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Molly of Denali - Grandpa's Drum/Have Canoe, Will Paddle (S1E1)

Molly of Denali – Season 1 - Episode 1 – Grandpa's Drum/Have Canoe, Will Paddle

Molly finds a photo of Grandpa as a child and is shocked to see him singing and drumming-Grandpa never sings. Then, the Qyah Canoers are ready for their competition. There's just one problem: Molly, Tooey, and Trini don't know how to canoe!

Runtime (min)
TMDB Rating7.0 (1 votes)
Air Date2019-07-15
GenresAnimation, Kids, Comedy
TV RatingTV-Y

Storyline

In this exciting episode of Molly of Denali, Molly discovers a childhood photo of her Grandpa, revealing a side of him she never knew: singing and drumming. This surprises her since Grandpa is known for his serious demeanor. Inspired by the photo, Molly becomes curious about her Grandpa's past and the stories behind his passion for music.

As competition day approaches, Molly, Tooey, and Trini are eager to participate in the Qyah Canoers’ race. However, they face a significant challenge—they don’t know how to canoe! With determination and teamwork, the trio sets out to learn the skills needed to paddle their way to victory, discovering the importance of practice and friendship along the way.

What Parents Say

This episode wonderfully showcases the theme of uncovering family history. Molly's discovery of Grandpa's childhood photo serves as a catalyst for exploring her family's past, encouraging children to appreciate their roots. It also opens discussions about how people can change over time, allowing for meaningful conversations about identity and personal growth.

The canoeing aspect of the episode highlights the value of perseverance. As the kids face their lack of experience, they learn that with practice and support from one another, they can overcome obstacles. This serves as a great lesson for children about the importance of teamwork and resilience in the face of challenges.

What Children Can Learn

In this episode, kids learn about the significance of family history and how it shapes who we are. Molly's curiosity about her Grandpa's past encourages young viewers to ask questions about their own families, fostering a sense of connection and curiosity about their heritage. This can inspire children to explore their backgrounds and understand the stories that make them unique.

Additionally, children learn practical skills related to canoeing, including teamwork and communication. As Molly, Tooey, and Trini navigate their training, they demonstrate that learning new skills takes time and effort. This not only promotes physical activity but also emphasizes the importance of practice and collaboration in achieving goals.

Five Most Asked Questions

Here are the top five questions parents might have about this episode of Molly of Denali.

Question Answer
What did Molly learn about her Grandpa in this episode? Molly discovers a childhood photo of her Grandpa that reveals he used to sing and drum, which surprises her. Throughout the episode, this discovery leads her to explore his past, highlighting the importance of family history and how people can change over time, even those we think we know well.
How do Molly and her friends prepare for the canoeing competition? Molly, Tooey, and Trini realize they need to learn how to canoe before the competition. They work together to practice paddling and develop their skills. This highlights their determination and the importance of teamwork, as they support each other in overcoming their lack of experience.
What life lessons are conveyed through the canoeing storyline? The canoeing storyline teaches children about perseverance and the value of teamwork. As the kids face challenges in learning to canoe, they learn that achieving goals requires effort, practice, and collaboration, encouraging viewers to embrace obstacles as opportunities for growth.
How does this episode encourage family conversations? The discovery of Grandpa's photo encourages discussions about family history and personal identity. Parents can use this moment to engage their children in conversations about their own family stories, fostering a sense of connection and curiosity about their backgrounds.
What themes are prominent in this episode? This episode prominently features themes of family history, personal growth, and resilience. As Molly learns about her Grandpa's past and faces the challenges of canoeing, both she and her friends grow closer and learn valuable life lessons, reinforcing the importance of understanding our roots and working together.

