Monday, 6 March, 2023
Good news for the planet; Jungle survivor eats worms; dream debut for the Dolphins; and Ed Sheeran breaks a record.
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:
Antarctic sea ice reaches record low: https://abcnews.go.com/International/video/antarctic-sea-ice-reaches-record-low-97553769
US clean energy record: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2023/03/01/clean-energy-hits-record-us-2023-sustainable-energy-factbook/11324041002/
Shortened weeks at Queensland public schools: https://www.couriermail.com.au/queensland-education/schools-hub/postpandemic-resurgence-in-shortened-weeks-scheme-at-queensland-public-schools/news-story/4a7731a099f68095b1a53e0fd821df22
Man survives 31 days eating worms: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-64811309
Daryl Braithwaite joins Harry Styles on stage: https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/daryl-braithwaite-joins-harry-styles-onstage-in-sydney-concert-20230304-p5cpfp.html
Backstreet boys are back: https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/backstreet-boys-strip-down-on-stage-in-a-show-to-remember-20230305-p5cpft.html
Ed Sheeran breaks record at MCG: https://www.skynews.com.au/australia-news/ed-sheerans-dream-come-true-after-he-breaks-aussie-record-for-a-second-time/news-story/a3d4f2ea66da7ede796ef6cd1fc380dc
Dig Deeper:
School hours around the world: Who has the longest or shortest day? https://www.teachstarter.com/au/blog/school-hours-around-the-world/
Delaying school start times not only improves health, but also reduces crime, study finds: https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/delaying-school-start-times-not-only-improves-health-but-also-reduces-crime-study-finds/
Top tips to survive in the bush: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-02/tips-to-survive-in-the-bush/7681572
Daryl Braithwaite performs Harry Styles tribute: https://7news.com.au/video/sunrise/on-the-show/daryl-braithwaite-performs-incredible-tribute-to-harry-styles-bc-6321647570112
Classroom Companion
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Newshounds
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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There was good news and not so good news for the environment over the weekend .. let’s tackle the not so good news first.
And that comes in the shape of a new report which has found that ice in Antarctica has melted to record low levels.
Scientists at the CSIRO – which is Australia’s big government scientific research organisation – have found that in 40 years of satellite observations of the frozen continent to our south, there has never been less ice around the continent than there was last week.
They are now trying to figure out if the the drops in sea ice is just a natural phenomenon or if these new records another sign global warming is getting worse.
On the positive side: two new reports have found that people in Europe and the United States have embraced renewable energy at a much faster rate than anyone expected.
Renewable energy is electricity that doesn’t need fossil fuels to generate it .. wind, solar, hydro – you get the gist. It’s much better for the environment. And according to a new report, renewable energy will account for more than 45 percent of supply in EU countries by 2030 as already accounts for some 40% of electricity used in the United States. And that’s excellent news.
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Hands up who’d like a shorter school week? I can’t see you, but I’m going to guess there are a lot of hands in the air right now.
Well it could become a reality – especially if you live in Queensland – as reports say more and more schools experiment with four-and-a-half day school weeks instead of five full days. That means finishing school at lunch time one day a week. There’s a great exercise in today’s Classroom Companion where you get to have a discussion in class about the pros and cons of a shorter schooling week. Get your arguments ready – and remember: Squiz Kids only have respectful conversations …
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 Bolivia – in South America. The reason we’ve dropped in is because a man has survived a whole month in the jungle by eating worms.
Euugh.
The 30 year old man was out hunting with friends when he became separated from them and became lost in the jungle.
He says he survived for 31 days by drinking rainwater that he collected in his shoes .. clever … and also by eating a jungle fruit similar to a papaya and – get this – by eating worms.
When found by his friends, who had formed a search party and refused to give up looking for him, he said the scariest part of the ordeal was hiding from jaguars.
Gives new meaning to the expression ‘it’s a jungle out there’…
SPORT TIME
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Footy is back my friends – and the NRL kicked off in fine fashion over the weekend as old champs met new contenders and a brand new team showed they’d be a force to be reckoned with.
Highlights a big four days of footy included the Brisbane Broncos staging an upset in Penrith by beating last year’s premiers, the Panthers. It was only by a whisker, mind you, at 13-12 – but the victory was enough to put a spring in the Brissie boys’ step and put the tail between the Panthers’ legs.
Manly made short work of the Bulldogs, the Rabbitohs were too strong against the Sharkies and the Warriors had a good win in front of an Auckland home crowd against the Knights.
But it was the Dolphins versus Roosters clash in Brisbane on Sunday afternoon that all eyes were on as the newest team in the comp finally got to show what they are made of.
And in my favourite bit of alliteration for today’s podcast: it was a dream debut for the Dolphins .. steamrolling over the top of the highly fancied Sydney Roosters to win 28-18. Truly the stuff of footy fairytales …
POP CULTURE CORNER
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After years of being cancelled by COVID – live music in Australia is back in full swing – and the weekend just gone is the perfect example of how it’s back with a vengeance.
As Harry Styles completed his all-conquering Aussie tour in Sydney – with a duet of the song Horses with Aussie rock legend Daryl Braithwaite – kids of the 90s – I’m talking about your parents – were being thrilled by the Backstreet Boys – an American boy band who have found popularity again and were back on our shores after a twenty year break.
Meanwhile down Melbourne way, the ginger-haired marvel himself, Ed Sheeran was busy breaking records – attracting the most number of people to a concert in the history of Australian music.
Some 110,000 fans packed into the MCG on Friday night to watch Sheeran play his long list of international hits.
Welcome back live music – we’ve missed you.
KIDS AND MEDIA
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This is it friends. Your last chance to add your voice to the Squiz Kids’ inaugural Kids + Media survey. A snapshot of where our kids are getting their information – and how much, if at all, parents and educators are concerned about the influence of social media
The survey closes tonight. Hop into it via our website: squizkids.com.au or via the link in today’s episode notes.
And as Amanda said on Friday: one lucky respondent will win a chance to either have their kid’s voice immortalised in a Squiz Kids segment sting, or opt to have me dial into a FaceTime chat with your kids or classroom. But look lively: you’ve only got 12 hours left …
THE SQUIZ
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This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- In which country has a man survived a month in the jungle by eating worms?
- The ice shelf of which continent has shrunk to record lows, according to scientists?
- Which pop star has broken a record for the most number of tickets sold to an Australian concert?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s March 6 – the trampoline was invented on this day, 78 years ago – bounce bounce – and it’s also a public holiday in WA today – maybe if you’re there you can spend the day on the tramp?
It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today…
Samara from Oyster Bay, Maggie from Flagstaff Hill, Chase from Gundagai, Hudson and Miriam from Canberra, Valentina from Watsonia, Elise from Forest Lake, Maddie from Melbourne, Blake from Middle Harbour, Sophie and Sophia from Mosman and lastly to Katie listening every day from Edinburgh, Scotland!
Belated shout outs go to… Molly from Camden, Alina from Mosman and Mia from Cambridge Gardens.
Today’s Classroom Shoutouts go to .. class 3M and Mrs Morgin at Lennox Head Public School, class 5H and Miss Horton at Dee Why Public School, class 3 Green and Mrs Searle at All Saints Parish Primary School in Albany Creek, class 3 Mallee and Mrs Walsh at Schofields Public School, classes F2 and F12 at Hammond Park Primary School and classes 5 A,B & C at Wonga Park Primary School (who are making their own podcasts in class)
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Bolivia
- Antartica
- Ed Sheeran