Ear Snacks Podcast for Kids

Fireflies, Glow-sticks & The Lights of Hanukkah

Sundown, lights up! Andrew & Polly ask their friends about sources of illumination, human-made and natural. Lori Hoch Stiefel from PJ Library shares her Hanukkah story and we begin to wonder...why do candlelight and winter celebrations go hand-in-hand? Thanks to Arlo, Molly, Poppy, Opal, Sam, and Thiri (and their parents) for sharing what they know about lights and how their families use lights to celebrate. As the nights get longer, we’ll dive deeper into how lights work, bioluminescence, and how our inner light can shine to help others see something new. To be on the show or to find out more, visit earsnacks.org

24,000 Keys: The Music of ”Vivo” from Lin-Manuel Miranda and Sony Pictures Animation + the art of Paul Ramirez Jonas

Kevin & Louise Giraffe continue cracking gate codes, Andrew & Polly think more about why things are locked, and two special guests share about 24,001 special keys!Martina Castro (Adonde Media founder and host of The Vivo Songbook, the podcast about that awesome Lin-Mauel Miranda / Sony Pictures Animation movie) shares what she learned from Buena Vista Social Club’s Juan de Marcos about the key to Cuban music -- la Clave! Renowned sculptor and social practice artist Paul Ramirez Jonas opens conversations about public spaces and access with the 24,000 keys hey made as part of the Key to the City project.Last but not least, many thanks to the kids on this episode -- Lev, Wilder, Gertie and Jack! If your family is interested in being on the show, visit earsnacks.orgAnnnnnd thanks to our awesome supporters at patreon.com/earsnacks -- just $2/month unlocks special bonus content and personalized birthday videos from us. Connect with us there or on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or TikTok!

Keys: Unlocking What Makes Us Who We Are

Andrew & Polly explore keys -- the jingly kind and the genetic. Meanwhile, sneaky gift-giving giraffes Kevin & Louise have to crack Andrew & Polly’s new gate code to deliver some leftover Halloween candy.Our friend Jack shares about his brother’s very unique chromosomes and how he thinks genetic codes and kindness go together. And we get another house call from pediatric surgeon Dr. Willie Moses who explains more of the science behind genetic codes and how learning to focus as a choirboy unlocked his potential as a lifelong learner.Thanks to our awesome supporters at patreon.com/earsnacks -- just $2/month unlocks special bonus content and personalized birthday videos from us! Last but not least, many thanks to the kids on this episode -- Lev, Wilder, Gertie and Jack! If your family is interested in participating, visit earsnacks.orgWill Kevin & Louise ever figure out the code to Andrew & Polly’s new front gate? What other kinds of special keys are there? Monkeys? Kiwis? Keanu Reeves? Find out next week in another episode of this podcast which is apparently hosted by giraffes now.Thanks to this episode's sponsors:
Thank you to MIT Kids Press and  Candlewick Press! Get Ada and the Galaxies and We are One:  How The World Ads Up wherever books are sold.
Thanks  StoryWorth.  Get $10 off your first purchase at http://StoryWorth.com/EARSNACKS

When Kids Have to Get Shots - For Parents & Caregivers

Andrew & Polly have a frank conversation for parents about getting kids ready for the COVID-19 vaccine as well as routine pediatric vaccinations. We share some interesting stuff that didn't make the episode for kids, why Polly doesn't like to use the word "shots," our own parenting practice around pediatric vaccination appointments and the extended interview with Child Life Specialist Rose Tandeta with tips and tricks for making these appointments go as smoothly as possible.This is a companion to this episode of Ear Snacks for kids in which Andrew & Polly explore what kids know (and don’t know) about the COVID-19 vaccine now available in the U.S. for children age 5-11. Thanks to our friends Twyla, Dash, Ani, Izzy, Eliana, Quinn, Cora, and Jane and their parents for sharing! Thanks also to Tumble Science Podcast for Kids! Listen to their show and subscribe wherever you like to get your ear stuff.

Getting Kids Ready for the COVID-19 Vaccine

In this special episode of Ear Snacks, Andrew & Polly explore what kids know (and don’t know) about the Pediatric COVID-19 vaccine now available in the U.S. for children age 5-11. We prepare for the experience of getting a shot with Child Life Specialist Rose Tandeta (UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland) and explain how an mRNA vaccine works by sharing a hilarious pie analogy from Laurel Bristow (​​MSc, Control of Infectious Diseases).Here at Ear Snacks we love learning and sharing, and we hope all of our immune systems can learn how to keep our bodies healthy and not share crazy pies with our neighbors! Thanks to our friends Twyla, Dash, Ani, Izzy, Eliana, Quinn, Cora, and Jane and their parents for being on Ear Snacks. To be on the show visit http://earsnacks.org and please support the work we do by joining us at patreon.com/earsnacks .

Mustaches!

