Tuesday, 14 February, 2023

A UFO hat trick; arresting Turkish builders; NOT hugging cows for Valentine’s Day; and Aussie Superbowl history made. 

LINKS

Fundraising ideas for kids: https://www.savethechildren.org.au/about-us/save-the-childrens-charity-work/charity-fundraising-ideas
Emergency Action Alliance: https://emergencyaction.org.au/turkeysyriaearthquake
Red Cross earthquake appeal: https://www.redcross.org.au/earthquakes/
UNICEF: https://www.unicef.org.au/donate/syria-turkiye-earthquake

Your Shortcut to … Valentine’s Day https://www.squizkids.com.au/squiz-kids-shortcuts/valentines-day/ 

Dig Deeper: 

National Apology to the Stolen Generations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiLnsFyAVqE
Closing the Gap targets (includes true/false quiz data): https://www.closingthegap.gov.au/national-agreement/targets
The story behind Hindu Worship of cows (Short on time? Start at 4:25): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ0ZVXMReBg
An animated guide to Hinduism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlBEEuYIWwY 

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

Stay up to date with us on our Squiz Kids Instagram!  

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

——-

 

Let’s play a game of true or false. 


1.) There are places in Australia where kids aren’t able to get clean, safe, drinking water. True or false? Remember your answer. 

2.) One in five indigenous kids in Australia lives in overcrowded housing. True or false? 

3.) Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids are less likely to finish year 12 than non-indigenous kids, even though they’re just as smart. They’re also less likely to go to uni, or get a job. 

I’m sorry to say that the answers are true, true, and true. 

That’s why the Australian government announced yesterday it would be spending $425 million to try to “Close the Gaps” between the lives of indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. The money will provide safe water to remote and regional communities; build more housing in crowded communities; support school students; and more.

The funding was announced on the 15th anniversary of former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s apology to the Stolen Generations of Aboriginal people – people who, when they were little kids, were taken away from their parents to live in white communities and families. 

Imagine that – being taken away from your family, your house, your culture, and your language. The damage caused by the policy of removing kids is one of the reasons that these gaps exist.  

I’ll put a link to the Apology in your episode notes, as well as other resources to better understand the gaps that exist in Australian society, and what the government is doing to try to close them. 

-break-

Remember last week, when Bryce told you about the Chinese balloon that was shot out of the sky by American fighter jets? Believe it or not, three MORE unidentified flying objects have been shot down over the past three days. So far, no one has been able to explain why a hat trick of UFOs appeared over North American airspace. Officials aren’t saying yet what the objects were, or whether they were also Chinese. Watch this space. 

 

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 back in Turkey and Syria, where rescue and clean up efforts are continuing after last week’s devastating earthquake. Thousands of multi-storey buildings collapsed like pancakes in the quake, and the death toll has now climbed above 33,000. Which is horrible. The Turkish government has now started arresting – or looking for – more than 100 people in the building industry, who they allege used illegal construction methods on some of the buildings that collapsed. The word “allege” is used when you’re talking about what someone who is accused of a crime is said to have done, but it hasn’t been proven yet.

It can be hard hearing about people who have lost so much, and it’s natural to want to help. I’ve included in your episode notes some links to charities that are working in Turkey and Syria, as well as some ideas for how kids can raise money themselves to donate.   

 

ANIMAL KINGDOM

It’s Valentine’s Day! Which authorities in India have failed, spectacularly, to change to “Cow Hug Day”. Let me explain.
Cows are sacred to the Hindu religion, and the majority of Indians are Hindus. I’ll put a link in your episode notes to explain more about that.
Last week, the Indian Animal Welfare Board said that instead of celebrating Valentine’s Day, a holiday made popular by America, Indians should embrace their own cultural traditions on February 14, and give a cow a hug instead. Cow Hug Day. 

Problem is, they didn’t ask the cows first. Journalists trying to cuddle cows for news stories about the authorities’ decision discovered that the cows were not interested…   [MOO]  and the whole thing quickly became a huge internet joke. Oh dear. 

If you’re curious about the history of Valentine’s Day – which involves goats, not cows – we released a Shortcut yesterday on that very topic. Enjoy. 

 

SPORT TIME

—–

It was a high-scoring, high-excitement game that went down to the wire, and Rihanna rocked the halftime show. But yesterday’s American football Superbowl disappointed many Australians, because the Philadelphia Eagles lost, and there were two Aussies playing for the Eagles. If the birds had soared to victory – see what I did there? – they would have been the first Australians ever to win a Superbowl ring. (In America, grand final winners get rings, not medals.) Ah well, there’s always next year. 

 

THE SQUIZ
—————–

This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …

  1. What is the name of the religion in which cows are sacred objects? 
  2. What happened 15 years ago in Australia’s Parliament? 
  3. Winning players in American sporting events get a…

 

SHOUT OUTS

——————-– 

 

It’s February 14 – Valentine’s Day, and in America, National Cream Filled Chocolate Day. You know, those choccies with strawberry cream, marshmallow cream, or another cream in the middle? Personally… and just in case you want to send me a belated Valentine… I prefer salted caramel. 

It’s a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today… Henry from Gilgandra, Oksana from Rockdale, Flynn from Cronulla, Austin from Southport, Hamish from Newmarket, George from Darwin, Sully from Clairvaux, Trai from Flagstaff Hill and Sierra from Abbotsford. 

Belated birthday wishes go to … 

Classroom shoutouts today go to… class 3CW and Miss Wise at North Ainslie Primary School, class 3/4E and Miss McCloud at Abbotsford Public School, room 13 with Miss Cox and Mis Bowers at Anzac Terrace Primary School in Bassendean,classes 5/6DJ and 5/6H with Mr Jennnings and Ms Hayley at Portland North Primary School and lastly the year 4 students at SCEGGS Darlinghurst. 

 

The S’Quiz Answers:

  • Hindu
  • Apology to the Stolen Generations
  • Ring