't wait!

But first, shall we see what Nature Chris and Skipper are up to?

BOTH: Yeah!

Hi, there, Green Team.

Skipper's taking me for a walk on the Giant's Causeway.

-SKIPPER WHINES

-What's that?

Oh, no. I don't think we'll see any giants.

Or will we?

SKIPPER WHINES

Jelly's out and about, bringing us a special report. Aren't you?

Yes, Nature Chris. I'm going sailing on a real sailing boat. I can't wait.

We have reports from Green Balloon Club members

from Northern Ireland. Here are some now.

It's time for the Green Balloon Club Chant.

ALL: We love animals, plants and birds

We love snails and slugs

Large and small, we love them all And we never, ever step on bugs

Cos we are the Green Balloon Club!

Let's get going. We have animals to look after.

ALL: Yeah!

# That's just where it's at

# Yeah, the zoo is where it's at. #

Hi, Green Team. Ready for your first challenge?

ALL: Yeah!

-You good at counting?

-ALL: Yeah.

Keepers have to check the animals and make sure they're all there.

-Is it like the register at school?

-Exactly like that.

I've got a challenge for each of you. Cat, you count the chimpanzees.

Wow!

Ant, you're counting the gentoo penguins.

-Wow.

-Lily-Rose, you're counting the prairie dogs.

They're so cute! They're tiny!

Go on. Off you go.

Wow, there are so many. What are prairie dogs?

Prairie dogs are ground squirrels that live under the ground.

-Squirrels?!

-If you look at their faces, they look like squirrels.

Oh, yeah. They're called prairie dogs, but they're not dogs at all.

They're completely different. Have you heard them bark? No.

Do you think they could fetch like a dog? They're squirrels.

I love how they crawl. Their nails are like squirrels'.

-Do they have long or short nails?

-Quite long.

-Why do you think that?

-So they can dig.

-They dig a lot, don't they?

-Can you see them eating?

-They're eating carrots!

-And what else?

-Er...the grass.

The grass.

See these mounds? You might get a prairie dog at the very top.

That one prairie dog has to keep a look-out.

If a bird comes, they make lots of sound

and the other prairie dogs know to run and hide.

-Are you going to count them?

-Yeah.

-Good luck.

One...two...three...

You'll be here a while. I'm going to leave you. Best of luck.

One, two, three...four...

How many chimps can you see?

I can see three... Oh, I can see four, there.

Should be a couple more somewhere.

They've got pink bums!

They lean about quite a lot, as well.

I can see one over there.

That's five.

What do they eat?

They eat fruits and vegetables and anything you give them, really.

-CHIMPS SHOUT

-Is that them making that noise?

-Yes.

They're about to start screaming.

-They've come over to say hello.

-That's Sophie. She's the baby.

-How can you tell?

-Once you're with them every day,

they all look different, like people.

He's a really good climber.

I think they're really cool.

He swings from the ceiling, like he's doing the monkey bars.

That's six!

-That's them all. Well done.

-Yay!

..five...six...

One's crawling! Oh, I keep losing count!

One...two...

Penguins like to feed beside the water. Would you like to see?

-You set your bucket on the wall.

-There?

-Yeah, you stand there.

-Is that fine? See the penguins on the rocks?

-Yeah.

These want to swim today. Would you like to throw them some fish?

Take a handful of fish and see what they do.

Wow.

Well, today I came to see how many gentoo penguins there are.

But there's so many penguins, I don't know which ones ARE gentoo.

There's three types there. Humboldt, the ones that have taken your fish,

the bigger ones are gentoo.

See the little ones? They're quite black with the white belly.

-They're called rockhoppers.

-I can see why.

Here's a gentoo coming.

He's making it easy for you to count him.

We'll try and feed him a fish.

Come on.

-There we go.

-Wow. It just went straight down!

Want to try and count them?

-Yep.

-Right.

-There's one...

-Yep.

-..two...

-three, four.

-Yes.

-Is that one?

-That is. Very good.

-Five.

Is that six?

-Seven?

-Yep. You've got it.

Wow.

16...17.

There are 17 prairie dogs!

18 prairie dogs. 19 prairie dogs!

-We did it.

-Great job. How did you get on?

-I counted six chimps.

-And seven gentoo penguins.

-That's them accounted for.

-Where's Lily-Rose?

Still counting prairie dogs. There are a lot of them.

54...55...56...57...

-ALL: Hello, Jelly!

-Hello, everybody. Is this the boat we're sailing in?

-Yes!

-It is amazing.

I'm so excited but also a little bit nervous.

Don't worry, Jelly. I haven't been sailing, either. I'm really excited.

Don't worry, Jelly. I've sailed a lot. I'll tell you what to do.

This is Robbie, our instructor.

-Hi, Jelly.

-Hey, Robbie!

-Good to see you've got your life jacket.

-I am very prepared.

-What now?

-I think we should go sailing. Hop aboard.

-Oh, great!

-OK, Jelly, ready to get wet?

-Yes! Come on, Robbie!

We're going! We're on our way to the sea!

-My dream come true.

-Mine, too, Robyn.

