September 28, 2025 • 27 mins
MEEOOWWW!
What was that? Maybe Happy Pants can give us some clues...
Listen along to help Geraldine and Kate figure out what topic Happy Pants has chosen for today. Maybe it has something to do with that loud meow-ing noise...
Anyways... the gang puts on their thinking cats to do some fun maths equations and read "Arthur" by Amanda Graham and Donna Gynell.
WOOF!
What is making that noise! Maybe you should listen along and help me figure it out...
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:13):
One, two, three. It's happy pants.
S2 (00:30):
Good day. And welcome to Happy Pants, a show especially
for kids and especially for you. My name is Geraldine.
S3 (00:38):
And my name is Kate. And together, we're your happy
pants team for today.
S2 (00:44):
Head office has gone overboard with our happy pants today.
They're a different color each time. And today, mine are
not only a golden brown, but they have black spots
all over them, like clumps of currants in fresh cookies.
If you squish the ends of the middle three fingers
of your hand together with your thumb and make a
(01:07):
pattern of spots with them. That's what the spots on
my golden brown pants would be like.
S3 (01:14):
My happy pants don't have spots. They have stripes. Lots
and lots of stripes. Sometimes wiggly, sometimes straight. There are
orange stripes. Stripes as black as licorice, and white stripes
like squishy marshmallow or ice cream.
S2 (01:31):
Your happy pants have tiger stripes.
S3 (01:35):
And yours have leopard spots. Leopards and tigers are big cats, right?
I wonder if they.
S2 (01:44):
Well, they might, but my bet is that they'd.
S3 (01:51):
Meow or roar. I've no wish to find one hiding
in our garden.
S2 (01:56):
Or sunning itself on our roof.
S3 (01:59):
Or sleeping on our patio.
S2 (02:01):
Okay, we should be looking in our pockets to see
what happy pants is hidden there this morning.
S3 (02:06):
Of course. Then we'll be able to work out what
Happy Pants wants us to talk about today.
S2 (02:12):
Well, here goes Pocket number one. Hmm. It's a small
collar with a little silver bell on it.
S3 (02:20):
My first pocket is something all curled up. It's leather.
It's long and has a loop on one end and
a clip on the other pocket.
S2 (02:30):
Number two. It's a packet of bird seed and a
bunch of carrots.
S3 (02:36):
Mm. And I have. Could you hold my pocket open, please? Yeah.
S2 (02:41):
Okay.
S3 (02:42):
Thank you. Oh. Whatever it is is big and wrapped
in paper. It's a big, juicy bone.
S2 (02:50):
Well, there's something big in this pocket of mine, too.
It's a bag of oats.
S3 (02:56):
I've just found a can of fish. I think that's
all from my pockets.
S2 (03:01):
Well, let's make a list, then. We might be able
to see how all these things fit together.
S3 (03:08):
Right. So there was the collar with a bell, a
leather strap with a loop, and a clip.
S2 (03:14):
Birdseed, carrots and a bone.
S3 (03:18):
And the last things were a bag of oats and
a tin of fish.
S2 (03:23):
Oh, we're usually able to work these things out if
we have some wake up music to help us.
S3 (03:29):
Sounds like a plan. Here's a piece of music which
asks us to move all the parts of our body
in turn hands, arms and shoulders. It's quite fast, so
you might need a bit of space.
S2 (03:42):
And then your feet and legs start to feel as
if they want to join in. After a good shake up,
the music gives you some stretching time. Then back to
a sprint. Um, probably best if you run on the
spot for that bit. A gallop round the room might
not be a good idea.
S3 (04:03):
Last of all, the music says enough time to relax,
which gives you a chance to calm down and get
your breath back. So ready to rock and roll. On
your feet and let's go.
S2 (05:40):
Woo! Woo! That was a good workout. I'm all shook up.
S3 (05:44):
Me too. Wait until I get my breath back and
I'll tell you what I reckon those clues meant.
S2 (05:52):
Ah! Tiger stripes and leopard spots. Part of the clues.
