Friday, 20 November, 2020
Donut day for SA; Santa goes hi-tech; can the Pumas pounce on the Wallabies?; and the tiny Christmas owl that could.
Squiz Kids is a free daily news podcast just for kids. A short weekday podcast, created here in Australia, that gives kids (and their adults) the rundown on the big news stories, delivered without opinion, and with positivity and humour.
‘Kid-friendly news that keeps them up to date without all the nasties’ (A Squiz Parent)
This Australian podcast for kids easily fits into the daily routine – helping curious kids stay informed about the world around them.
LINKS
Super cute Xmas tree owl: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54996314
What’s Up Fox?
Reading: Kay’s Anatomy https://www.booktopia.com.au/kay-s-anatomy-adam-kay/book/9780241452943.html
Listening: Lovely Day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s6VbOEnsgk
Watching: State of Origin highlights: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s8RBz3p75w
Squiz Kids Listener Survey (Adults Only!): https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HKQ3H9G
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]
Squiz Kids is proudly supported by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas.
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
——————-
It was a donut day in South Australia yesterday as health authorities reported zero new cases of coronavirus on the state’s first day of lockdown.
The state’s chief health officer, Professor Nicola Spurrier, described the result as “really good news” but warned it was too soon yet to be celebrating – and that the next few days would be crucial in fending off a second wave.
The state’s premier Steven Marshall urged South Australians to remain indoors, and only venture out for essentials.
Meanwhile, there were eerie scenes in the state’s capital city Adelaide and other big regional towns – with main streets deserted and pretty much everything but supermarkets closed for business.
Not so quiet was the border that South Australia shares with NSW – where travellers reported scenes of cars lined up for kilometres on Wednesday night to get across into NSW before the lockdown restrictions were imposed.
SPIN THE GLOBE
————————-
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 North Pole. Where even Santa is adjusting his work practices to make them COVID safe.
You know how you’d usually go and sit on Santa’s – or one of Santa’s helpers’ – knee before Christmas and tell him whether you’ve been naughty or nice? Well this year – in some countries – that’s going to be harder than most years – with strict social distancing guidelines limiting contact between relative strangers. So Santa has gone hi-tech and is doing as many virtual consultations with kids as possible before Christmas Eve – when he will be hopping on his sleigh and doing his whip around the world.
Who knew Santa was so good with tech? He’s clever, that Santa.
SPORTS TIME
———
Can the Pumas do it again? That’s the big question in the sports world this weekend when Argentina’s national rugby side take on the Wallabies in their Tri Nations series match on Saturday night in Newcastle.
The Pumas – which is the name given to the Argentinian team – are still floating on cloud nine – which is an expression to indicate a person is deliriously happy – after beating the New Zealand All Blacks for the first time in 35 years when they squared off in Sydney last weekend.
The Wallabies however will be super-keen to keep the Pumas down – especially in front of a home crowd – and especially given they too beat the All Blacks (though not as convincingly) when they played them in Brisbane a fortnight ago.
Whatever happens: it’s all up for grabs. A win for either side on Saturday will move them above New Zealand to the top of the standings. C’mon the Wallabies!
ANIMAL KINGDOM
—–
A teeny, tiny owl has become a symbol of Christmas hope in the United States after it was found clinging to the famous Rockefeller Centre christmas tree in New York City following a 300 kilometre cross-country journey.
They’ve called him Rockefeller – and from what tree decorators can gather – he was in the 25 metre spruce tree, in a forest far from New York when it was cut down and stuck on a truck to be transported into the city.
It was only when cranes were brought in to erect the tree in the courtyard of the famous Rockefeller center building that workers discovered the tiny owl – and handed him to a wildlife refuge.
He’s in excellent condition now – after spending a couple of days replenishing his fluids and eating all the mice he wanted – and will eventually be returned to the forest from whence he came.
Rockefeller is what’s called a saw-whet owl – which are the smallest owls in the north-east of the United States, typically only growing to about 20 centimetres tall.
And because he’s ludicrously cute – there’s a link in today’s episode notes to photos of Rockefeller.
WHAT’S UP FOX?
—————
Every Friday we check in with SK ambassador Flynn – known as the Fox to his friends – to see what he’s been reading, listening to and watching.
On the reading front, he’s currently got his head buried in Kay’s Anatomy – a book about the human body that’s as fascinating as it is gross. He tells me he’s learned that boogers are ok to eat – gross – and that by the end of our life, the average human will have spent approximate a year on the toilet … not in one sitting, obviously – but added up over time.
As for listening – he’s continuing the retro theme that he kicked off last week – and is playing over and over and over the 1977 Bill Withers hit, Lovely Day. It’s kind of perfect and perfectly soothing for these crazy times.
And as for watching: much to his father’s distress, he’s still celebrating the Maroons’ win in the State of Origin – and has been watching YouTube highlight packages pretty much non stop since Wednesday. It’s a peculiar form of punishment.
SQUIZ KIDS’ LISTENER SURVEY
—-
Hello mums, dads, teachers and carers of Squiz Kids … just a quick reminder to fill out the Squiz Kids listener survey if you get a chance this weekend.
It’s super easy to do – and the more feedback we get from you on what’s working and what’s not – the better we can make this podcast for the little people in your life.
There’s a link in today’s episode notes to the survey – which will be open until early next week.
Oh – and kids – a quick reminder: this one’s just for adults. Thanks.
Survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HKQ3H9G
THE S’QUIZ
—————–
This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- Which famous resident of the North Pole has gone hi-tech to organise chats with the world’s kids in the lead up to Christmas?
- The Argentinian national rugby team is otherwise known as the whats?
- What sort of animal was found hiding out in the Rockefeller Centre christmas tree?
SHOUT OUTS
——————-
It’s November 20 … the birthday of US President Elect, Joe Biden – who turns 78 today … and it’s the 73rd wedding anniversary for the Queen and Prince Philip. Which is frankly remarkable …
It’s also only 35 sleeps ‘til Christmas …get ready to start jingling those bells!
It’s also a Friday – and that means an extra long birthday shout out segment, so let’s crank up the ol’ birthday reggae tune …
Happy birthday today to these Squiz Kids … Miya from Gosford East, Judah from West Pymble, Liam from Melbourne, Alex from Peakhurst and Fred from Sydney.
And some belated birthday shoutouts to…. Toby from Millthorpe and Phillip from Bracken Ridge.
And some weekend birthday shoutouts… Mia from Dubbo, Stella from Brisbane, Chelsea from Meadow Springs, Edi from Cairns, Jack from Perth, Pierson from Kempsey, Ava from Adelaide, Gati from Albany Hills, Levi from Ashmont, Madeline from Emu Plains, Alexandra from Shepparton, Elliot from Sydney, Tyler from Lysterfield, Mia from Kariong, Joel from Shellharbour, Yayin from Nollamara, Evie from Broken Hill, Tim from Randwick, James from Melbourne, Lilly from Craigburn, Jasmine from Hughesdale, Courtney from Bendolba, Isobel from Ararat, Kate from Valentine, Noah from Abbotsford, Eli from the Gold Coast, Daisy from Bathurst, Jonathon from Singapore and Murani all the way from Kenya in Africa!
Happy birthday to you all.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Santa Claus
- Pumas
- Owl