Tuesday, 23 August, 2022
Scientists study backseat tantrums; Kyrgyzstan’s fermented horse milk; lost ring found in the sea; and oh-oh, it’s Book Week!
LINKS
Fermented milk in Kyrgyzstan: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-21/fermented-horse-milk-season-on-in-kyrgyzstan/101354342
Book Week sorted: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/aug/22/easy-book-week-costume-ideas-do-you-have-a-box-there-are-lots-of-cubes-in-childrens-books
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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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I don’t know you all personally – and while I’m sure I’ve maybe been on in your cars – I’ve certainly never been a passenger on any long road trips with you … but I’m nevertheless willing to bet that at one stage in your young life, you’ve thrown a backseat tantrum.
Is your mum or dad or teacher nodding even as I say this? Yeah – I thought so.
And with the September school holidays fast approaching – new research from England might just make those long holiday road trips easier.
According to a group of scientists in Nottingham who surveyed 2000 parents, the average time it takes for a child to have a backseat tantrum while travelling in a car is 70 minutes.
The scientists have developed a formula to predict backseat tantrums. And they reckon keeping a kid distracted with a movie or food will reduce the chances of a tantrum. But having a brother or sister in the backseat will increase the chances of a tantrum.
Other results from the study found that the average child will ask ‘are we there yet’ 32 minutes into a car journey and an average of four times during the ride. But I’m sure you’d never do that ..
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 Kyrgyzstan .. and I can say with certainty that its the first time the world globe has stopped there … the reason we’re there today? Because it’s officially the start of kumis season.
Ok – first things first … where is Kyrgyzstan? It’s in Central Asia – just south of Russia, to the north of India and Afghanistan.
And what’s kumis? It’s fermented horse milk – and people in Kyrgyzstan love it. Fermenting is the process of letting bacteria flourish in a liquid to change its taste and make up. Yoghurt is an example of milk that’s been fermented.
And in Kyrgyzstan, people who live high in the mountains – rely on fermented products for food – because they last longer and they’re generally good for gut health.
And where we tend to drink cow’s milk – in places like Kyrgyzstan, they rely on horse milk – which they reckon tastes better.
SQUIZ KIDS SALUTES
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Have you ever lost anything at the beach? Once something small drops into the sand – or worse, into the water – you can pretty much give up hope of finding it. So imagine how Francesca Teal felt when she was on a beach holiday in the American state of New Hampshire, and her great-grandmother’s diamond ring flew off her finger and splashed into the water after she had chucked a footy particularly vigorously.
Just about everyone on the beach spent hours with Francesca, trying to help her find it – but no luck. When she got home, she wrote on Facebook that if anyone happened to go to that beach with a metal detector, to please look out for her ring. The post was shared more than 3,000 times, and caught the eye of a man named Lou Asci. Lou put on his wetsuit and headlamp, grabbed his metal detector, and started looking. Day one? Nothing. Day two? Nothing. But Lou doesn’t like failure, so he went back again on day three… and found Francesca’s ring! Lou: For not giving up, and for helping a complete stranger in need, Squiz Kids salutes you.
POP CULTURE CORNER
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The words “ET, phone home” probably don’t mean a whole lot to you .. but to your parents’ generation, they were among the most memorable words ever uttered in a movie.
And thanks to a revival in cinemas of 80s classics in the United States – they may soon be coming to a cinema near you too. ET: The Extra Terrestrial took in over $1.5million at the US box office last weekend. Movie theatre re-releases of Top Gun and Jaws are also on the cards thanks to the obsession with all things 70s and 80s … we’ll call it the Stranger Things effect
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Meanwhile here at home … It’s Book Week my friends … and for so many reasons, it’s an excellent time to be reminded of how much books enrich our lives.
But let’s face it … unless your folks happen to be set or costume designers, it’s also a time of high stress in households around the country as parents scramble to pull together an outfit for the Book Week parade at school.
Luckily, we found an online link to some easy, last-minute Book Week costumes – which I’ve stuck in your episode notes. The trick parents: think laterally. Consider this a public service announcement ..
THE SQUIZ
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This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- What animal’s milk is fermented in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan?
- What did a woman in America lose in the sea while playing on the beach?
- What’s the average length of time before a child throws a backseat tantrum, according to English scientists?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s August 23 … one day til my birthday … agggh … have you wrapped me a present yet? It’s not too late .. on this day in 1991 – so 31 years ago – the world wide web – or internet – was opened for all the world to access. And hasn’t that mixed things up since ?
It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today …
Ella from Belmont, Bailey H from Kempsey, Sherwin from Henley Beach South, Kira from Labrador, Unathi from Donnybrook, Alex from Craigburn, Enith from Ashmont, Jeremy from Yarrawonga, Sophie from Grafton, Alex from North Avoca, Lily from Balgowlah Heights, Jessica from Walcha, Patience from Fawkner, Alia from Oakleigh, Gemma from Melbourne, Molly from Hamlyn Heights, Kate from Bellingen and Olivia from Kowloon in Hong Kong.
And a belated birthday shout outs goes to Chloe from Quirindi.
Classroom shoutouts today go to … class 6 maroon from St Bernardine’s Primary School in Harden, class 5A and Mrs Simon at Tyabb Primary School,
Stage 3 at St Augustine’s Parish School in Narromine who want to say that Mrs Wake, you ROCK! And lastly to year 6 at the Living School in Lismore for being absolute legends while their teacher Emma was away!
And a special shoutout to all the schools and kids around Harden NSW, who are participating in Trinity School’s Festival of Literacy all this week! Please be sure to take good care of Amanda while she’s down there …
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Horse
- 70 minutes
- Diamond ring