S3 (05:56):
Oh, I think so. Everything has something to do with animals.
And by the way, what? Striped and bouncy?
S2 (06:05):
I don't know. What is striped and bouncy?
S3 (06:08):
A tiger on a trampoline. Oh.
S2 (06:13):
Tigers are cats, right? So how would they describe themselves?
S3 (06:20):
Hmm. Couldn't guess. How?
S2 (06:24):
Perfect. Of course.
S3 (06:27):
And talking of cats, where does a leopard sleep?
S2 (06:32):
Anywhere it wants to.
S3 (06:34):
I'd say tigers and leopards are wild animals. But that
collar with the bell is a cat collar. And the
leather strap with a loop at one end and a
clip at the other is a dog lead.
S2 (06:48):
And there was bird seed, carrots, a bone, oats, and
a tin of fish. Tigers and leopards don't wear collars
and leads, but they could eat a bone.
S3 (07:00):
I don't think bird seed, carrots or oats would be
part of their diet, and they'd have trouble opening a
can of fish.
S2 (07:08):
Well, I think I've got it. Our first clue was
our happy pants. Leopards and tigers. Wild animals. All the
other clues pointed to animals, but not wild animals. I
think everything points to animals, which we keep as pets.
Animals with which we share our homes and gardens. Canned
(07:32):
fish and bones pointed to dogs and cats. Carrots are
food for rabbits. Oats are for horses, and birdseed is
for birds like budgies and canaries. Animals we keep as pets.
Ones we love and to care for.
S3 (07:48):
I think the tiger and leopard were included to remind
us that it's important to look after wild animals too.
They might not be cuddly like our pets, but we
should look after their environment. They need safe places in
which to live their wild lives too.
S2 (08:04):
Well, let's start with cats. Cats belong to the feline family. Lions. Tigers. Whatever.
If it's a cat, it's part of the feline family.
Australia has never had a native feline of any kind.
The closest we get is a quoll. Quolls hunt like
(08:24):
cats and even look a little bit like a cat.
But they're part of the marsupial family, which means their
young are raised in a pouch like kangaroos. The only
felines in Australia were brought here from somewhere else as
house pets. Cats which escape into the bush and turn
(08:44):
feral kill huge numbers of native animals and birds, and
they don't behave like the cuddly pet we like to
see in our homes at all.
S3 (08:56):
Big word alert. Feral means something which has escaped into
the environment and become wild. I have a cat, but
she's far from feral. Her name is Bianca and that
means white. And she's my cuddly lap warmer, especially on
cold days. Strangely, although she's afraid of most dogs, she
(09:17):
loves my mum's Labrador, and when he comes to visit,
they play together and when they want a rest, Bianca
smooches up with him and grooms his ears and whiskers
as if he is her giant kitten.
S2 (09:30):
I happen to know that Bianca has her own special
outdoor space too.
S3 (09:36):
Too, right? She does. She can come and go through
her cat flap, and there's a wire tunnel that goes
through the yard to a wide space in where there
are plants like cat grass and catmint, as well as
a climbing pole and a sunbathing platform. Bianca can't get out,
so she's safe from dogs and cars. And she can't
(09:56):
kill birds either. She's a room to move around, outside
and in, and she's safe. She wears a collar and bell,
so we always know where she is. If I had
to change places with an animal, I'd pick a pet
cat Servants to look after me. Tasty food and taken
to the vet for my immunisation jabs to make sure
(10:18):
I don't catch some awful disease. I'm sure everyone would
like to be that sort of cat.
S4 (12:43):
Nothing can stop me when I'm wearing my happy pants.
S2 (12:47):
Big word alert. Immunization. Immunization is an injection which gives
you protection from getting very damaging diseases like measles, tetanus, Covid,
whooping cough, and so on. Any of which could make
you very, very sick.
S3 (13:07):
Cats are almost the only animal which we keep as
a pet, which doesn't seem to mind if it is
an only one, so long as it's cared for and comfortable,
it's quite content to be alone.
