Wednesday, 16 November, 2022

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]

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

THE LOWDOWN

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There was snow on the hills of Tasmania, trees across power lines in South Australia and the biggest flood emergency response operation in NSW history yesterday as wild weather returned across the nation.

As Melbourne and Tassie shivered – with November snows recorded in some parts of the Apple Isle – and while Brisbane sweltered in 33 degree temperatures yesterday – emergency services were mounting the biggest effort ever undertaken plucking flood-stricken residents of central NSW from their rooftops as dams filled and rivers burst their banks.

The towns of Eugowra and Molong were in a state of shellshock yesterday, surveying the damage after a wall of water swept through their towns on Monday.

Helicopters pulled more than 100 residents from their rooftops – and some were pulled from trees they’d taken refuge in – after heavy rains the night before sparked yet another flood emergency. One house was lifted off its foundations and floated across the street with its elderly resident still inside.

The NSW floods are now in their 64th day ..

Forbes was in the firing line yesterday as the Lachlan River swelled and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents.

Dramatic video from Wyangala Dam, just upstream from Cowra, showed the power and intensity of the floodwaters as authorities there were forced to spill the dam – which means open the floodgates – to stop the dam from overflowing. I’ve stuck a link to video of it in today’s episode notes.

In the south west of NSW, the Murrumbidgee River was also overflowing, forcing residents of the small town of Maude to evacuate.

And the emergency is expected to continue all week as the waters make their way downstream.

Stay safe out there people …

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 Paris, France – where the mascots for the 2024 Olympic Games have been revealed.

What’s an Olympic Games mascot? It’s a costumed character that is used to represent the Games … the Tokyo Games had a robot, the winter games in Beijing earlier this year had a panda – and the Paris games will have a hat.

Yes, that’s right, a hat. But not just any hat … this red hat has important historical significance. Called the ‘Phrygian cap’ – its famous in all of France as the hat that was worn by Marianne – a woman who appears in lots of paintings and statues – including on the Arc de Triomphe – as the symbol of the French Revolution. And get this: the mascot for the Paralympics has a running blade as one of its legs. Cool …

I’ve stuck links to photos of cuddly new mascots in today’s episode notes ..

ANIMAL KINGDOM

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While there’s been altogether too much water in regional NSW and Victoria – there’s been not nearly enough in WA – which is why some snakes, like the one in this story, have had to get creative about where and how they have a drink.

WA resident Jennie Lennard heard the birds in her backyard making a racket, and discovered that a massive python had lifted itself up off the ground to have a drink out of her bird bath.

I’ve stuck a link to photos of the thirsty python in today’s episode notes. It’s huuuge. I’m not much of a snake person, to be honest – not sure how excited I’d be about that.

NEWSHOUNDS

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Every Wednesday we check in with Squiz-E the Newshound to see what fishy stories he’s sniffed out on the internet.

And today Squiz E’s nose is twitching over fake health advice posted to social media by a person calling themselves a ‘wellness influencer’.

In this case, the person has recommended the drinking of raw cow’s milk – claiming that she cured her lactose intolerance by drinking milk straight from the cow’s udder. Most of the milk we drink is pasteurised.

But actual nutritionists and doctors with real qualifications say the claim is untrue.

And this is the problem you see: on the internet, anyone – no matter how unqualified they may be – can make any claim they want. It’s up to us, as Newshounds, to STOP, THINK and CHECK before believing everything we see online.

And don’t forget: Newshounds: our excellent eight-part media literacy podcast for primary school kids is now LIVE and available free to all classrooms in Australia and New Zealand. Teachers: its the perfect end of term activity – or start planning now to incorporate into your back to school program for next year. Create your free account and dive on in at squizkids.com.au

LEGO CHRISTMAS CHARITY CAMPAIGN

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(sound effect: jingle bells) Can you hear that? That’s the sign that Christmas is just around the corner … and also the sign for how YOU, the listeners of Squiz Kids can play Santa this year.

We’ve teamed up with the excellent folk at the LEGO for their “Build To Give” Christmas charity campaign.

It couldn’t be more simple. All you have to do is create anything out of LEGO bricks and share a photo of it on Instagram – with the hashtag # BuildToGive … that’s B-U-I-L-D-T-O-G-I-V-E and tag @squizkids …

Post it either in-feed or as a story.

And get this … for every LEGO build you post, the LEGO Group will donate a LEGO set to a family in need this Christmas!

Ah-mazing!

Their chosen charity this year is the UNHCR – a big international organisation that helps families who have been forced to flee war zones, leaving their homes behind and settling in a new country.

So this, my friends, is our chance to show the world how generous Squiz Kids can be!!

The more LEGO creations you build and post – the more LEGO sets will be donated.

LEGO want to give away 2 million LEGO sets around the world this Christmas – let’s see how many of those Squiz Kids can generate …

Make as many creations as you want. And I’ve got a couple of prizes up my sleeve – a pair of excellent Super Mario Lego sets – which I’ll be giving out to the two best builds!

And to kick things off – I’ve made my very own LEGO build .. check it out on our Instagram page today… It’s some of my best LEGO work, if I say so myself.

Keep listening at the end of today’s podcast for my chat with Build To Give ambassador, Jack Berne – a kid who’s had plenty of experience at giving back through his excellent charity, Fiver For A Farmer.

Remember: hashtag BuildToGive and tag @squizkids on Instagram …

I’ve stuck links to it all in today’s episode notes …

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 European city will the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic games take place?
What kind of snake has been spotted drinking from a bird bath in WA?
What have Squiz Kids been asked to create and share photos of to help families in need this Christmas?

SHOUT OUTS

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It’s November 16 … only 38 days until Christmas … have you bought a fruit mince pie yet? It’s also the 102nd birthday of our national airline, QANTAS. Luckily they don’t have any planes that old ..

It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today ..

Grace from Waurn Ponds, Bea from Wagga Wagga, Chase from Cannon Hill, Kasper from Abbotsford, Aleksa from Helensvale, Angus from North Balgowlah, Liam from Point Claire, Isabel from Surrey Hills, Mo from Preston, Frankie from Dongara, Djiba and Jaidin from Melbourne, Persia from Munno Parra, Michelle from Carlton, Kylee from Tasmania, Inez from NSW and Noor listening over in Pakistan!

Belated birthday shout outs go to Caleb from Millfield, Ben from Sydney, Ruby from Woodcroft and Felix from Stoneville.

And today’s classroom shoutouts go to .. class 6R at St Luke’s Catholic Primary School in Revesby, class 5/6D and Miss Dous at Marayong Public School, class 6MU and Mrs Urquhart at Wauchope Public School, class 5/6P and Miss Chapel at Mildura South Primary School, class 2A and Mr Andrews at Singleton Heights Public School, class 5W and Mr Wyson at Cherrybrook Public School and class 4/5Y and Mr Broughten at St Patrick’s Primary School in Bega.

The S’Quiz Answers:

Paris
Python
Lego

Optional Evergreen Extras!

Think/Feel/Infer 3-2-1 Exercise (3 important details from the Lowdown; 2 other things I learned; 1 question I still have)Find the Main Idea and Details