Friday, 11 February, 2022
The power of the sun on Earth; the most romantic place on the planet; big day for Aussie snowboarders; and the frog that took on a Nerf gun.
LINKS
How nuclear fusion works: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-60312633
Donut shaped machine that helped nuclear fusion happen: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/09/uk/nuclear-fusion-climate-energy-scn-intl/index.html
Nerf dart removal: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/feb/10/bit-off-more-than-he-could-chew-nerf-gun-dart-removed-from-queensland-familys-resident-frog
It’s not easy being green: Kermit’s song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51BQfPeSK8k
Squiz Kids for Schools: https://www.squizkids.com.au/squiz-kids-for-schools/
Squiz Kids Apple Subscriber Content: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/squiz-kids/id1494238283
How To Become A Squiz Kids Correspondent: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FH2HA28InnLU6UxE91wrLBAbCMT40Mua/view
Squiz Kids Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squizkids/?hl=en
Got a birthday coming up and you want a shout-out? Send us an email at [email protected]
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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There was a major scientific breakthrough yesterday in the way humans produce energy which just might be the answer to a cleaner, greener future.
The process is called nuclear fusion. Ok, ok, I know it’s a Friday – but stay with me on this one. Put simply, nuclear fusion is a process of pushing two small atoms together to create one big one .. a process that causes a reaction which generates energy in the form of heat.
Nuclear fusion is what makes the sun shine so bright and give off so much heat. It’s what makes stars sparkle in the night sky.
And until yesterday, we weren’t so good at making it happen down here on Earth. That’s until a bunch of clever scientists in the United Kingdom successfully performed a nuclear fusion experiment which went so well, they’re now confident they can build power stations that do not emit greenhouse gases, do not need fossil fuels to run them and which do not produce nasty byproducts like radioactive waste.
Win. Win. Win.
With countries all over the world – including Australia – in a race to tackle climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, this breakthrough might just deliver the clean energy we need.
I’ve stuck a link in today’s episode notes to a nuclear fusion explainer graphic, and to a story about the breakthrough with photos of the cool donut shaped machine that helped make it happen.
SPIN THE GLOBE
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Each day we give the world globe a spin and find a news story from wherever it stops … and today we’ve landed in the Maldives … the collection of more than 1200 tropical islands in turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean …. which, has been named the most romantic holiday destination.
What does romantic mean? In this case – it means a place where you can go with the person you love to have some special time together. Yeah – I’m talking about kissing. Euugh, right?
But the timing could not be better, my friends, because Monday is Valentine’s Day. And as some of you may already know – Valentine’s Day is the day for romance all over the world.
Traditionally, people give one another cards and flowers and chocolates to show their love. But it hasn’t always been this way. As we discuss in this week’s Squiz Kids Shortcut to the history and origins of Valentine’s Day – it actually began life as a festival thousands of years ago where people would whip one another with goat skins. Hmm … I think i like the whole flower and choccies thing better.
Shortcuts are released every Friday to classrooms who have signed up via our website to our Squiz Kids for Schools classroom resources, and on Mondays to parents who have signed up via Apple Podcasts to Squiz Kids Subscriber Specials. There are links to both in today’s episode notes.
SPORT TIME
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It’s going to be a big day at the Winter Olympics for our snowboarders … because we have not one, but two Aussies in the final of the snowboard half pipe .. both competing for an Olympic medal.
First up: there’s Scotty James – who won bronze at the last Winter Olympics and has qualified in second place for today’s final. Then there’s 16 yo sensation, Valentino Guseli – who’s at his first Olympic Games, has a smile as big as Sydney Harbour and qualified only half a point behind American snowboard legend, Shaun White – who is more than twice as old as him.
The half pipe final kicks off around lunch time … maybe if you’re really good this morning your teacher will let you watch it or listen to it … sit up straight!
ANIMAL KINGDOM
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Hands up if you’ve ever played with a Nerf gun. Yep, I thought there’d be a lot of you. Okay, now hands up your parents have ever said something like “okay, fun is over, time to pick up all the darts.”
Yep, BORING… but there’s one little green tree frog who agrees with your parents. It’s lucky to be alive after it accidentally swallowed a nerf dart as long as its whole body! It’s also lucky that it chose to live in the home of a family who love amphibians… So when Cooper and Callum O’Brien told their mum about a funny looking frog in the shower, she called the vet —even though it was nine o’clock at night. I’ve popped a link in your episode notes to the most extraordinary video of a vet nurse using a spoon to pry the frog’s mouth open, then pull out the dart, which had become stuck diagonally in the frog’s stomach.
Fun fact: did you know that usually, if a frog swallows something it doesn’t like, it can push its whole stomach out of its mouth, flip out the offending object, then swallow its guts again? Amazing. But in this case, the dart was too big, and would have killed the little fella if not for the family’s quick thinking. It’s not easy being green.
SQUIZ KIDS CORRESPONDENTS
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It’s a Friday .. and you know what that means? Time to check in with one of our Squiz Kids Correspondents.
Because we have so many listeners all over Australia and spread about the world, this is a chance for you to tell us what your life is like. It’s super easy to do: follow the instructions contained in the link in today’s episode notes, record an audio file and email it back to us.
Whether you’re in the Aussie outback, in the centre of one of our cities, or living life in a country far, far away – we want to hear from you.
And because this week is all about the Beijing Winter Olympics, it seems like a perfect time to check in with 9yo Millie Lian (ling) – who lives in that very city! Take it away Millie ….
THE S’QUIZ
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This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- What event will two Aussie compete in for an Olympic medal today?
- What lovey-dovey day will be celebrated around the world on Monday?
- What did a green tree frog in Queensland get stuck in its tummy?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s February 11 .. on this day, 170 years, the first ever game of first class cricket was played in Australia … it was Tasmania v Victoria in a match held in Launceston … Go Tassie!
It’s also a Friday – and you know what that means …a good excuse to crack out the birthday reggae tune .. hit it ..
It’s a special day for the following Squiz Kids who are celebrating a birthday today…Maximilian from Forest Lake, Issy from Abbotsford, Margot from Balgowlah Heights and Lily from South Australia.
And belated birthday wishes go to… Nathaniel from Marouba and Jax, Marco and Tom all from Exeter Public School.
Not forgetting of course those Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday over the coming weekend… Jacob from Torquay and Mati from Wheelers Hill.
And we don’t usually give classroom shout outs on a friday but it’s a shout out to class 3T at St Joseph’s Primary School in Kempsey – and happy birthday to their teacher Miss Tarrant who is celebrating her birthday over the weekend.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Snowboard half-pipe
- Valentine’s Day
- Nerf gun dart