S2 (13:19):
Dogs, on the other hand, are pack animals and they
need company if they're able to spend most of their
time with their human companion, they're happy. But if they're
alone for long, they get bored, lonely, and unhappy. For
this reason, if the dog is going to be on
(13:40):
its own for most of the day, it will be
much happier and healthier if it has a companion. In
that case, two dogs are happier than one.
S3 (13:50):
Dogs are good at burying bones. Burying one for later
is like putting money in the bank. It's there for
digging up when there is nothing else to do. Besides,
a really old bone tastes so good, huh? If you're
a dog.
S2 (14:07):
Birdseed was one of those pocket clues. Budgies eat seeds
and they make good pets, don't they?
S3 (14:14):
Budgies, canaries, galahs. They're all pretty popular and can be
kept in a cage. All of them are flock birds though,
so they do best if there is at least one
companion in the cage. They need room to fly, just
as you need room to walk and run a companion
and some room to fly. Helps keep them happy and healthy.
S2 (14:36):
I reckon that bag of oats was so we'd think
of horses. Horses and donkeys are herd animals, so they
become very lonely. If they don't have company, they're happy
to have a human as part of their family, but
they're even more contented if they have 1 or 2
of their own kind to hang out with. Same goes
(14:56):
for rabbits and guinea pigs. They'll munch on those carrots
very happily, and they like being stroked and cuddled, but
they're happier and healthier if they have a companion of
the same kind.
S3 (15:10):
If I could have a very unusual pet, I'd really
like a dinosaur.
S2 (15:15):
What? A scaly, flesh munching monster.
S3 (15:20):
No, just a little one. It would have to be
a plant eater. Maybe a singing, dancing kind of dinosaur.
S2 (15:27):
Oh. Dream on Kate. You may not be aware, but
dinosaurs died out millions of years ago.
S3 (17:54):
Okay. Okay. I get the message. I'm going to get
a dog, not a puppy. A grown up housetrained dog.
He'll have to be intelligent, good natured, and happy to
have Bianca as a friend.
S2 (18:07):
Here's a question. If you gave your new dog a
bone each day for a week, how many bones would
you have to buy?
S3 (18:15):
Oh that's easy. A week is seven days. So that
would be seven bones.
S2 (18:21):
Each bone costs you $2. How much would a week's
worth of bones cost?
S3 (18:28):
Oh, seven. Lots of two. That's two for 14. Enough
bones for one week would cost $14.
S2 (18:39):
Full marks. Great. Now your dog eats three of those
bones and buries the rest for later. How many bones
did he bury?
S3 (18:50):
He had seven and eight. Three. Seven. Take away three. Leaves. Five. Four. Four.
So he buried four bones.
S2 (19:00):
Oh, you're getting good at this. Now it's next week.
Every day you give your dog a fresh bone. And
every day he buries the fresh bone and digs up
an old one to eat instead. After four days, how
many bones will be left?
S3 (19:19):
Hmm. He had four buried bones, and every day he
dug up an old one and buried a new one instead. Hmm.
Silly me. He's just changing one bone for another. The
number of bones won't change. There'll always be four bones buried.
Just not the same bones.
S2 (19:37):
Smart dog. Always having something in the bank. Today's story
is about a super smart dog called Arthur. Arthur had
a dream of having a forever home and an old
pair of slippers to chew. It looked as if no
one wanted Arthur, so he tried very hard to be
(20:00):
what people wanted. No matter how he tried to be
something else, nothing seemed to work. Until. But you'll have
to listen to the story to find out what happened.
Arthur by Amanda Graham and Donna Ginnell. Arthur was a
(20:22):
very ordinary dog. He lived in Mrs. Humber's pet shop
with many other animals. But Arthur was the only dog.
All the other dogs had been sold because dogs were
very popular. All the dogs except Arthur. He was just
an ordinary brown dog who dearly wanted a home with
(20:45):
a pair of old slippers to chew on Monday morning. Mrs.
Humber put some rabbits in the window. By the end
of the day, the window was empty. Except for Arthur.
