Paint on the Mail

The Last Box

recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Phoebe and Jay live with their dad and grandmother in an apartment called Topsy Towers. After a tumble knocks over the last unpacked box from their move, they find their late mother's sparkly majorette jacket, which smells and needs cleaning. With the adults' help the children read the care label and hand wash, lay flat and sun-dry the jacket step by step, learning to be patient along the way. The jacket briefly seems lost, then comes back clean, and Phoebe finally wears it to feel close to her mom.

Trick Shot

recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Phoebe and Jay spend the day at the basketball court where their dad, Pete, and Cousin Craig face off in a trick-shot game called Topsy Shotsy. Phoebe coaches Craig and Jay coaches Dad, while Grandma referees and teaches the children to keep score by counting up points on the scoreboard. After a long losing streak, Dad finally wins with Jay's invented 'Topsy surprise' shot. Everyone celebrates and the two players congratulate each other with a 'Good game.'

The Green Pepper

recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Grandma trusts Phoebe and Jay to look after the community garden's first bell pepper until it ripens from green to orange. Using a moisture meter, a watering can and plenty of patience, the children keep the soil just right through sun and rain while shooing a hungry squirrel named Harold. When they realize Harold only wants the pepper because his own food got soaked, they build him a dry home for his acorns. The pepper ripens, they pick it, and share a salad with a neighbor.

Birthday Dance Surprise

recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Phoebe, a young girl living at the Topsy Towers apartment community, hears Grandma Annie's favourite song and decides to make up a surprise dance for her grandmother's birthday. She teaches the three-part dance to her brother Jay, her friend Lupe, neighbour Mr. Gurley and her dad, finding a different way to help each one learn, from turning the steps into a song to recording a video they can slow down and drawing pictures of each move. The family keeps the dance a secret while they practise. At the party, everyone performs it together and Grandma Annie calls it the best birthday surprise ever.

Jay's Fit

recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Siblings Phoebe and Jay are getting ready for a big family photo for their apartment building's neighbor wall. After spilled hair gel stains Dad's tie and Jay slips into a muddy puddle, the children head to the building's Pass-It-On table to put together a new outfit. Phoebe acts as Jay's stylist, and with help from neighbor Manny they learn to read the size tags on clothing to find pants, a jacket, and a shirt that fit. The family finally gathers for the photo at the end.

Bird Sitting

recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Phoebe and Jay, two children who live in the Topsy Towers apartment building, agree to look after their neighbour Miss Jean's bird Houdini for a night. With their dad trying to nap after his building work and their grandmother helping out, they follow Houdini's three-step bedtime routine: sing Twinkle Twinkle, cover his cage to block the light, and blow him a goodnight kiss. When they miss a step the bird flaps and squawks, and after the written instructions are lost, Phoebe turns the steps into a song with pictures to remember them. They finally get Houdini to sleep, and everyone settles down to rest.

Fruit Juice Frenzy

recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Twins Phoebe and Jay take three dollars from Grandma Annie to buy three juices at Mr. Aguilar's cart outside their apartment building, including a special pineapple, strawberry and mango blend just for Grandma. Along the way they help build the cart's menu and learn the fruit flavours, then hit one setback after another as a thirsty Dad drinks Grandma's juice, the strawberry sells out, and Cousin Craig spills the replacement. With more flavours and even the cups gone, Phoebe invents a mango-cucumber juice served inside a hollowed-out pineapple. Grandma loves the new drink, and the children name it the 'Phoebe and Jay's Special.'

Fire Drill

recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Siblings Phoebe and Jay, with their dad, grandmother, a young friend named Lupe and Fire Inspector Josie, learn about fire safety in their apartment building, Topsy Towers. They find safety tools, learn what exit signs and the emergency exit are for, and build a family fire safety plan with three steps: stop, exit, and wait at a meeting place. When Lupe is frightened by the loud alarm, a grandmother teaches a calming breathing trick. The family practices the drill, completes all three steps, and receives Safety Squad badges.

Paper Rocketship

recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Siblings Phoebe and Jay are set to watch a real rocket launch from their apartment building, but rain cancels it. Their neighbour Mr. Gurley shows them his record paper airplane that flew twenty feet, and teaches them to measure distance in feet. The children fold and launch their own paper rockets again and again, measuring each flight and adjusting the design. After several short attempts they finally fly one thirty-two feet, setting a new building record and earning a spot in the showcase.

Comic Tragedy

recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Jay shows his grandmother the comic book he made about a hero named Captain Graviton, then sets off to make copies at the library. When the loose pages blow away, his sister Phoebe and a friend gather them up and use the page numbers to work out which pages are missing and what order they belong in. They keep searching until every page is found and read the finished story together. The episode ends with Jay's completed comic and a plan for the siblings to make a new one together.

Fort Yaber

recommended age Unlock co-watching from 2

Phoebe and Jay are siblings who want to surprise their friend Manny by building a pillow fort while he is away doing chores. Using a diagram Manny drew, they gather blankets, pillows and couch cushions, but their first attempt collapses because they ignore the order of the steps. With encouragement from their dad, they realize the numbers on the diagram show the sequence, rebuild the fort correctly, and add their own touches to make it bigger. Manny returns to find the finished fort, and the family wraps up with a playful pretend gator chase.