Tuesday, 14 June, 2022
Doing chores makes you smarter; Boston’s wee problem; Sports stars aplenty in Queen’s honours list; and a new dinosaur found in Victoria.
LINKS
Big wave hits Bondi
A new meat-eating dinosaur for Australia? https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-06-07/dinosaur-therapod-footprints-skenes-creek-great-ocean-road/101121278
A new spinosaur for Europe: https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2022-06-10/dinosaur-largest-meat-eater-europe-found-isle-of-wight/101142412
Egypt’s new dino: https://phys.org/news/2022-06-bizarre-meat-eating-dinosaur-classic-fossil.html
Squiz Kids for Schools – Free 30 Day Trial: https://www.squizkids.com.au/squiz-kids-for-schools/
Squiz Kids Apple Subscriber Content – Free 7 Day Trial: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/squiz-kids/id1494238283
Squiz Kids Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squizkids/?hl=en
Got a birthday coming up and you want a shout-out? Send us an email at [email protected]
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
——
Ok – bad news kids … Researchers in Melbourne have done a study and found that doing chores around the house makes you smarter.
In news that is going to bring a smile to the face of parents everywhere, researchers from LaTrobe University in Melbourne yesterday released their findings after surveying more than 200 kids in Victoria.
And what they found was that kids who helped out around the house – making their beds, tidying their rooms, setting the table, helping out in the garden – and even in some cases, making the family dinner – do better at school and university in later life thanks to the lessons they learned from doing chores.
And here’s some percentages for you to consider and place yourself among.
According to the report, 80 per cent of the kids – or 80 out of 100 – set or clear the dinner table and 77 per cent feed pets but only 59 per cent make their bed, 55 per cent load dishwasher and 47 per cent vacuum their own room.
Doing household chores helps kids develop planning and problem solving skills – which can help them in later life. So just don’t sit there – start folding some laundry already. Do it for your brain.
And yes, of course, I’m deeply sorry to be relaying this news- but not really..
—
If you live on the east coast of Australia and were thinking of making the most of this freezing cold weather and hopping down to the beach for a swim – maybe think twice.
The polar blast that’s been bringing icy temperatures has also brought with it massive ocean swells and dangerous surf. Check out the link in today’s episode notes to video of a wave crashing up and over the boardwalk in Bondi. Wowsers …
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 in Boston, a city on the east coast of the United States … where transport officials have come up with a clever solution to a smelly problem.
Like many other metro train systems around the world – and yes, Paris Metro, I’m looking at you – the Boston metro has a reputation for stinking of wee.
For reasons only they can explain, some people wee on train platforms or commuter tunnels rather than use a toilet … and in Boston’s case, elevators leading down to platforms are occasionally used as toilets. Euuugh.
So they’ve installed a bunch of sensors in the ceiling of the elevators to detect the smell of urine and set off an alarm and shut down the lift until cleaners can come and disinfect it.
A clever solution to a wee problem … (DAD JOKE ALARM) .. oops – that would be the dad joke alarm .. hee hee.
SPORT TIME
——-
Aussie sporting stars were well and truly represented among the people who yesterday received a Queen’s Birthday honour.
Tennis superstar Ash Barty, Australian women’s cricket rockstar Meg Lanning and the late cricketer Shane Warne all made the honours list – meaning they have been awarded for the contribution they’ve each made to their sport.
What does it mean when I say ‘the late’ Shane Warne? It’s an expression we use to note that someone has passed away.
And what is the Queen’s Birthday honours list? They’re awards given out each Queen’s Birthday holiday weekend to Australians who have made a significant contribution in whatever field they work. As well as sports stars, lots of clever scientists and mathematicians and artists and entertainers make the list each year.
Reflecting on her win, Aussie women’s cricket captain Meg Lanning said she was just proud to have helped kids stop seeing cricket as a boys game – and seeing it instead as a boys and a girls’ game. Hear hear.
GET SOCIAL
—-
Is Squiz Kids part of your daily routine? We want to see how you listen to us each day – and where you listen to us – in the car, in the classroom, over the breakfast table, while you’re brushing your teeth. Post a story to your Instagram – and don’t forget to tag @squizkids .. and thanks to those of you who have done so already.. With a special shout out to Tenielle, Bella and Abby who sent us a great photo of them listening to Squiz Kids in the car …. Which we included in our Stories on Instagram .. If you send in a photo or post a story, keep an eye on our Instagram account @squizkids where we’ll be re-posting your pics and stories as they come in ..
ANIMAL KINGDOM
——-
It’s been an exciting week in meat-eating dinosaur news!
First of all, footprints have been discovered on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria that may have come from a new species of carnivorous dinosaur. A carnivore, of course, is a creature that eats meat. What’s particularly cool about this find is that it was made by a tradie who likes to fossil hunt in his spare time. Tim Flagstaff and his wife have discovered 140 footprints—and counting—of lots of different dinosaurs who roamed over the 25-metre area of rock. Now, the Flagstaffs are helping a paleoichnologist to study the site. A paleoichnologist, I learned today, is an expert who specialises in studying dino footprints. In this case, the expert is working in Queensland, using photos and other information sent over by the Flagstaffs. I’ve put a link in your episode notes to a 3D model that an expert has created of the potentially new meat-eating dinosaur – two legged, big claws, sharp teeth… how cool, that they can tell so much from a footprint!
Meanwhile, over on the Isle of Wight, remains have been found of a new type of spinosaur, which could be the biggest carnivorous dino to have roamed Europe. Based on the bones that have been found, it was about 10 metres long, and lived about 125 million years ago.
And, over in Egypt, a third new species of meat-eater has been found in the Sahara Desert. This one apparently had the face of a bulldog, and tiny arms like a T-Rex. I’ve put links to drawings of both in your episode notes. Three new discoveries, after millions of years… how about that?
THE SQUIZ
—————–
This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- Name the Aussie women’s cricket captain who made the Queens’ Birthday honours list?
- What’s the name of the road in Victoria where new dinosaur footprints have been found?
- What’s the name of the city in the US where authorities are tackling the smell of wee in the metro?
SHOUT OUTS
——————-–
It’s June 14 … today is World Blood Donor’s day .. adults all over the world are encouraged to give blood when they can – as it’s used in hospitals to help sick people get better … we’ve done an excellent Squiz Kids Shortcut to Blood – which dropped on Friday … if you’re a classroom that’s a Squiz Kids for Schools subscriber, or a parent who’s subscribed via our Apple Podcast Subscriber Specials, it’s there and ready for you to wrap your ears around … if you’re not a subscriber but keen to check it out – there are links to free trials of both in today’s episode notes …
It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today ..
Kaeley from Craigburn, Hannah from Upper Mount Gravatt, Rylynn from Forest Lake, Sophie from Bowral, Sinclair from Goulburn, Chad from Pendle Hill and Caleb from Epping.
And a belated shoutout goes to… Inara from Oakleigh, Annbel from Whistler, Albert from Double Bay, Finn from Cairns and Tyrieka (pronounced Tye-reek-uh) from Ashmont.
.. and don’t forget if you celebrated your birthday yesterday, on the public holiday Monday, we gave you a shout out in Friday’s podcast. Can’t have you thinking we forgot you!
Classroom shoutouts today go to…Miss Fischer’s class at Craigburn Primary School, Class 5 Blue at Scone Grammar School, class 6Y and Mrs Yeeat at Carlingford Public School and lastly a shoutout to Daniel, Nate and Lani who are being homeschooled by their mum as they travel around Australia.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Meg Lanning
- Great Ocean Road
- Boston