Nobody wanted an ordinary brown dog. Everybody wanted rabbits. So
(21:06):
that night, when all was quiet, I practiced being a rabbit.
He practiced eating carrots and poking out his front teeth
and making his ears stand up straight. He practiced very
hard until he was sure he could be a rabbit.
(21:27):
Next morning, Mrs. Humber put some snakes in the window.
By the end of the day, the window was empty.
Except for Arthur. Nobody wanted an ordinary brown dog, not
even one who acted like a rabbit. Everybody wanted snakes.
So that night, when all was quiet, Arthur practiced being
(21:52):
a snake. He practiced hissing and slithering and sliding and
looking cool. He practiced very hard until he was sure
he could be a snake. Next morning Mrs. Humber put
some fish in the window. By the end of the day,
(22:14):
the window was empty. Except for Arthur. Nobody wanted an
ordinary brown dog, not even one who acted like a
rabbit and a snake. Everybody wanted fish. So that night,
when all was quiet, Arthur practiced being a fish. He
(22:35):
practiced swimming and blowing bubbles and breathing underwater. He practiced
very hard until he was sure he could be a fish.
Next morning, Mrs. Humber put some cats in the window.
By the end of the day, the window was empty.
Except for Arthur. Nobody wanted an ordinary brown dog, not
(22:59):
even one who acted like a rabbit and a snake
and a fish. Everybody wanted cats. Arthur felt he would
never find a home with a pair of old slippers
to chew. Next morning, Mrs. Humber put the rest of
her pets in the window. There were two hamsters, a
(23:21):
cage of mice, three canaries, a blue budgerigar, a green frog,
one sleepy lizard and Arthur. Arthur jumped on Lilypads, squeaked
and nibbled cheese, purred, croaked, and even attempted to fly.
(23:41):
By the end of the day, the window was empty
except for Arthur. He had collapsed, exhausted, in the corner
of the window. Now he was certain he would never
find a home, whether he was a rabbit, a snake,
a fish, a cat, or a purple spotty three headed wombat.
(24:05):
Arthur decided that he might as well be just an
ordinary brown dog. Late that afternoon, just before Mrs. Humber
was to close the shop, a man came in with
his granddaughter. Excuse me, said the man. Melanie tells me
that you have a rather extraordinary dog who performs all
(24:28):
sorts of tricks. I know, dog, I have, replied Mrs. Humber.
Is Arthur. There he is, grandpa, in the window, said Melanie.
She rushed to pick up Arthur, who gave her the biggest,
wettest dodgiest lick ever. Arthur knew he had found a home.
(24:52):
And with a pair of old slippers to chew.
S3 (24:58):
That was a reading of Arthur by Amanda Graham and
Donna Gunnell. The reader was Geraldine.
S2 (25:06):
Arthur did find his forever home with a pair of
old slippers to chew, but only after he stopped trying
to be something he thought other people wanted and went
back to being simply Arthur. But think of all the
wonderful things he learned to do on the way. Learning
new things can be good in the end.
S3 (25:29):
It sure can. So what have we done today?
S2 (25:33):
Well, for a start, we worked out that the pocket
clues were about animals. Animals we keep as pets.
S3 (25:40):
We found out that cats don't seem to mind being
only cats, but almost everything else is happier when there's
another of the same kind as a companion.
S2 (25:51):
We had two big words feral, which is the name
for something which is gone wild, and immunisation, which is
an injection to stop you catching some very nasty diseases.
S3 (26:02):
And we had a story about Arthur, who taught himself
all sorts of tricks so that he could have a
forever home.
S2 (26:10):
If there was anything in today's program about which you
would like to know more, you can find us on
radio at Vision Australia.
S3 (26:20):
Keep wearing those happy pants and we'll catch you next time.
S5 (26:37):
Happy pants is produced on the lands of the Whadjuk
Noongar people. Vision Australia Radio acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples as the first Australians, and the traditional owners
of the land across our working area. We pay our
respects to elders past, present and future in maintaining their cultures,
countries and their spiritual connection to the lands and waters.