Handlebar. Caterpillar. Pencil. Walrus. Andrew & Polly ponder the preponderance of upper-lip hair style choices and wonder -- can only men like Tom Selleck and Ron Swanson grow mustaches? Why aren't eyebrows called eye mustaches? Sally Rubin shares about her mustache and her film Mama Has a Mustache that encourages families to talk openly and listen curiously to what kids have to say about gender identity.We mustache you to consider supporting the work we do at patreon.com/earsnacks -- subscribing for as little as $2/month gets you fun bonus content and helps us do what we do. Thanks to our friends Danica, Eamon, Heather, Jasper, and Katara (AND their parents) for sharing what they know about mustaches! To find out more or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.orgThanks to this episode's sponsors:
Thanks, Candlewick Press! Get We Are One:  How The World Adds Up wherever books are sold.
Thanks iD Tech Pro. To save $150 on weekly, small-group semesters, go to idtech.com/EARSNACKS and use promo code EARSNACKS. You can also get started with a 1-on-1 tutoring lesson for just $49.

Tissues: How to Sneeze and Cellular Lego Kits

Andrew & Polly investigate the science of sneezing, how tissues are made, how the amazing human body protects itself, and how we can all protect each other when we...ah...ah...achoo!Thanks to Wow in the World’s Mindy Thomas for playing “Should I Pick It?” and communicating so much gooey science from her New York Times best-selling book The How and The Wow of the Human Body. And thanks to pediatric surgeon Dr. Willie Moses from UCSF for using his imaginary laparoscope to reveal the secrets of the cellular LEGO kit inside all of us.Thanks to the families who support our work at patreon.com/earsnacks! And thanks to the four fantastic kids -- Emily from Scotland, Mila from Wyoming, Valentino from Italy, and Izzy from California -- who helped us think about tissues inside and outside our bodies! Thanks to this episode’s sponsors!
Thanks to MIT Kids Press. Get Ada and the Galaxies wherever books are sold
Thanks iD Tech Pro. To save $150 on weekly, small-group semesters, go to idtech.com/EARSNACKS and use promo code EARSNACKS. You can also get started with a 1-on-1 tutoring lesson for just $49.

Raisins: Are They Great or Gross?

Andrew knows two people who have a real problem with raisins: Polly and visitor-from-the-Sun Gustafer Yellowgold. Musician/cartoonist Morgan Taylor was kind enough to facilitate this summit of Earthlings and Sunlings in our continuing series about what Treats are (and aren’t.)You can find all of Morgan’s multimedia Gustafer chronicling at gustaferyellowgold.com or listen to his latest audiobook A Cooler World on Audible.Thanks to Morgan, Gustafer, Slim the eel and Stephanie Meyers the publicist for making this a cooler podcast -- and a big thank you to our awesome supporters for supporting the work we do at patreon.com/earsnacks! Y’all make this a cooler world indeed.We’ve got more Ear Snacks in store for you soon, but we always want to hear what your kids are thinking about and find a way to invite them on the show -- visit earsnacks.org to let us know?

Great Music for Kids: A Playlist of Our Favorite New Awesome Songs!

We are so excited to share these new tunes with you! Join us for the best day ever in our backyard with words of kindness, barbecue, vaccinated grandma's, lessons on money, friendship, unique and amazing people, bubbles & joy and a sweet look at the night sky. This episode features the following songs:
Best Day Ever - SaulPaul
Please Excuse Me Thank You - Ziggy Marley (feat. Alanis Morrisette)
There’s a Party in My Backyard - DJ Willy Wow
The Moon & the Stars & Me - The Bright Siders
Juneteenth - Fyütch + Alphabet Rockers
Common Scents -Secret Agent 23 Skidoo (feat. Asheville Symphony & Awa Sangho)
Friendship Party - Lucy Kalantari (feat. Jazzy Ash & Joelle Lurie)
No One Exactly Like You - Pierce Freelon & Nnenna Freelon
Like a Bubble - Andrew & Polly (feat. Mista Cookie Jar)
Being a musician is tough! Please support these artists and share their work.To find out more about Ear Snacks or be on the show, visit earsnacks.org.If you want to support the work we do (and get extra content, personalized birthday videos, sneak peaks and more), join the Snack Club at patreon.com/earsnacks - it’s a TREAT to make brain food for your kids & all kids! Still need more snacks? Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or TikTok!

Treats: What’s the best treat of all time?

What makes a treat a treat? Andrew & Polly ask kids on 3 continents, neighbor and food scientist Sara Yang, and treat-inspired multimedia Minnesotans Bryan and Neil of Koo Koo Kanga Roo. Andrew also unveils the Treat Song 3000 and, deliciousness ensues!Thank you to Elias, Bodhin, JoJo, Madelynn, and Monk for treating us to your thoughts on treats. Thanks to Sara Yang for helping us think about sensory science as it relates to food and for giving us a nose-pinching jelly bean taste-testing experiment to try. This episode includes an original underscore as well as snippets of Grapes by Andrew & Polly, Everybody Eats When They Come to My House by Cab Calloway, and two tunes -- I Like Cake and Ice Cold Lemonade -- by our guests Koo Koo Kanga Roo. Their new record Slow Clap and their podcast Banter Buddies and you can find Bryan and Neil at a dance party or craft service table near you.Hooray for our newest Patreon supporters Nona and Juno! If you want to support the work we do (and get extra content, personalized birthday videos, sneak peaks and more), join the Snack Club at patreon.com/earsnacks - it’s a TREAT to make brain food for your kids & all kids!