Cast

Sovereign Bill
Molly
Sequoia Janvier
Tooey
Lorne Cardinal
Grandpa Nat

Writing

Directing

Season
Season #Episode #Episode Name
11
Molly finds a photo of Grandpa as a child and is shocked to see him singing and drumming-Grandpa never sings. Then, the Qyah Canoers are ready for their competition. There's just one problem: Molly, Tooey, and Trini don't know how to canoe!
12
Molly and her family head to their secret-berry-picking-spot, but their trip is cut short by a swarm of mosquitos! Then, Molly is thrilled when her cousin Randall calls from Sitka to say he's harvesting herring eggs-her favorite food!
13
Trini's excited to enter Big Green, her giant cabbage, into the Alaska State Fair, but a suspicious moose keeps nibbling its leaves. Then, Molly wants to get her Native name when she discovers that her Mom, Dad, Grandpa and others in the community have one.
14
Molly can't wait to catch her first fish (and to earn her own first fish tale), but when she gets to the river, the only thing she catches is Tooey's missing boot. Molly must put her knowledge of the salmon life cycle to the test and find out where the fish are before the day is through. Then, Molly suggests a community fun-raiser to fix her school roof after a snow storm. The main attraction? A giant maze made of snow. All is well until Trini gets lost in the maze and Molly realizes the maze map is out of date. Can Molly and Tooey find a way to help Trini escape the maze?
15
Molly and Tooey think they've discovered a ghost after a strange noise follows them from Spooky Hose all the way to the Trading Post's Bunkhouse. Then, Molly and Trini tag along with Nina on trip to Kenai National Park to see puffins!
16
Molly retells the story of the summer Trini moved to Qyah from Texas, and how she and Tooey attempted to make Trini feel at home - with cowboy hats, lassos, and 'yee-haws.' Then, Molly flies north to surprise Nina with a hand-delivered party box of goodies (and herself) for Nina's birthday, but her plans are jeopardized by a moose blocking the runway.
17
When a gust of wind spins a wildlife camera away from an eagle's nest on hatching day, Molly and Dad head to the Windsong Wildlife Area on an ATV to fix it. Then, Molly and friends have their eye on a spectacular water tube for sale at the Trading Post, but they don't have enough money to buy it.
18
It's a cold winter and Molly is set on discovering a hot springs Grandpa Nat once found in a blizzard, so she sets off with Grandpa, Dad, and Tooey on two snowmobiles and with a list of vague directions. Then, Tooey's hero, dog musher Eugene Pike, is recreating a historic mail run across interior Alaska. When ice breakup at the river threatens Pike's progress to Qyah, it's up to Tooey and Molly to help him finish the mail run.
19
Molly, Tooey, and Trini are convinced giant ice worms are responsible for a power outage at the Trading Post, thanks to a spooky story from Grandpa Nat. Then, when Tooey's newest dog Anka wanders off during a training run in the woods, Molly and Tooey find ways to lure her back home.
110
When Suki digs up an old bone tool covered with markings, Molly, Tooey, and Oscar discover the playful pooch has made an important archeological discovery. Then, Molly announces a contest to design an original flag for the Denali Trading Post inspired by Benny Benson, the real-life Alaska Native boy who designed the state flag of Alaska.
111
Auntie Midge teaches Molly and Tooey how to tap trees so they can make more birch syrup. Then, Molly and her Dad are shocked when Travis, a tourist, announces that the goal of his expedition is to find a living woolly mammoth.
112
Molly is entrusted with her Grandpa Nat's secret nivagi recipe for the annual Qyah Ice Cream Competition. Then, Molly can't wait to help Nina and Dr. Antigone band baby cranes.
113
Oscar's fiddle string breaks on the day of the annual fiddle festival. Then Molly and Trini encounter a tiny mink on their way to a dance at Qyah Tribal Hall, which leaves them covered in a stinky smell.
114
When Trini confesses that she's never seen the Northern Lights, Molly makes it her mission to show them to her. Then, after an awesome jig dance at the Tribal Hall, Molly can't wait for her fiddle lessons with Oscar to start!
115
After wet cement ruins Molly's plans for a basketball rematch, Molly and her friends head over to the Trading Post to create a new game called Mollyball! Then, Molly discovers that Qyah isn't included in an Alaskan travel guide!
116
When the Sassy Ladies of Saskatoon arrive at the Trading Post a day early, Molly's confident that she and Trini can check them in! Then, Molly and her friends arrive at their old clubhouse only to find it half sunk into the ground!
117
A sensational video turns Molly's excitement about an upcoming dentist video into panic! Then, it's all fun and secret spy games until Molly and Tooey stumble across a mystery visitor in Qyah.
118
Molly organizes an ice-sculpting competition in Qyah. Then, Molly's excitement about attending her first totem pole raising in Sitka quickly turns to panic when she and Randall accidentally lose an important piece of the totem pole!
119
When one of Connie's prized turkeys goes missing on Molly and Tooey's watch, it's up to them to track it down. Then, inspired by Daniel's tall tales of sailing on the high seas, Molly, Tooey, and Trini decide to build their own sailboat!
120
To entertain themselves throughout the winter, Molly and the gang organize an outhouse race! Then, after hearing that her Great-Aunt Merna keeps misplacing her keys, Molly creates a tutorial video to help Merna train her dog to find her keys!
121
Molly's class is learning about bartering by practicing with kids who live up north in Kaktovik, Alaska. Then, Molly and Mom accompany Nina to Shageluk, where Nina is doing a follow-up story on the country's only herd of wild wood bison.
122