Vision Australia Radio acknowledges and respects the genuine diversity and
(27:01):
richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia.
Happy pants has been made possible with the support of
the Community Broadcasting Foundation.
One, two, three. It's happy pants.
S2 (00:30):
Good day. And welcome to Happy Pants, a show especially
for kids and especially for you. My name is Geraldine.
S3 (00:38):
And my name is Kate. And together, we're your happy
pants team for today.
S2 (00:44):
Head office has gone overboard with our happy pants today.
They're a different color each time. And today, mine are
not only a golden brown, but they have black spots
all over them, like clumps of currants in fresh cookies.
If you squish the ends of the middle three fingers
of your hand together with your thumb and make a
(01:07):
pattern of spots with them. That's what the spots on
my golden brown pants would be like.
S3 (01:14):
My happy pants don't have spots. They have stripes. Lots
and lots of stripes. Sometimes wiggly, sometimes straight. There are
orange stripes. Stripes as black as licorice, and white stripes
like squishy marshmallow or ice cream.
S2 (01:31):
Your happy pants have tiger stripes.
S3 (01:35):
And yours have leopard spots. Leopards and tigers are big cats, right?
I wonder if they.
S2 (01:44):
Well, they might, but my bet is that they'd.
S3 (01:51):
Meow or roar. I've no wish to find one hiding
in our garden.
S2 (01:56):
Or sunning itself on our roof.
S3 (01:59):
Or sleeping on our patio.
S2 (02:01):
Okay, we should be looking in our pockets to see
what happy pants is hidden there this morning.
S3 (02:06):
Of course. Then we'll be able to work out what
Happy Pants wants us to talk about today.
S2 (02:12):
Well, here goes Pocket number one. Hmm. It's a small
collar with a little silver bell on it.
S3 (02:20):
My first pocket is something all curled up. It's leather.
It's long and has a loop on one end and
a clip on the other pocket.
S2 (02:30):
Number two. It's a packet of bird seed and a
bunch of carrots.
S3 (02:36):
Mm. And I have. Could you hold my pocket open, please? Yeah.
S2 (02:41):
Okay.
S3 (02:42):
Thank you. Oh. Whatever it is is big and wrapped
in paper. It's a big, juicy bone.
S2 (02:50):
Well, there's something big in this pocket of mine, too.
It's a bag of oats.
S3 (02:56):
I've just found a can of fish. I think that's
all from my pockets.
S2 (03:01):
Well, let's make a list, then. We might be able
to see how all these things fit together.
S3 (03:08):
Right. So there was the collar with a bell, a
leather strap with a loop, and a clip.
S2 (03:14):
Birdseed, carrots and a bone.
S3 (03:18):
And the last things were a bag of oats and
a tin of fish.
S2 (03:23):
Oh, we're usually able to work these things out if
we have some wake up music to help us.
S3 (03:29):
Sounds like a plan. Here's a piece of music which
asks us to move all the parts of our body
in turn hands, arms and shoulders. It's quite fast, so
you might need a bit of space.
S2 (03:42):
And then your feet and legs start to feel as
if they want to join in. After a good shake up,
the music gives you some stretching time. Then back to
a sprint. Um, probably best if you run on the
spot for that bit. A gallop round the room might
not be a good idea.
S3 (04:03):
Last of all, the music says enough time to relax,
which gives you a chance to calm down and get
your breath back. So ready to rock and roll. On
your feet and let's go.
S2 (05:40):
Woo! Woo! That was a good workout. I'm all shook up.
S3 (05:44):
Me too. Wait until I get my breath back and
I'll tell you what I reckon those clues meant.
S2 (05:52):
Ah! Tiger stripes and leopard spots. Part of the clues.
S3 (05:56):
Oh, I think so. Everything has something to do with animals.
And by the way, what? Striped and bouncy?
S2 (06:05):
I don't know. What is striped and bouncy?
S3 (06:08):
A tiger on a trampoline. Oh.
