Friday, 3 March, 2023
A red-letter day for Australia Post; Korea’s DMZ-menagerie; tired teenagers in Indonesia; and the fabulous life of Froderick.
LINKS
Kids + Media Survey:
Are you a parent, guardian or teacher of primary school kids? Then help us paint a picture of Aussie kids and their media habits by filling out this quick, two minute survey. Thank you in advance!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZBTHR35
Today’s Quick Links:
Postal service: Have your say https://www.infrastructure.gov.au/have-your-say/postal-services-modernisation
Wildlife found in the Korean DMZ: https://artsandculture.google.com/story/twVRv8x4gE_fWw
Froderick: https://www.tiktok.com/@unknowndazza/video/7204587065726520577
If TikTok is blocked at school, try playing the video from here: https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/news-life/awkward-frog-claims-hearts-across-the-globe-after-tiktok-rags-to-riches-story/news-story/4bde94fe12b044393bda7e121edd4020
Dig Deeper:
Facts and figures on Australia’s postal service https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/rowland/media-release/consultation-begins-delivering-modernised-postal-service
Explore Korea’s demilitarised zone: https://artsandculture.google.com/project/korea-dmz/nature
Classroom Companion
Teachers! Want to access free, curriculum-aligned classroom resources tied to the daily podcast? Sign up to be a Squiz Kids Classroom and download the Classroom Companion each day. Made by teachers for teachers, differentiated to suit all primary school ability levels. And did we mention it’s free?
Newshounds
Get started on our free media literacy resource for classrooms
www.squizkids.com.au/newshounds
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Got a birthday coming up and you want a shout-out? Complete the form on our Squiz Kids website. Link: SHOUT OUTS or / send us an email at [email protected]
THE LOWDOWN
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When was the last time you wrote and posted a letter? I’m going to guess it’s been a while… possibly never?
Not so long ago – before email, texting, and the internet came along – people wrote and received a lot of mail. Letters were the way that we communicated with family and friends in far off places… we received paper bills, and sent paper cheques to pay them… we’d even disguise our handwriting and send Valentines cards. Well, maybe that was just me.
But the number of letters that Australia Post needs to deliver has fallen dramatically, while costs have risen. It’s predicted that by 2030, your household will receive just one piece of mail per week… even though the rules say that posties must deliver every single weekday.
Yesterday, the government released a “discussion paper” on the future of Australia Post – and has given the public until April 27 to comment on things like how frequency mail is delivered… the future of physical post offices … and the best way to control your dog when the postie comes. Okay, maybe not that last one.
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 strip of land that separates North and South Korea – which, it turns out, is packed with more than 6,000 different species of wildlife. The 250-kilometre long border zone came into existence when the two Korean armies stopped fighting each other in 1953, and agreed to set up a “demilitarised zone”, or DMZ. No weapons are allowed, and almost no people are allowed, either… and without pesky human interference, nature has flourished. A special project marking the 70th anniversary of the DMZ gives the world a tour, and the opportunity to see golden eagles, mountain goats, otters, bears, deer. It’s fun to explore… I’ll put the link in your episode notes.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT
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This week, year 11 and 12 students in the Indonesian city of Kupang have been forced to start school at … wait for it… 5am. The governor of their province introduced the new start time because he said it would build character and discipline. Apparently, he thinks teenagers only need six hours of sleep – 10pm to 4am, then up and at ‘em, walking to school in the dark.
Perhaps not surprisingly, most teachers, students, and parents disagree. There’s plenty of evidence that teenagers need at least 8 hours of sleep… and during puberty, our body clocks get a bit messed up, making it hard to fall asleep, and therefore hard to wake up early. In fact, in California, a new law makes it illegal for high school to start before 8:30. That’s a three-and-a-half hour difference!
POP CULTURE CORNER
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If your parents are the kind that complain about social media, I DARE them not to fall in love with TikTok’s latest star, Froderick.
Froderick is an Australian frog. He was spotted perching awkwardly on the backyard of a TikToker, who decided to 3D print him a little resting place, and post the story online. Fast forward four months, and 25 million people around the world are following Froderick’s every move. His human social media creator recently posted a new video showing what’s happened in Froderick’s life so far, and it’s got everything: Love, Friendship, Danger, a pool party, and a completely transformed back fence. Please, do yourselves a favour. Get on the Frod Bandwagon.
KIDS AND MEDIA
Hey parents… would you like to hear YOUR kid’s voice on Squiz Kids? That’s what we’re offering as a prize to one lucky person who fills out our Kids and Media Survey. We’ve already had over 700 responses, but we’re gunning for 1,000, before the survey closes on Monday. We want to hear about your child’s media habits, and your concerns about media literacy. In return, we’ll record one kid’s voice to feature in an upcoming podcast series. Win-win.
THE SQUIZ
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This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- A curly one, because it’s Friday: What do the letters “DMZ” stand for?
- How many hours of sleep does an Indonesian politician think kids need?
- How many pieces of mail per week are households expected to receive in 2030?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s March 3 – Pop singer Camilla Cabello turns 25 today, and actor Julie Bowen will be 52 – she plays Claire Dunphy, the Mum from the TV series Modern Family.
It’s also a Friday – and you know what that means .. lots of birthday shout outs for today and the coming weekend … for which we’re going to need to crack out the ol’ birthday reggae tune … hit it …
It’s a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today… Bosbos from Mosman, Maryam from Sydney, Jacob from Caloundra West, Gus and Taj from Melbourne, Ashton from St Leonards and Nana listening in Tokyo, Japan and Josh listening in Barcelona, Spain.
Belated shout outs go to… Nehal from Spring Mountain and Molly from Narrandera.
Not forgetting all the Squiz Kids who are celebrating a birthday over the coming weekend… Sierra from Erskinville, Basil from Hobart, Jordan from Paraburdoo, Lexi and Flynn from Junee, Eloise from Albury, Ned from Exeter, Amelia from Forster, Lochlan from Austinmer, Imogen from Yass, Indi from Flagstaff Hill, Sophie from Brookfield, Bobson and Samuel from Narrandera, Nehara from Forest Lake, Hayley from Pitt Town, Indi from Maitland and Esme from Hastings, New Zealand.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Demilitarised Zone
- Six
- One