A routine science expedition with Grandpa Nat and Nina becomes a rescue mission when Nina hurts her ankle in a snowboarding accident! Then, Molly and Mom join Randall and his family in Sitka for their traditional canoe trip!
123
An approaching storm forces Molly, Grandpa Nat, and Mom to make an impromptu landing on the Aleutian island of Atka. Then, Molly makes her own video to show off "Qyah Style" snowboarding!
124
Molly finds out there is no statue of the heroic dog Balto in nearby Nenana, so she sets out to fix the situation! Then, Molly's basketball team is planning to dribble basketballs while snowshoeing to raise money for a tournament.
125
126
When a blizzard hits Qyah, Molly must spend the night at Tooey's house. Sleepover time! Then, it's ice fishing season! Nina is studying life under the ice with her new underwater camera, so Molly and Tooey decide to join her in her tent.
127
Molly and Trini want to make sun catchers for their friends on Valentine's Day. After a quick trip to Nenana, they gather all their supplies! Then, it's Mom's birthday and Molly wants to surprise her with a special gift.
128
Molly, Trini and Nina set out to pick cloudberries to make a special pie for Molly's Mom. Then, Molly and Tooey find a strange box under the floorboards beneath Tooey's bed and discover it's an old Japanese puzzle box!
129
It's salmon season! First order of business at fish camp: help Grandpa Nat fix the broken fish wheel. Then, Molly discovers that her dad used to compete in the Native Youth Olympics!
130
Molly and Tooey find a frog, and Molly decides to keep it as a pet! Then, Molly and Tooey have been learning about petroglyphs, and can't wait to see them in real life on their trip to Sitka.
131
Auntie Midge loves to emcee Spring Carnival, but a hurt hip takes her out of commission. Can Molly and Tooey build a way for her to get around? Then, Molly and Tooey try to fix his hand-me-down sweater before Grandma arrives!
132
When a family of beavers builds a dam and accidentally diverts water from Trini's garden, the kids must devise a way to redirect the stream! Then, it's Trini's first camping trip and she's determined to earn her first badge..
133
Inspired by real-life athletes Sharon and Shirley Firth, Molly trains hard to participate in a cross-country ski race! Then, Molly and her family go fishing, but a hungry seal sneaks into their boat!
134
Tooey and friends take one of his sled dogs to a vet for a check-up and they receive some surprising news! Then, Tooey gets to decide which one of Cali's puppies to keep and train as a lead sled dog.
135
When a windstorm knocks down Qyah's oldest tree, Molly and Tooey decide to make an exhibit honoring the spruce. Then, Molly and Tooey organize a Funny Face Competition to take photos of family and friends.
136
Molly and Vera join scientists as they visit a dinosaur excavation site. Will they find a real dinosaur fossil? Then, the Sassy Ladies of Saskatoon are back, in search of a glacier they saw 30 years ago.
137
Molly invites Oscar to go mountain climbing with her and Grandpa Nat, but a fear of heights makes Oscar unsure he can do it. Then, Travis the tourist returns to Qyah to photograph a "rare" willow ptarmigan.
138
Grandpa Nat and Nina are out in the field observing an active volcano when it erupts! Then, it's winter solstice and Trini's birthday. Molly and Tooey have planned the perfect present.
139
Molly learns about her Grandpa Nat's dream to climb to the top of Denali in honor of the first person to do so, real-life Alaska Native, Walter Harper. Inspired, Molly tries to get Grandpa to climb.
Season #Episode #Episode Name
21
Molly and Tooey are holding a tour, but two tourists are mean to them and make fun of Natives. After Auntie Merna tells them about how she met Elizabeth Peratrovich, they help the tourists learn that what they said was more wrong than right. Then, Tooey has caught his very first animal, and he is having an uqiquq! But, Grandma Elizabeth is coming to visit, and Tooey doesn't know how to give a speech in Yup'ik!
22
23
24
25
26
Molly and her team gets pointers from basketball champion Kamaka Hepa.
27
28
29
Molly and Very tries to make lumpia for the latter's mother; several ladybugs are let out during a sleepover in the Trading Post.
210
211
212
213
214
Molly, Tooey and Trini find mysterious bubbles while canoeing on Lake Qyah; Molly, Tooey and Trini learn a ball game.
Season #Episode #Episode Name
31
Molly and Tooey decide to make a few of their own Alaska Native superheroes; Molly wants to fix up her old sled for Trini, but she's not sure she is ready to part with it.
32
Molly tries to help an exchange student after she loses her prized story knife; Oscar works on remembering the old stories of his elders.
33
Molly and Tooey help count endangered whales; a blizzard forces Molly and Trini to stay inside, but a box of treasures from Mom's childhood helps remedy the boredom.
34
Molly and Tooey realize drawing is harder than it looks when they help Randall come up with a Northwest Coast design for Aunt Mema and Uncle Jack's anniversary; Molly, Tooey and Trini strike gold.
35
Grandpa Nat joins the kids on a night watch to determine what the mysterious light is in the sky; Molly and Tooey help Mr. Patak record a carving demonstration.
36
Molly and her friends compete in a contest to predict when the river ice will break; the kids find some mysterious trash during a village cleanup.
37
Trini wants to send her mum a care package but she is unable to find all of her favorite things; Trini and her dad find themselves without lights and heat during a blizzard.
38
Trini offers to puppy-sit Tooey's newest sled dog, Khi, but ends up teaching him some bad habits; Molly makes a book about female pilots.
39
Tooey labels everything to keep track of his stuff; Vera wants to surprise her Lola Miranda with a special song.
310
Molly's family takes a river trip to a traditional Gwich'in village for a ceremony honoring her grandma Catherine.

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