Explore Your Curiosity

Good morning and welcome to KidNuz. I’m Kim. Today is Wednesday, December 4th, 2019 and we begin with… Some eye opening comments from the big boss at YouTube. Chief Executive Officer Susan Wojcicki (Whoa-Jisky) has five kids ranging in age from grammar school to late teens and she says the youngest ones aren’t even allowed on the site. The only place they can roam.. is on youtube kids and even then, only with time limits. Youtube has come under fire in recent years for promoting inappropriate content through an algorithm, which is a fancy way of saying its computers push content based on our browsing history. And there’s a lot of content to push. 500 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube.. every minute of every day. YouTube Kids, on the other hand, creates a wall between age-appropriate content and the other stuff that’s out there. A pretty mediocre report card for America’s high school sophomores. Every three years, 15 year olds around the globe are given the PISA test, which stands for Programme for International Student Assessment. The most recent results show that scores here haven’t gone up much at all in the last 19 years.. and while U.S. students are about average in reading when compared to other countries, they still fall far below average when it comes to math. The test also revealed a widening achievement gap between the highest- and lowest-performing students and one very troubling statistic: as many as a fifth of America’s 15-year-olds can’t read at a 10-year-old’s level. Some big news from the Presidential race. One of the early favorites on the Democratic side has dropped out. California Senator Kamala Harris announced her decision in a phone call to staff yesterday. Ms. Harris qualified for this month’s Presidential debate, but reportedly didn’t have enough campaign cash left to buy ads ahead of the upcoming caucuses in Iowa. She also fell behind in the polls to the newest candidate, Michael Bloomberg. Senator Harris is expected to travel to several states this week to thank her supporters for their help and commitment to her campaign. In case you were wondering, there are still 15 Democrats vying for the nomination. And the award goes to “Senorita”! According to Spotify, the hit duet by Camila Cabelo and Shawn Mendes was the most-streamed song of 2019. Right behind them, was Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy.” When it came to most-streamed artist of the year, that honor goes to Post Malone. And for the decade, look no further than Drake. Asbestos was once so popular it went by the nickname “Grey Gold”. A Canadian town that mined it, even nameditself after the in-demand natural resource, which was primarily used to make insulation for homes and businesses. But that was a hundred years ago, before scientists knew just how dangerous it was to those who worked with it or installed it. Today, the health impacts are undeniable and the mayor of Abestos says he’s losing too much business; companies won’t set up shop because they don’t want that word in their address. The mayor is hoping to shake the stigma — by shaking the name. He’s asking his 7-thousand residents to come up with a new moniker, which will be revealed to the world sometime in 2020. The police response was quick, but not quick enough for the 5 second rule. A Facebook post shows officers in Brookhaven, Georgia responding to the scene of an accident where dozens of Krispy Kremes fell from a truck, and rolled into a gutter.  Though tempted to make good on their donut-loving reputation, they had no choice but to declare a “total and senseless loss of delicious pastries.” Their loss didn’t last long, though. Police from a neighboring town sent over a sympathy batch.. with a side of coffee. That’s it for KidNuz this morning. Now our KidNuz quiz; A fifth of America’s 15 year olds can’t read at what level? That of a 10 year old. Who just dropped out of the 2020 Presidential Race? California Senator Kamala Harris What was the most streamed song of 2019? Señorita by Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes. What was the natural resource asbestos once used for? Insulation, until doctors realized it was dangerous to those who worked with it. In one for the road: They’ve arrived! The newfangled apple that we told you about last month is hitting stores shelves this week. The Cosmic Crisp is the creation of the University of Washington: It’s red with yellow dots that look like stars, hence the galactic name. What’s more.. it can reportedly stay fresh in the refrigerator for an entire year. Growers say they expect the Cosmic Crisp to completely replace another apple favorite, the honeycrisp, within the next decade. Our KidNuz birthday shout-outs today go to Aliza in Newton, Massachusetts, and Jericho in Wichita, Kansas. And we want to give a big hello to Ms. Hagen’s 4th Grade class at Sam Houston Elementary School in Marshall, Texas. Thanks for listening and we’ll see you back here for more KidNuz tomorrow morning!     The post 12.04.2019 appeared first on KidNuz....moreCopy Link

Behind every piano’s polished exterior are thousands of parts. From keys to strings, they work together to produce a sound. In this episode, we take a field trip to a piano shop, peek behind the walls at a world-famous piano factory and have an EPIC FIGHTING BATTLE to discover how sound travels. And the Moment of Um answers this question: “Can you really hear the ocean in a seashell?” This episode is sponsored by KiwiCo (kiwico.com/brains), Quip (getquip.com/brainson) and the Good Kids podcast. You can support the show and get access to a bonus Mystery Sound extravaganza episode at brainson.org/donate...moreCopy Link

Are you spooked by things that go bump, eeek and growl in the middle of the night? Have no fear! Mindy and the 'Ghost-Catchers' are here! What starts out as a paranormal phenomenon slowly turns into a scientific sensation as Guy and Mindy learn all about the ghoulish ghost crab and their growling stomachs!