-We're on the water!

-Whoo!

OK, guys, we ready to go?

-Whoo-hoo, yes, we're ready.

-Yee-haw. Let's go. Pull your sails in.

-It's so exciting. We're sailing!

-I'm so excited, too.

-We're going up and down.

-Yeah. We're going side to side.

-Up and down, side to side. It's like a rollercoaster.

-Yes!

Oh, Robyn, is this the sea we are sailing on?

No, Jelly. It's Strangford Lough.

Oh, what is Strangford Lough?

A lough is a bit like a big lake, but it does join up to the sea.

Oh, I see, mm.

And it's very pretty cos there are loads of islands

and we might see a few in a minute.

Oh, brilliant. I will keep a good watch out for them.

OK. I can see a bird to the side.

There, Jelly, over there.

Oh, yes! What are they? Are they seagulls?

-I think they're guillemots.

-Oh, yes, they are, actually.

I'm so hungry.

I thought you might be. Hee-hee.

Ha-ha-ha!

All this sailing makes you hungry, doesn't it?

Yeah.

-Now we are off to a good spot for a picnic.

-Yeah.

-Yeah.

So here we are on Shell Island, having a picnic.

-Yummy.

-Yummy.

-Look, Jelly, I've found a shell.

-Oh, yes.

-Do you know what sort of shell that is?

-Is it an oyster shell?

-It is. Do you know how it got here?

-How?

A type of bird called an oyster catcher caught it and ate it.

Hm, yes.

It looks like an oyster catcher's been having its picnic here, too.

-I can't wait to get back on the boat.

-Neither can I.

OK, guys, shall we see if we can find some seals?

ALL: Yeah!

-Seals!

-This is great!

-Jelly, do you see the white seals?

-Oh, yes.

-There's one there, Jelly.

They're kind of camouflaged into the rocks.

Look, there's one swimming in the water.

Look at him. Look, he's looking at us!

-Look at the birds! They're all flying away.

-Oyster catchers.

-Wow.

-Jelly, remember when I showed you that shell?

-Mm.

Those are the birds that dropped it on the beach.

Oh, yes, they are the oyster catchers!

This is the best day of my whole life.

It certainly is. It's the best day of my life, too.

Wow! He's amazing!

-This is called a tawny frogmouth. Do you want to know why that is?

-Why?

We'll give him some food and show you.

-Why does he eat them?

-Just watch.

-Why does he eat them?

This is what he would eat in the wild. He eats locusts.

-Can I stroke him?

-Go ahead.

-His wings look like a piece of material, don't they?

-They do.

-He's losing his feathers a bit here. Do you see?

-Why?

-All birds moult.

Here you go.

You want to have a go?

-I think you're brave enough.

-I'll help.

-OK.

Eat it.

That's why he's called a frogmouth.

He doesn't have a normal mouth like a bird. Did you see that?

It's funny.

-Hold on with me. Hold the top.

-OK.

-This is cool.

-He's got me. Ready?

Eat him, eat him, eat him.

Eat it.

-I think he's had enough.

-I think so, too.

Hello. I'm Catherine and these are my sisters.

I'm Lucy.

I'm Abby, and this is Sparrow.

-We're really lucky cos we've got...

-ALL: Ponies!

Come and meet Snoopy.

This is my pony, Snoopy.

He's a part of my family.

Abby, Catherine, come and help me clean Snoopy out.

It's really hard work.

-Eurgh.

-That is VERY stinky, Catherine.

Snoopy does stinky poo.

The next job is to groom Snoopy.

I'm brushing Snoopy so he can be nice and clean.

Snoopy's a really calm pony.

I have to put hoof oil on to keep his feet in good condition.

I quite like this job. It's like painting the horse's toenails.

There.

We're ready for riding. This is what I wear for competition,

but we're just riding for fun today.

Come on. Let's go and ride.

When I go over the jumps, I feel like I'm flying.

It's fun, me and my sisters can ride our ponies together.

When I go over a jump, it makes me smile.

Hello!

ALL: Thanks for coming to see our ponies. Bye!

One of the most important jobs for a keeper is to feed the animals.

-We get to feed the ring-tailed lemurs.

-Let's go!

-Cool.

-There are 50 different types of lemurs.

You can tell the ring-tailed ones - they have stripy tails.

They're looking at us. Hello.

Hold your hand out flat. They'll come and take it off you.

SHE SQUEALS

-THEY LAUGH

-There's so many!

You don't expect them to come out.

'Lemurs are a kind of primate - they're related to apes and humans.'

They've got, like, human hands.

-Oh, there are loads up there.

-Wow!

They're amazing. They can jump really far.

Come on. Yeah!

'They like to eat fruit and vegetables. They're very healthy.'

I like fruit and veg, so I think I could be a lemur.

Oh. It's so funny how they keep dropping things on my head.

-Come on, I'm trying to feed you.

-Monkey! Monkey(!)

-Paul, where do they live?

-They come from Madagascar.

That's an island off the coast of Africa.

How about bananas?

It eats it like an apple.

-Oh, the tail's so soft.

-They're really soft.

-Oh, they can stand up!

