Six-year-old Santa Clarita resident Arabella Grant isn’t like most kids her age.
At 2, she started reading, and now already reads at a middle-school level. At 4, she joined Mensa, a high IQ society. And, while she’s only in kindergarten, she already loves geography, science, reading and writing.
“She has incredible geography knowledge,” her mother, Christine Grant, said. “She knows all the state capitals and all the countries’ capitals, and she can recognize all the states and countries just by their shape.”
It was this skill that got the attention of Melissa McCarthy and Ellen DeGeneres, who thought Arabella would be perfect for their show “Little Big Shots,” which showcases the new generation of remarkable young people.
“It was lots of fun,” Arabella said about being part of the show. “I met lots of new people, and Melissa gives the best hugs. We had a really fun geography battle.”
Each time Arabella would get a country’s name and capital correct, she says she got to push a button that dumped food from that region on someone’s head.
“When I got Italy right, they dumped spaghetti on his head,” Arabella added, chuckling.
The show aired in March, and Arabella even got a shout-out for her segment from DeGeneres on social media.
Arabella has always loved performing, though, starring in TV shows like “Timeless” and “Fuller House.”
“I love to sing and dance and act,” she said, cheerfully.
When asked, Arabella just couldn’t choose a favorite of the three, which is why she loves musical theater so much, because she gets to do all three at once, she said.
Stuck at home
Since then, Arabella’s been staying busy while in quarantine, reading on her Kindle until all hours of the night and writing scripts to keep her busy.
“I’ve been reading so much, I actually finished my favorite series, ‘The Diary of a Wimpy Kid,’ and I really, really want to celebrate,” Arabella said.
She’s also been learning to jump rope to 100, ride her bike with two wheels and even how to skateboard. “I already know some tricks, like an ollie,” she said.
Though she enjoys spending more time with her family, she’s bummed she doesn’t get to go to new places while stuck at home, as she loves geography so much.
“I would really like to learn about these countries and then visit them,” she said, adding that she wants to start a travel show called “All around the world with Arabella.”
“Each episode, we’re gonna go to a new place, but for right now, we’re just going to do a green screen,” she added.
Recently, the producers of “Little Big Shots” reached out for a “Safer at Home” segment, highlighting what the kids from the show have been doing during the quarantine to stay busy, and Arabella was again excited to participate, putting those performing skills to good use once again.
Arabella can be seen in episode six of “Little Big Shots,” while the newest “Safer at Home” episode is scheduled to air at 7 p.m. Sunday on NBC.
