Wednesday, 29 June, 2022
LINKS
Census Data: https://www.abs.gov.au/tags/census-2021-media-releases
Mama Sea Lion goes golfing: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-06-26/pregnant-sea-lion-golf-course-carlsbad-resort
Squiz Kids Apple Subscriber Content – Free 30 Day Trial: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/squiz-kids/id1494238283
EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
THE LOWDOWN
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It’s official: Australia is a majority migrant nation.
Data from the national census released yesterday shows that for the first time, more than half of our population —51.5 per cent, to be precise—was either born overseas, or has a parent who was born overseas. Hands up if that’s you!
The Census found that more than one million new residents came to Australia between 2017 and 2021, and those numbers tipped us over into a mostly-migrant country.
Australia is still the most common country of birth, followed by England. But India has overtaken China and New Zealand to be the third most common. Hands up if you, or one of your parents, was born in England, India, China, or New Zealand!
The census also showed that the number of people who speak a language other than English at home had gone up to more than five-and-a-half million people. Mandarin, which is spoken in China, is the most common language, followed by Arabic. Hands up if you speak Mandarin or Arabic at home!
Census data is used to help governments to decide where and how to spend money… so it’s helpful for the government to now know that 850,000 people aren’t able to speak English well, or at all… or that just under 100,000 people live in caravans or houseboats… or that 8 million Australians have long term health conditions. If you’re the kind of person who loves statistics, I’ve popped a link in your episode notes to more info from the Census.
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 Israel, where scientists have discovered that your NOSE may be helping you choose your friends. A study of 20 pairs of good friends, who said that they had “instantly” liked each other when they met, found that the friends’ body odours were much more similar than you’d expect between two unrelated people.
Another part of the study took complete strangers and got them to play a game together. People who felt that they had a good connection were much more likely to have a similar stank. And we’re not talking about the smell of food, or soap, or perfume … people who participated in the research had to stop eating strong foods, and only wash in soap provided by the lab, in the days leading up to the study. Now, the scientists are looking at whether they can actually change people’s body odours, and see if they’ll band together with others who have their new smell. Intriguing.
NEWSHOUNDS
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G’day Squiz-E… isn’t it great to have our faithful newshound back, to tell us what fishy business he’s sniffed out on the internet lately. This time, he’s been over in Perth, where a blitz of Facebook ads earlier this month got hundreds of WA parents and kids to turn up for acting auditions at a posh hotel. They were lured there by the hope of Disney stardom, because the ad claimed to be auditioning for Disney+ shows. But after the first round of auditions, parents were told that they would need to pay up to 20,000 dollars for their child to “progress” through to the next round. Not only that, but the kids wouldn’t be paid if they did make it on a show!
Thankfully, most parents were able to stop, think, and check. A statement from the Walt Disney Company soon confirmed that the company running the auditions had nothing to do with them, or Disney shows. Sorry, kids, you’ll have to wait a bit longer for your Hannah Montana moment…
ANIMAL KINGDOM
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Golfers in the city of Carlsbad, in California, got a big surprise when they found a very pregnant sea lion in the middle of their course the other day! That’s right, you heard correctly… a pregnant sea lion … on a golf course. I’ll put photos in your episode notes—it really does look weird seeing a glistening sea lion resting on a bright green, perfectly manicured lawn, instead of on a sandy beach!
The mama-to-be is thought to have swum up a nearby lagoon during high tide, then waddled onto the golf course, perhaps for a little rest. Pregnancy does make you tired! But then the tide went down, and mama was stuck. The golf resort called nearby Sea World, in San Diego, who helped her off the course, and back into the Pacific Ocean, where she’s sure to give birth any minute.
SCHOOL HOLIDAY CONTENT
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It’s school holiday time !!! Some of you are already off on holidays, some of you finish up the school term at the end of this week … Bryce and I are going to take a little break, too! . Don’t worry, you can still hear from us every day! You’re all invited to take advantage of a super-cool school FREE holiday offer from Squiz Kids. We’ll keep everyone entertained with our Kids v Adult Bumper Quizzes, plus all of the Squiz Kids Shortcuts and Squiz The World episodes we’ve ever produced. You’ll get a free trial for the WHOLE school holidays… search for Squiz Kids in the Apple podcasting app and click on ‘Give Me More’ … you’ll be glad you did ..
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 is the most common language, other than English, spoken in Australian households?
- Which ocean, off the coast of California, was the mama sea lion released to?
- Which massive entertainment company did kids in Perth think they were auditioning for, before it was found to be fake?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s June 29 … National Hug Day! Okay, technically only in the United States, but I reckon it’s okay for you to give a family member or friend an extra hug here in Australia, too. In fact, studies show that hugging releases oxytocin, known as the “feel good hormone”.
I’m going to bet these Squiz Kids get some extra hugs today, because they’re celebrating a birthday!
Ryleigh from Ashmont, Quinn from Williamstown, Elise from Graceville, Alyana (pronounced Ali-Anna) from Chapel Hill, Eason from Cornubia and Matilda from Perisher Valley.
And a belated birthday shout out goes to Elvy from Carroll.
Classroom shout outs are going to… all classes at Valentine Public School and a very happy birthday to their teacher Ms Fischer for tomorrow. Also to class 3I at Jerrabomberra Public School, Year 4 and Mrs Pi at Carlingford Public School, class 5/6GN at Padstow North Public School, class 2A and Miss Nawabi at the Australian International Academy in Kellyville and lastly to Year 3 at Anne Hamersley Primary School in Ellenbrook.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Mandarin
- Pacific Ocean
- Disney