S2 (06:13):
Tigers are cats, right? So how would they describe themselves?
S3 (06:20):
Hmm. Couldn't guess. How?
S2 (06:24):
Perfect. Of course.
S3 (06:27):
And talking of cats, where does a leopard sleep?
S2 (06:32):
Anywhere it wants to.
S3 (06:34):
I'd say tigers and leopards are wild animals. But that
collar with the bell is a cat collar. And the
leather strap with a loop at one end and a
clip at the other is a dog lead.
S2 (06:48):
And there was bird seed, carrots, a bone, oats, and
a tin of fish. Tigers and leopards don't wear collars
and leads, but they could eat a bone.
S3 (07:00):
I don't think bird seed, carrots or oats would be
part of their diet, and they'd have trouble opening a
can of fish.
S2 (07:08):
Well, I think I've got it. Our first clue was
our happy pants. Leopards and tigers. Wild animals. All the
other clues pointed to animals, but not wild animals. I
think everything points to animals, which we keep as pets.
Animals with which we share our homes and gardens. Canned
(07:32):
fish and bones pointed to dogs and cats. Carrots are
food for rabbits. Oats are for horses, and birdseed is
for birds like budgies and canaries. Animals we keep as pets.
Ones we love and to care for.
S3 (07:48):
I think the tiger and leopard were included to remind
us that it's important to look after wild animals too.
They might not be cuddly like our pets, but we
should look after their environment. They need safe places in
which to live their wild lives too.
S2 (08:04):
Well, let's start with cats. Cats belong to the feline family. Lions. Tigers. Whatever.
If it's a cat, it's part of the feline family.
Australia has never had a native feline of any kind.
The closest we get is a quoll. Quolls hunt like
(08:24):
cats and even look a little bit like a cat.
But they're part of the marsupial family, which means their
young are raised in a pouch like kangaroos. The only
felines in Australia were brought here from somewhere else as
house pets. Cats which escape into the bush and turn
(08:44):
feral kill huge numbers of native animals and birds, and
they don't behave like the cuddly pet we like to
see in our homes at all.
S3 (08:56):
Big word alert. Feral means something which has escaped into
the environment and become wild. I have a cat, but
she's far from feral. Her name is Bianca and that
means white. And she's my cuddly lap warmer, especially on
cold days. Strangely, although she's afraid of most dogs, she
(09:17):
loves my mum's Labrador, and when he comes to visit,
they play together and when they want a rest, Bianca
smooches up with him and grooms his ears and whiskers
as if he is her giant kitten.
S2 (09:30):
I happen to know that Bianca has her own special
outdoor space too.
S3 (09:36):
Too, right? She does. She can come and go through
her cat flap, and there's a wire tunnel that goes
through the yard to a wide space in where there
are plants like cat grass and catmint, as well as
a climbing pole and a sunbathing platform. Bianca can't get out,
so she's safe from dogs and cars. And she can't
(09:56):
kill birds either. She's a room to move around, outside
and in, and she's safe. She wears a collar and bell,
so we always know where she is. If I had
to change places with an animal, I'd pick a pet
cat Servants to look after me. Tasty food and taken
to the vet for my immunisation jabs to make sure
(10:18):
I don't catch some awful disease. I'm sure everyone would
like to be that sort of cat.
S4 (12:43):
Nothing can stop me when I'm wearing my happy pants.
S2 (12:47):
Big word alert. Immunization. Immunization is an injection which gives
you protection from getting very damaging diseases like measles, tetanus, Covid,
whooping cough, and so on. Any of which could make
you very, very sick.
S3 (13:07):
Cats are almost the only animal which we keep as
a pet, which doesn't seem to mind if it is
an only one, so long as it's cared for and comfortable,
it's quite content to be alone.
S2 (13:19):
Dogs, on the other hand, are pack animals and they
need company if they're able to spend most of their
time with their human companion, they're happy. But if they're
alone for long, they get bored, lonely, and unhappy. For
this reason, if the dog is going to be on
(13:40):
its own for most of the day, it will be
much happier and healthier if it has a companion. In
that case, two dogs are happier than one.