-Oh!

Oh, he took it out of my hand!

Look at it! Look!

'They like to sit with their arms and legs stretched out,

'soaking up the sun.'

You want some?

Are you fighting over it?

Grape. Grab the grape.

No, they're not doing it.

'They live in groups because they're very sociable.'

'The females are the bosses, so they always win arguments.'

Monkey, monkey.

Ah, its back's so soft. This one's fine with its back being stroked.

They both wanted a grape.

-One hasn't eaten that banana.

-It's got the grapes.

THEY GIGGLE

Hi, there.

Skipper's going to take us on a walk, down there,

to the Giant's Causeway.

These are her new friends, Amy and Lynn. Hi.

BOTH: Hi.

Do you want to say hello to Skipper, too? Good girl, Skipper.

We're near Scotland here.

Can we see it there? Isn't that amazing?

I'm a bit scared, to be honest.

I'm not sure if this giant is friendly.

There's no giant, but I'll tell you the legend of Finn McCool later.

That sounds fantastic. We love stories, don't we, Skipper?

Come on, then. Let's get going.

What have you found, girls?

It's a big giant's boot.

Can I come in, too? Come on, Skipper, up.

Good girl. Wow. He just leaves things lying around, does he?

-Yeah, there's his rubber ducky.

-Oh, yeah.

-Can you see that?

-It's a duck.

-You can see the beak.

-It's all yellow.

Why don't you, while we're comfortable, tell me the legend?

-No. Not yet. Let's go and see something else.

-OK, let's go.

Look over there.

-I think that rock looks like a camel.

-I see. It has a hump.

It's lying down. There's its head.

-Let's keep walking. There's more to see over here.

-OK. Come on, Skipper.

Look, here are the girls. Hi, girls.

I've found us this perfect seat.

I think it's time you told me the legend of Finn McCool.

There was an Irish giant called Finn McCool,

-and a Scottish giant called Benandonnar.

-So what happened?

They wanted to fight each other,

but they needed to cross the sea.

Finn built these giant stepping stones

-so Benandonnar could come to Ireland.

-I see.

So these used to reach Scotland. What happened when they built them?

Finn saw Benandonnar coming and was scared because he was SO big.

He ran home to his wife, Oonagh.

"Oonagh, Oonagh, hide me, my dear The Scottish giant is huge, I fear

"He'll pick me up and, with a shake, He'll squash me into a potato cake."

Finn McCool ran home to his wife and told her he was scared?

Even though he's a giant?

Then what happened?

"Oh, Finn McCool, I think that maybe I should dress you as a baby

"When Benandonnar comes along, He'll see a baby, big and strong

"He'll think, 'This baba's as big as me! So how huge will his daddy be?'"

What a fantastic idea. So he dressed up as a baby to fool Benandonnar.

Benandonnar ran back to Scotland, throwing up the stones as he went,

-so no-one could follow him, and they landed here.

-This is what's left.

What a great story. What a lovely, special place it is.

Thanks for showing us around.

ALL: Hi!

-How was your walk, Skipper?

-We had a brilliant time.

We went to the Giant's Causeway

and heard an amazing legend about a giant called Finn McCool.

-How was the zoo?

-ALL: Brilliant!

-Can we show you the ring-tailed lemurs?

-I love ring-tailed lemurs!

But it's late, we've to get back to the balloon.

ALL: Aww!

But there's always time for one more thing.

ALL: Time for a song!

# Just go, "oo-oo" like a monkey

# Like a penguin, waddle about

# If you yawn like a lazy lion

# That's what it's all about

# Twit-twoo, just like an owl

# Poke around like a meerkat

# Hoppity-hop like a kangaroo hops

# That's just where it's at

# Yeah, the zoo is where it's at

# Strolling round and round the zoo

# All creatures great and small

# From the baby spider monkeys

# To the giraffes, oh, so tall

# Ring-tailed lemurs curiously climb all over you

# No it's not very elegant mucking out the elephants

# And their enormous poo

# Just go, "oo-oo" like a monkey

# Like a penguin, waddle about

# If you yawn like a lazy lion

# That's what it's all about

# Twit-twoo, just like an owl

# Poke around like a meerkat

# Hoppity-hop like a kangaroo hops

# That's just where it's at

# Yeah, the zoo is where it's at... #

Oo-oo, ah-ah.

Slither like a snake!

Quack like a drake!

Howl like a wolf, ah-woo!

Then swing your trunk like an elephant does.

Wag your tail, you're at the zoo!

# Feed the fun-loving sea lions

# Watch them do their tricks

# So graceful in the water, so clumsy out of it

# Look across to the pelican island

# And the beautiful flamingos

# Watch the river hog, count another prairie dog

# The sloth moves oh, so slow

# Just go, "oo-oo" like a monkey

# Like a penguin, waddle about

# If you yawn like a lazy lion

# That's what it's all about

# Twit-twoo, just like an owl

# Poke around like a meerkat

# Hoppity-hop like a kangaroo hops

# That's just where it's at

# Yeah, the zoo is where it's at

# At the zoo is where it's at

# Yeah! #