Wednesday, 25 August, 2021

Swooping magpie season; why T-rex was a fussy eater; why humans aren’t horses; and the new Spider Man trailer is here.

 

LINKS

Swysh: Personalised video messages from your favourite sports stars: https://heyswysh.com/

Squiz Kids Survey … (just for adults!) https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/DWMQFJW

 

Magpie Alert website: https://www.magpiealert.com/

Spiderman Trailer: https://twitter.com/SpiderManMovie/status/1429981786386403330

Cool Science Experiments: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/aug/21/from-mentos-in-a-bottle-to-playing-with-rainbows-science-experiments-children-can-do-at-home?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

 

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]

Squiz Kids is proudly supported by the Judith Neilson Institute for Journalism and Ideas

 

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

 

THE LOWDOWN

Have you got your bike helmets at the ready? Or maybe your parents are dusting off the old ice cream container to stick on your head for when you go down to the park? 

Why do I ask .. because magpie swooping season is upon us. And experts are warning this year could be extra-intense on the maggie swooping front thanks to the COVID pandemic and all the masks we are wearing.

According to magpie researchers, the birds are really good at recognising facial features of individual humans. So a magpie in your neighbourhood will get to know you – and might swoop once, but becomes more relaxed as the season progresses. But because face masks are making it harder for the birds to recognise us – there’s expected to be extra swooping.

So why do they swoop in the first place? It’s because it’s spring, and they are nesting and having babies and protecting their families.

Bike helmets when you collect the mail or walk around the block are maybe a good idea. Or do like my mum used to do and stick an ice cream container on your head. An empty one, obviously. Otherwise that would just be messy.  

I’ve stuck a link in today’s episode notes to the MAgpie Alert website .. with its bunch of cool tools to find swooping hotspots and tips on how to avoid them. 

 

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 Japan, where dinosaur scientists have  discovered that the T-rex was probably a picky eater.

You know how you push the vegetables on your dinner plate to one side and hope your parents don’t notice? T-rex was apparently just as fussy when it came to dinner time.

Until now, it’s been assumed that T-rex rampaged about the place eating anything and everything it came across. Certainly, if the Jurassic Park movies are any guide, they apparently ate small cars and buildings .. 

But according to scientists at Japan’s Institute of Dinosaur Research — how cool would it be to work there?? – T-rex’s mouth was full of lots of nerve endings that made it more selective about exactly which parts of its prey it tucked into. 

So next time your parents try to make you eat those brussel sprouts at dinner – tell them you’re just being a bit T-rex tonight …

 

POP CULTURE CORNER

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Oh no you didn’t …. Oh yes they did … just when a superhero was needed most to show up and break the monotony of COVID lockdowns and life with restrictions – good ol’ Spidey comes sweeping into our lives to give us all something to look forward to.

I’m talking about the next Spider Man movie, ‘No Way Home’. A trailer for the blockbuster was published online yesterday and sent the internet into meltdown. There are appearances from Dr Strangelove, villain Dr Octopus – and a hint that the Green Goblin will be back again. Plus, it looks as if it’s going to take a leaf out of the Avengers book and introduce the concept of a multiverse to the Spider world. What’s a multi-verse? Only Marvel’s newest favourite thing. It’s the idea that at any given moment, there are multiple versions of reality running alongside each other. Cool, eh? 

I’ve stuck a link to the trailer in today’s episode notes .. and if you get all your home learning done early, or all your classroom tasks finished in time, maybe your parents/teachers will let you watch it … 

 

ANIMAL KINGDOM

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Those of us who have done science in primary school know that technically, humans are animals. But apparently some people in America are confused about the differences—so much so that their government has had to release an official statement on social media reminding people that they are not farm animals. 

Here’s what happened. First, word got out that scientists in laboratories were studying a drug called ivermectin as a possible treatment for Covid-19. Ivermectin is used to deworm livestock. Then, misinformation spread all over social media, saying that it was a wonder drug, and more effective than getting vaccinated. Next, people started actually giving themselves ivermectin. It has side effects like liver injury, severe skin reactions, vomiting, diarrhea… the list goes on. People have even been hospitalised after giving themselves the drug. So, the US Food and Drug Administration put out a simple message on social media. It says “You are not a horse. You are not a cow. Seriously, y’all. Stop it.” What a world we live in. 

 

SWYSH

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“It’s time for the S’Quiz, but before we jump in … Father’s Day is almost upon us folks. I don;t know about your Dad, but I reckon mine’s sick of getting golf tees and underpants – which is why I’m scrolling the Swysh website as we speak and getting his favourite sporting star to send him a personalised message. Dad’s a Tigers fan – don’t hold that against him, so I’m going to get him a David Nofualuma video. Because if they’re a big deal in the sports world – they’re on Swysh – and just waiting to send a custom-made message to your Dad this Father’s Day.

And the best bit? Part of the proceeds from every Swysh video goes to charities like the Starlight Children’s Foundation and Variety. Check them out at heyswysh.com – that’s swysh s-w-y-s-h. Get in quick before the top stars sell out.. There’s a link to their website in today’s episode notes.”

 

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 …

  1. What sort of birds begin swooping in spring?
  2. Which dinosaur is thought to have been a fussy eater?
  3. Which superhero’s new movie trailer has set the internet on fire? 

 

SHOUT OUTS

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It’s August 25 … It’s National Meals on Wheels Day … celebrating the 45,000 volunteers all over Australia who give up their time to home deliver meals to the elderly and vulnerable in our community. Here’s cheers to them!

It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today … Benjamin from Helensvale, Joshua from South Kingsville, Giorgio from Blacktown, Molly from Coogee, Cameron from Ballarat, Hannah from Dapto, Jai from St Helens Park and Heidi from Brisbane.

And a belated birthday wish goes to… Lara from Angle Vale.

Plus!!  … Because our friends in Melbourne, Canberra and all of NSW are in lockdown – we’re sending out Home Learning Herograms …  

A big shout out from Joe, Lucy, Gus and Maggie to their Mum, who is going the extra mile to make home learning SO much better than they ever thought it could be. 

Annise and Blake send a herogram to their wonderful teacher Ms Priestley (who makes homeschooling so much fun) and their class 4/5P at Ellison Public School in Springwood. 

Amelia at Radford College in Canberra also wants to send a home learning herogram to her teacher, Miss Dalton, for being a friendly face each morning during online schooling. 

Another herogram goes to Mrs Grove in Class 6G at Holsworthy Public School for being an awesome teacher everyday – from Avika.

Also a shout out to Archie from Fingal Bay for putting so much effort into his schoolwork during lockdown and always remembering to have fun!

And one last home learning shout out to Rafferty and Luella from Coogee – who both listen to the Squiz Kids every day and love it! 

 

The S’Quiz Answers:

  1. Magpies
  2. Tyrannosaurus-rex
  3. Spiderman