S3 (13:50):
Dogs are good at burying bones. Burying one for later
is like putting money in the bank. It's there for
digging up when there is nothing else to do. Besides,
a really old bone tastes so good, huh? If you're
a dog.
S2 (14:07):
Birdseed was one of those pocket clues. Budgies eat seeds
and they make good pets, don't they?
S3 (14:14):
Budgies, canaries, galahs. They're all pretty popular and can be
kept in a cage. All of them are flock birds though,
so they do best if there is at least one
companion in the cage. They need room to fly, just
as you need room to walk and run a companion
and some room to fly. Helps keep them happy and healthy.
S2 (14:36):
I reckon that bag of oats was so we'd think
of horses. Horses and donkeys are herd animals, so they
become very lonely. If they don't have company, they're happy
to have a human as part of their family, but
they're even more contented if they have 1 or 2
of their own kind to hang out with. Same goes
(14:56):
for rabbits and guinea pigs. They'll munch on those carrots
very happily, and they like being stroked and cuddled, but
they're happier and healthier if they have a companion of
the same kind.
S3 (15:10):
If I could have a very unusual pet, I'd really
like a dinosaur.
S2 (15:15):
What? A scaly, flesh munching monster.
S3 (15:20):
No, just a little one. It would have to be
a plant eater. Maybe a singing, dancing kind of dinosaur.
S2 (15:27):
Oh. Dream on Kate. You may not be aware, but
dinosaurs died out millions of years ago.
S3 (17:54):
Okay. Okay. I get the message. I'm going to get
a dog, not a puppy. A grown up housetrained dog.
He'll have to be intelligent, good natured, and happy to
have Bianca as a friend.
S2 (18:07):
Here's a question. If you gave your new dog a
bone each day for a week, how many bones would
you have to buy?
S3 (18:15):
Oh that's easy. A week is seven days. So that
would be seven bones.
S2 (18:21):
Each bone costs you $2. How much would a week's
worth of bones cost?
S3 (18:28):
Oh, seven. Lots of two. That's two for 14. Enough
bones for one week would cost $14.
S2 (18:39):
Full marks. Great. Now your dog eats three of those
bones and buries the rest for later. How many bones
did he bury?
S3 (18:50):
He had seven and eight. Three. Seven. Take away three. Leaves. Five. Four. Four.
So he buried four bones.
S2 (19:00):
Oh, you're getting good at this. Now it's next week.
Every day you give your dog a fresh bone. And
every day he buries the fresh bone and digs up
an old one to eat instead. After four days, how
many bones will be left?
S3 (19:19):
Hmm. He had four buried bones, and every day he
dug up an old one and buried a new one instead. Hmm.
Silly me. He's just changing one bone for another. The
number of bones won't change. There'll always be four bones buried.
Just not the same bones.
S2 (19:37):
Smart dog. Always having something in the bank. Today's story
is about a super smart dog called Arthur. Arthur had
a dream of having a forever home and an old
pair of slippers to chew. It looked as if no
one wanted Arthur, so he tried very hard to be
(20:00):
what people wanted. No matter how he tried to be
something else, nothing seemed to work. Until. But you'll have
to listen to the story to find out what happened.
Arthur by Amanda Graham and Donna Ginnell. Arthur was a
(20:22):
very ordinary dog. He lived in Mrs. Humber's pet shop
with many other animals. But Arthur was the only dog.
All the other dogs had been sold because dogs were
very popular. All the dogs except Arthur. He was just
an ordinary brown dog who dearly wanted a home with
(20:45):
a pair of old slippers to chew on Monday morning. Mrs.
Humber put some rabbits in the window. By the end
of the day, the window was empty. Except for Arthur.
Nobody wanted an ordinary brown dog. Everybody wanted rabbits. So
(21:06):
that night, when all was quiet, I practiced being a rabbit.
He practiced eating carrots and poking out his front teeth
and making his ears stand up straight. He practiced very
hard until he was sure he could be a rabbit.
