| Hello teachers! |
| Term 4 already? Has someone leaned on the fast-forward button?? |
| The Hot Seat is warming up, the microphones are back on, and we’re very happy to be back in your inbox. We hope the holidays held something lovely for you. |
| To kick off the term, we’ve got two guests ready for your class’s questions, a Spotlight with Corey Tutt and some handy Earth Science resources. There’s also a muffin recommendation, because the person organising everyone else deserves a decent recess snack, and we’ve saved a little kindness for the end. |
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The Hot Seat is warming up…
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Two big guests. One very hot seat.
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| What do a bestselling author and the NSW Premier have in common? They’re both heading for the Squiz Kids Q+A Hot Seat this term, and we need your class to turn up the heat and ask the questions! |
| First up is Aaron Blabey, the author behind The Bad Guys, Pig the Pug and his new book Game of Pets. Why is he so good at writing naughty characters? Did he test his funny stories on his own kids? And what should we be looking out for in case our pets are secretly part of an intergalactic game show? Your questions for Aaron close at the end of this week. |
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| This image is (of course) AI-Generated |
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| Then it’s NSW Premier Chris Minns’s turn. What’s it like helping run a whole state? What happens when people disagree with your decisions? And what did he want to be when he was at school? It’s a chance for kids to ask about leadership, the issues they care about, or the person behind the job. Your questions for Chris close at the end of next week. |
| Got five minutes after lunch? Introduce the guests, brainstorm a few questions and let your class choose their favourites. Curly, thoughtful or wonderfully unexpected… we want to hear them! |
| Email your questions to [email protected], letting us know which guest they’re for and including your school and class details. We’ll pick the best to put to our guests. The Hot Seat is warming up… now we need your young question-askers to tell us what they wanna know! |
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A deadly start to the term
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Spotlight on Corey Tutt OAM
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| Snake catcher, former zookeeper, author and founder of DeadlyScience… Corey Tutt OAM has quite the CV. I recently had the opportunity to sit down with him for a Squiz Kids Spotlight, and his enthusiasm for sharing science with kids is infectious. |
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| Corey Tutt OAM, author of Before it was called Science |
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| Out this Tuesday, our conversation takes us from his animal-mad childhood to the story of how a child helped name DeadlyScience, and how its logo ended up on a Formula One car. There’s bush soap, some fascinating snake knowledge and a powerful reminder that First Nations peoples have been observing, experimenting and solving problems on this continent for tens of thousands of years. |
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| We also explore Corey’s new book, Before It Was Called Science, illustrated by Jaelyn Biumaiwai. It introduces young readers to more than 65,000 years of First Nations knowledge, with a little inspiration from Back to the Future and a cover that glows in the dark! |
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| Pop the episode on your classroom listening list for a conversation about curiosity, Country and the many ways we learn about our world. And if you’re looking for a popular new addition to your classroom bookshelf, Corey’s book is out now. |
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Rock your lessons… and stock your lunchbox
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| OK, stay with me here, because a packet of spaghetti and a few sugar cubes might not look like science equipment, but Geoscience Australia has other ideas. Earth Science Week is here, and the Geoscience Australia website has a few gems worth digging into. |
| There are colouring sheets and a find-a-word for an easy starting point, a Sugar Shake erosion experiment, and Spaghetti Quakes for older students exploring earthquake magnitude. A matching activity connects rocks, minerals and elements with their properties and everyday uses, a handy way to show that geology reaches well beyond the rock collection on the windowsill. |
| If you do already have this week’s lessons sorted (and of course you do), bookmark the collection for your next rock cycle, materials or changing landscapes unit. Those resources will still be useful long after the celebration finishes. |
| And something for the person packing the teacher’s lunchbox (aka probably you)… because it’s also National Nutrition Week. If you don’t have time to leave your desk, keep one of these in your top drawer for when recess rolls around. These five-veggie savoury muffins can be prepped on the weekend and sustain you throughout the week, and we also have a vegan alternative. Keep yourself nourished as we race towards the end of the year, and if you’re feeling generous, make a lucky colleague’s day too. |
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Fun Finish: A little kindness on the line 
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| If your first week back is getting you down and you need a little pep talk, an eight-year-old and his five-year-old sister have got you covered. |
| Wollongong teacher John Penno and his children, Jack and Daisy, have created Call 4 Kindness, a hotline featuring more than 40 recorded messages of encouragement. Dial (02) 3814 5511 and get ready to be delighted. You’ll hear two randomly selected messages from the kids. The idea grew from their family’s bedtime affirmations, and the kids helped write the messages themselves. |
| Our favourites? “You’re as fast as Ronaldo!” and “You’re brighter than a star!” |
| We spend plenty of our school day encouraging little people; it feels lovely to have a couple come back atcha. |
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What’s on this week?
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| Here’s what’s happening around the country and the world: |
Earth Science Week
National Nutrition Week |
| Monday |
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| Tuesday |
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| Wednesday |
- World Standards Day
- International E-Waste Day
- The Battle of Hastings (1066). William of Normandy defeated King Harold, changing England forever. It’s famously shown in the 70-metre Bayeux Tapestry.
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| Thursday |
- World Students’ Day
- Global Handwashing Day
- Rugby League World Cup kicks off.
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| Friday |
- World Food Day
- Loud Shirt Day
- The first public operation without pain (1846). In Boston, dentist William Morton put a patient to sleep with ether while a surgeon removed a lump from his neck.
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| Saturday |
- Caulfield Cup
- International Sawfish Day
- International Archaeology Day
- Al Capone caught by taxes (1931). America’s most famous gangster was convicted not of his crimes, but of not paying his taxes.
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| Sunday |
- World Okapi Day
- Persons Day (Canada). It marks the 1929 ruling that women count as “persons” under Canadian law.
- The first all-female spacewalk (2019). NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir stepped outside the International Space Station together to fix a power unit.
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Housekeeping
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We love hearing from you
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| Hit reply with feedback, suggestions or funny teaching stories. |
| One little reminder before you go: Aaron Blabey’s questions close at the end of this week. We’d love to hear from your classroom. |
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Pass it on.
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| Know a teacher who’d love this? Get ‘em on to Squiz Kids… |
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| Or copy and paste this link to others: |
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Want more Squiz but for adults?
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Squiz Shortcuts – the backstory to the big news stories. Click here to get it in your inbox, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify to get it in your ears.
Saturday Squiz – news, weekend style. .
News Club – the place to go for conversations about the news, hosted by OG Squizers Claire Kimball and Kate Watson. Hit follow on Apple or Spotify to get News Clubin your ears. |
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