Ep 16. Don't Put the Kart Before the Sea Lion

Don't Put the Kart Before the Sea Lion is the sixteenth episode of FETCH! With Ruff Ruffman season 1. The show is aimed at children aged 6 to 11 years old and follows the adventures of Ruff, a lovable, wacky dog who leads a group of kids on a series of educational challenges and games.

In this episode, Ruff sends his six contestants on a mission to learn about animal behavior, communication, and conservation at the New England Aquarium in Boston. The episode starts with Ruff giving his contestants a cryptic clue that he wants them to decipher. With the help of a local aquarium worker, they work out that the challenge is to build an animal exhibit with their learnings about the behaviors and habitats of different sea creatures found at the aquarium.

The contestants start by learning about the giant ocean tank, which holds turtles, eels, sharks, and sea turtles. Ruff tasks them to find the one species of fish that can change color. They eventually locate the cuttlefish, which uses rapid changes in color to communicate with other members of its species and to camouflage itself from predators. The contestants take this information and use it as a starting point for their animal exhibits. They are divided into two teams: Team Nina and Team Mike.

The teams then take on different roles and tasks in a bid to design a winning animal exhibit. Team Nina takes the task of building a lobster exhibit, while Team Mike designs an exhibit for sea lions. The contestants' work is anything but easy, and each team must deal with numerous setbacks and challenges, including an issue with a leak in one of the tanks.

Throughout the episode, FETCH! With Ruff Ruffman intertwines education with entertainment. Contestants help one another build their exhibits while simultaneously highlighting important conservation messages. They learn, for example, how human activities such as pollution and overfishing of seafood can impact aquatic habitats and the animals that live in them. In the end, each team is judged on its exhibit's quality, creativity, and educational value.

The episode concludes with Ruff announcing the winner, and each contestant receives a prize for their effort. Ruff always puts an educational spin on his games, and Don't Put the Kart Before the Sea Lion is no exception. The episode provides valuable lessons and encourages teamwork, communication, and critical thinking while simultaneously entertaining both children and adults. FETCH! With Ruff Ruffman is a show that can be enjoyed by the entire family, and this particular episode would make an excellent starting point for anyone unfamiliar with the show.