Tuesday 13 July, 2021
Teachers get to roll up their sleeves; Italy erupts in celebrations; a very expensive video game; and cuttlefish get YouTube famous
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 of the day, 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
Italy/England penalty shoot out:
https://video.link/w/omK3c
Celebrations in Rome:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/sports/italy-fans-celebrate-across-rome-following-euro-2020-triumph/2021/07/11/9dabe8aa-186a-458e-b018-e6d0be589ce5_video.html
Super Mario 64 ad from 1996:
https://video.link/w/UkK3c
CuttleCam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92Ogdw8lUmU&list=PLrk77k0vITgKPew_TRr8Ek31UUXdq2g5K&index=2
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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For all those listeners in greater Sydney starting remote schooling today, some good news: the New South Wales government has pushed teachers and school staff to the front of the COVID vaccination queue in the three areas most affected by the outbreak, in recognition of the need for schools to reopen safely as soon as possible.
And now for the not-so-good news: NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it was “almost impossible” that lockdown would be able to end this Friday, with 112 new cases announced yesterday. So strap yourself in – it’s likely that remote learning will continue for kids in Sydney, the Central Coast, the Blue Mountains, Wollongong and Shellharbour for a while yet—but all the experts agree that the sooner kids can return to school safely, the better for everyone. For everyone else heading to school today or getting ready to return next week, just remember how lucky you are…
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 Italy, where celebrations erupted yesterday after the men’s soccer team won the 2020 Euros.
(Yes, I know it’s 2021, but just like the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the Euros were also delayed by a year. No prizes for guessing why. Thanks, Covid.)
The Italian team was undefeated after 33 games going into yesterday morning’s game – a big turnaround after they failed to even qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
But England was also on fire, and the game was one-all after extra time. That took us to a penalty shootout, which Italy won, taking the game 3:2. (If you enjoy stressful TV viewing, I’ve put a link in the episode notes to the full shootout)
The crowd at London’s Wembley Stadium was pretty silent after that as the loss sank in. But in the Italian capital of Rome, where thousands had gathered to watch, there was chanting, cheering, fireworks, and plenty of happy tears.
Not so nice was the horrible online behavior of some English fans towards the three young English players who were not able to convert their penalties into goals. The English Football Association condemned the nasty social media posts, and the English coach, Gareth Southgate, defended the players. He said “we won together as a team, and it’s on all of us for not being able to win tonight.”
Too right.
POP CULTURE CORNER
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So, what do YOU do when you get a new video game? Open it and play it, right?
Not so fast… yesterday, an unopened copy of a 25-year-old video game sold at auction for $2.08 million dollars! Super Mario 64 cost $99 new when it was released in 1996, meaning that the seller made … hang on a second, doing some maths… $2,079,901. That’s quite the profit, and has set the world record for the most expensive single video game ever sold.
You know what’s even crazier? The previous record was set only two days ago, when another unopened video game – this time, it was The Legend of Zelda from 1987 – was sold for $1.15 million.
The burning question, for me at least, is what are the millionaire buyers going to do with these games? I’ve been researching this for you, and I can tell you, they do NOT play them. Just like coin collectors don’t spend their coins, and stamp collectors don’t stick them on letters, unopened-video-game collectors just… keep them.
ANIMAL KINGDOM
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Every year at about this time, scuba diving tourists flock to Stony Point, in the Spencer Gulf of South Australia, to feast their eyes on giant Australian cuttlefish that gather there every winter.
Now, thanks to a group of year nine students at nearby Whyalla high school, the whole world can watch the 50cm long cephalopods— cephalopod being the word for the family of animals that includes cuttlefish, octopi, and squid.
The students’ legendary science teacher hooked them up with an environmental non-profit technology outfit, which helped them build a network of platforms and underwater cameras to collect scientific data on the cuttlefish. They’ve also created CuttleCam, which is a YouTube livestream that shows the cuttlefish interacting with each other, changing their shape and texture to camouflage themselves, and occasionally scurrying out of the way of one of those scuba diving tourists.
I’ll pop a link in your episode notes, so you can check out the cephalopods – say that five times fast.
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 …
- Who is going to the front of the COVID jab line in New South Wales?
- Which video game set a record for the most expensive in the world?
- What was the final score in the Euro 2020 final?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s July 13 … and eight years ago today, the Black Lives Matter movement was founded in the USA.
It’s also the 79th birthday of Harrison Ford, who will be forever young in the minds of Indiana Jones and Han Solo fans.
It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today… Annika from NSW, Amelia from Glenhaven and Georgie from Thirroul.
And we are still playing catch up with lots of holiday birthdays….Belated shout outs to Tannah from Mackay, Chloe from Cronulla, Zachary from Mount Annan, Sadie from Bullimba, Mia from Largs, Skylar-Lee from Doncaster East, Hamish from Ivanhoe, Storme & Katia from Abbotsford, Kyan, Veer & Zuki all from Cannon Hill. And a big belated shout out to Lucas listening all the way from Iran.
Classroom shouts go to the Grade 6A students from Pearcedale Primary School. Years 2/3/4 at Millford Public School. Grade 2 Navy from Southern Cross Public School in Ballina. Class 5A at The Hunter Valley Grammar School. Class 3/4T at Antonio Park Primary School in Mitcham and class 5/6P from Cannon Hill State School and their teacher Mrs Phelan who is recovering from surgery.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Teachers
- Super Mario 64
- Italy 3, England 2