Thursday, November 2, 2023
Your daily kids news podcast.
Albo goes to China; Queensland fires flare; Earl the gold star kelpie; and the moose that went to school.
LINKS
Moose goes to school
https://people.com/moose-makes-surprise-visit-massachusetts-elementary-school-video-8385017
Squiz Kids Book Club: https://www.squizkids.com.au/book_club/
Newshounds
Get started on our free media literacy resource for classrooms
https://www.squizkids.com.au/about-newshounds/
Classroom Companion:
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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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Fresh from visiting the US President Joe Biden in Washington, Aussie PM Anthony Albanese is packing his bags for another overseas trip – this time heading to China for meetings with China’s President, Xi Jinping – the first time in seven years an Aussie PM has made the trip.
So why is that a big deal? People hop on planes and travel overseas all the time.
Well, it’s a big deal because for the past five or so years, Australia’s relationship with China has not been all that great. You’ve heard the term, frenemies, right? Yeah – well it hasn’t even been that functional. Because we don’t see eye to eye on everything.
Ahead of his visit, the PM has said: we’ll cooperate where we can, and disagree where we must.”
So – why is it important that we have good relationships with countries like China? China, like the United States, is what’s called a superpower … a country so big, whose economy is so powerful, that it’s important for us to be on good terms with them. That’s true for most countries in the world, but especially true for us because of where we’re positioned on the world map – meaning we’re more exposed to China than many countries. .. Plus with so many people living there – some 1.4 billion people at last count – there are lots of people there who could buy stuff that we produce here in Australia. Get this: this year, we exported, which means sent, to China more than $200 billion worth of Australian made goods and services. And that’s a lot.
It’s international diplomacy and geopolitics, people. And think how impressed your folks will be when you bring this topic up around the dinner table tonight ..
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Queensland firefighters were still on high alert yesterday as bushfires continued to burn west of Brisbane and close to the NSW border – in places like Tara, Warwick, Tenterfield and Wallangarra.
People have been evacuated from their homes as hot, dry winds and months of no rain have created prime conditions for bushfires. Stay safe out there Squiz Kids listeners from that part of the country- we’re all thinking of you.
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 Massachusetts – a state in the United States – where a moose has dropped into a school.
Parents doing the morning school drop off on Monday could hardly believe their eyes when a fully grown moose wandered between the cars sending kids and teachers scrambling.
Moose arrren’t known for being especially aggressive – which is a fancy word for dangerous or threatening – but local police nevertheless put out an alert warning people to give the moose a wide berth if it showed up again.
Maybe it was just rocking up for sip and crunch.
A moose on the loose .. I’ve stuck a link to video of it in today’s episode notes.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
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From moose in North America to working dogs in Australia we go … and specifically, to the Earl the kelpie – who has just been named Australia and New Zealand’s number one working dog.
What’s a working dog? It’s the name given to dogs who help out on farms – herding sheep and cattle and generally being useful.
What makes Earl so special? He wore a tracking device for the duration of the competition which showed he ran faster and longer than any other working dog in Australasia. We’re talking 14 kph on average, across an average of not one, but two marathon distances every day. Wow!
And you know what makes him even more special? He’s blind in one eye, following a mystery accident. Which means he occasionally bumps into things. Which sounds a bit like me when I’m trying to find the bathroom in the middle of the night.
Earl, you deadset legend – Squiz Kids Salutes you … and of course we’ve stuck a link to photos of Earl in today’s ep notes – You’re welcome.
JULIA GILLARD Q+A – PROMO
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Have you ever wondered what it must be like to be the Prime Minister of Australia? Have you ever stopped to think what it must have been like to the be first female Prime Minister Australia has ever had? Well – now you can find out – as our Squiz Kids Q+A with former Aussie PM, Julia Gillard drops today (CHEER) … Yepperdo … answering questions YOU sent in, she talks about life in an Adelaide migrant camp, her earliest memories of school, her favourite bands growing up and the women who influenced her. She speaks of the weight of responsibility she felt becoming PrIme Minister – plus the sexism she encountered along the way. But mostly she sounds a rallying cry for kids all over the country to ‘dream big’, work hard and never ever let their gender define them.
If you’re listening on an app – the pod should play automatically at the end of this episode, otherwise you can find it by searching the Squiz Kids feed, or via our website, squizkids.com.au
NEWSHOUNDS
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Every Thursday, Squiz-E the Newshound sticks his head into Squiz Kids HQ to report back on fishy things, like misinformation, that he’s sniffed out on the internet. And he’s been one busy Newshound this week, as the Israel-Hamas conflict continues to flare overseas.
It’s common whenever there’s a war for the two sides to try to influence the way people think using something called ‘propaganda’. It’s information that is sent out to try to win people over to your side – and sometimes, it’s information that is not true. Misinformation. All sides in all wars throughout history have used this tactic – it’s not just one side or the other. The only difference these days is that with social media and techno logy like Photoshop that allows anyone to alter photos or videos – there’s a lot more of it being seen on a daily basis by a lot more people.
It’s why we have to be super careful if we find ourselves on social media – be it Insta or TikTok or watching YouTube videos – that we don’t find ourselves suddenly exposed to videos or posts that are not real. It’s why we should always, as Squiz-E says: STOP, THINK and CHECK — and especially when it comes to content about the current conflict, be extra careful what algorithm rabbit holes you get sucked down – and always, always speak to an adult if you see stuff that makes you feel uncomfortable.
Safe surfing, people!
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’s the population of China, give or take?
- Name the former Aussie PM who’s in today’s Squiz Kids Q+A?
- What’s the name of Australia’s number one working dog?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s November 2 … it’s Day Of The Dead in Mexico … which sounds kind of scary, but is actually quite nice, where families pause to remember loved ones who have passed away.
It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today … Eason from Caversham, Maylee from Unanderra, Madeline from Forest Lake, Daniel from Canberra, Tasman from Merimbula, Tiernan from Sydney, Ava from Belrose and Samuel and Isaiah listening in Samoa and Ewa listening in Warsaw, Poland.
And a belated shout out goes to… Leander from Tarragindi.
Classroom shout outs go to … all of the years 5 and 6 students at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Primary School in Caringbah, years 3 to 6 with Mrs Donelly at Coolongolook Public School, class 11R with Miss Toule at St Mary Cathedral College, class 6RI with Ms Riley at St Peters Girls School in Stonyfell, class 5CC with Mrs Cook at Saint Francis Xavier Primary School in Ballarat, class 5/6A with Mrs Turner at Landsborough State School and lastly class 5B Kingfishers with Mr Davies and Mrs McNeill at Emmaus Christian School in Dickson.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- 1.4 billion
- Julia Gillard
- Earl