John Wesley Powell is the first American of European descent to conquer the Grand Canyon, and he did it with one arm! Also, Paris was a pretty stinky place until they upgraded the sewers. Learn about poop, nightmen, and a couple of clever civil engineers who eventually got people to dress their best as they toured the stinky sewers in boats. All this and more!

Why do we have snot? Do animals get stuffy noses, too? We delve into the world of thick secretions with the help of Dani Rabiaotti, zoologist and author of “Believe it or Snot: The Definitive Field Guide to Earth’s Slimy Creatures.” You’ll find out why we make so much mucus, and meet the slimiest animals on the planet. Plus, you’ll discover why scientists study slime, even though it’s super gross. Want buckets more of slime info? We’ve got a BONUS EPISODE with Dani Rabiaotti! You can listen to our scientist interview (and many more!) when you pledge just $1/month or more to support Tumble on Patreon, at patreon.com/tumblepodcast. Learn more about slimey topics covered in the show on our blog, at sciencepodcastforkids.com....moreCopy Link

Welcome to Canada! 🇨🇦 In this Go With Nugget for Kids episode we’re headed to Toronto, Canada’s biggest and most culturally diverse city. With the help of 14-year-old Cameron, we’ll learn about Canada’s two official languages and the many different types of foods Toronto has to offer. We’ll explore Maple Leaf Square (also known as Jurassic Park) and have dinner in a revolving restaurant high in the sky. We’ll also hear about the time when Cameron got to meet a real live astronaut and the prime minister of Canada. If you love food, basketball and space, you’ll love this episode! Loved this episode? Please subscribe and leave us a review. ❤️🤗 Need travel advice? Join the Nugget Collective. Looking for family travel inspiration?  Follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. Want to leave feedback or request a destination? Email us at podcast@nugget.travel.  Want to be on our show? Submit your idea here. Want to become a Nugget contributor for the Nugget website? Sign up here. We can’t wait to hear from you! xo Hosted and produced by: Ranjana Wingender Armstrong and Veronique Langlois Kinsey Theme Music by: Andrew and Polly from Ear Snacks Thank you to Heather Greenwood Davis, Cameron’s mother, for her time and for sharing her family’s adventures in Toronto and beyond. A special thanks to Ruban Cam for the Tamil Heritage Month music. Go With Nugget for Kids is part of Nugget, a global community for parents to share and discover unique travel itineraries for memorable family vacations. The post Canada for Kids: Living in Toronto, Canada’s Most Diverse City appeared first on nugget....moreCopy Link

Would you like to live forever? Molly and Carl like the idea of being immortal. The upsides: you won’t ever die, you’ll never run out of time to try new things and meet new people. The downsides: drinking blood and sleeping in a coffin, and your non-vampire friends will all leave you when they die. So, would immortality be worth it? And how can you make a decision about something so hugely different from any experience you’ve ever had before?

How does water turn into ice? Why is ice sometimes slippery and other times sticky? Why is it so cold? Why does it float? How are icicles made? Why are icebergs mostly underwater? What was the ice age? We'll get answers to all of those questions with help from Celeste Labedz of the California Institute of Technology. And we'll take a trip to the world's largest skating rink, the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, Ontario.

Find out how he gets past the Angry Mango next week!

Private and Skipper discuss what chromosomes are and why they are important.

Our special coverage of Pajamas continues! We ask our friends Gavin, Zoey, Luke, Lucy, Alexander, Sara Chana, Temima, Miriam, and Yitzy Zev about getting good rest for your mind and body, bedtime routines and we sing a song about our favorite pajamas. Special guest Mindy Thomas from NPR's "Wow in the World" and SiriusXM Kids Place Live shares about sleepovers, her invention "The Incredible Edible Bread Bed," and how important it is to share your dreams.

Young activists share their idea about making butterflies to symbolize the 15,000 children in detention centers in the US. What does it mean to be an activist? Kaia and Lily will tell you in this episode. Find out what inspired them and hear their interview with CultureStrike artist/activist Kat Evasco. Learn how your family can be involved in The Butterfly Effect: Migration is Beautiful movement at www.butterflyeffectmigration.org This episode features the song, “Until You’re Free” from the new Alphabet Rockers’ album, The Love. ...moreCopy Link

"Do House-Elves Clean Your Brain While You Sleep?" That's the title of an exciting new article featured in Frontiers for Young Minds by Ken Paller. Ken is a professor at Northwestern University where he designs experiments that can provide insights into memory and our conscious experiences. On this episode, he visits The Show About Science Studios to talk about his article, cognitive neuroscience, memory, and how sleep affects our brains.

In this episode we talk about why we feel different emotions and why it's important to talk about those feelings. We also meet a doctor who can help us if we are having a hard time understanding different feelings.