(21:27):
Next morning, Mrs. Humber put some snakes in the window.
By the end of the day, the window was empty.
Except for Arthur. Nobody wanted an ordinary brown dog, not
even one who acted like a rabbit. Everybody wanted snakes.
So that night, when all was quiet, Arthur practiced being
(21:52):
a snake. He practiced hissing and slithering and sliding and
looking cool. He practiced very hard until he was sure
he could be a snake. Next morning Mrs. Humber put
some fish in the window. By the end of the day,
(22:14):
the window was empty. Except for Arthur. Nobody wanted an
ordinary brown dog, not even one who acted like a
rabbit and a snake. Everybody wanted fish. So that night,
when all was quiet, Arthur practiced being a fish. He
(22:35):
practiced swimming and blowing bubbles and breathing underwater. He practiced
very hard until he was sure he could be a fish.
Next morning, Mrs. Humber put some cats in the window.
By the end of the day, the window was empty.
Except for Arthur. Nobody wanted an ordinary brown dog, not
(22:59):
even one who acted like a rabbit and a snake
and a fish. Everybody wanted cats. Arthur felt he would
never find a home with a pair of old slippers
to chew. Next morning, Mrs. Humber put the rest of
her pets in the window. There were two hamsters, a
(23:21):
cage of mice, three canaries, a blue budgerigar, a green frog,
one sleepy lizard and Arthur. Arthur jumped on Lilypads, squeaked
and nibbled cheese, purred, croaked, and even attempted to fly.
(23:41):
By the end of the day, the window was empty
except for Arthur. He had collapsed, exhausted, in the corner
of the window. Now he was certain he would never
find a home, whether he was a rabbit, a snake,
a fish, a cat, or a purple spotty three headed wombat.
(24:05):
Arthur decided that he might as well be just an
ordinary brown dog. Late that afternoon, just before Mrs. Humber
was to close the shop, a man came in with
his granddaughter. Excuse me, said the man. Melanie tells me
that you have a rather extraordinary dog who performs all
(24:28):
sorts of tricks. I know, dog, I have, replied Mrs. Humber.
Is Arthur. There he is, grandpa, in the window, said Melanie.
She rushed to pick up Arthur, who gave her the biggest,
wettest dodgiest lick ever. Arthur knew he had found a home.
(24:52):
And with a pair of old slippers to chew.
S3 (24:58):
That was a reading of Arthur by Amanda Graham and
Donna Gunnell. The reader was Geraldine.
S2 (25:06):
Arthur did find his forever home with a pair of
old slippers to chew, but only after he stopped trying
to be something he thought other people wanted and went
back to being simply Arthur. But think of all the
wonderful things he learned to do on the way. Learning
new things can be good in the end.
S3 (25:29):
It sure can. So what have we done today?
S2 (25:33):
Well, for a start, we worked out that the pocket
clues were about animals. Animals we keep as pets.
S3 (25:40):
We found out that cats don't seem to mind being
only cats, but almost everything else is happier when there's
another of the same kind as a companion.
S2 (25:51):
We had two big words feral, which is the name
for something which is gone wild, and immunisation, which is
an injection to stop you catching some very nasty diseases.
S3 (26:02):
And we had a story about Arthur, who taught himself
all sorts of tricks so that he could have a
forever home.
S2 (26:10):
If there was anything in today's program about which you
would like to know more, you can find us on
radio at Vision Australia.
S3 (26:20):
Keep wearing those happy pants and we'll catch you next time.
S5 (26:37):
Happy pants is produced on the lands of the Whadjuk
Noongar people. Vision Australia Radio acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander peoples as the first Australians, and the traditional owners
of the land across our working area. We pay our
respects to elders past, present and future in maintaining their cultures,
countries and their spiritual connection to the lands and waters.
Vision Australia Radio acknowledges and respects the genuine diversity and
(27:01):
richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples across Australia.
Happy pants has been made possible with the support of
the Community Broadcasting Foundation.
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