Squiz Kids Shortcuts
Each week we take a deep dive into a high-interest news or current affairs topic, answering kids' burning questions about everything from the Olympics to Islam. A new episode is released every Monday morning.
Looking for curriculum-aligned comprehension activities for each shortcut? We've got you covered. And check the episode notes for more resources to dig deeper.
LATEST SHORTCUT
Your Shortcut to… YouTube
Your Shortcut to… YouTube We’ll take you through HOW YouTube came into being; WHO are some of the most famous YouTubers… and WHY you need to stop, think, and check when watching YouTube. For the full episode transcript, click here. LINKS: Newshounds, Squiz Kids’ free media literacy curriculum: https://www.squizkids.com.au/about-newshounds/ The first YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNQXAC9IVRw The…
Squiz Kids Shortcuts dive into the who, what, when, where, why and how of the big news stories.
PREVIOUS SHORTCUTS
Australia Day 2023
It started as a celebration of freedom for ex-convicts… it’s been known as Landing Day, Foundation Day, Invasion Day, and Survival Day… and it was only in 1994 that it became official.
Listen nowSneakers
They’re known as sandshoes, plimsolls, trainers, and more… some are worth tens of thousands of dollars… and they have a pretty big impact on the environment. Wwe’ll take you through WHEN sneakers were first invented; WHAT a sneakerhead is; and HOW sneakers are contributing to climate change.
Listen nowSharks
They live in every ocean in the world… they’re been on our planet since before the dinosaurs… and lots of people are absolutely terrified of them. Because Bryce is at the beach, Amanda talks sharks with Dr. Adrian Gutteridge, a mad keen surfer from Brisbane who also happens to be a shark expert with the Marine Stewardship Council. He’ll take us through HOW he went from being terrified of sharks to studying them; WHAT are some of the weirdest and coolest things he’s learned; and WHY so many sharks species are endangered.
Presented in partnership with the Marine Stewardship Council
Listen nowFireworks
They started out as a way to scare mountain men… they cost Disney $50 million a year … but if you live in the NT, you can set them off yourself. We’ll take you through HOW fireworks work; WHERE you can see some of the biggest and best fireworks in the world; and WHY Cracker Night is controversial.
Listen nowThe World’s Christmas Menu
Depending on where you live, it could involve a sheep’s head… whale blubber… or throwing food at the ceiling! We’ll take you through WHERE you can find some of the most unusual Christmas dishes—to our Aussie palates, at least; WHY some families sit down to a 12-course meal; and WHAT is on the menu for dessert.
Listen nowHanukkah
It’s a religious celebration with candles, games, yummy food and sometimes presents… and no, we’re not talking about Christmas.
Listen nowToys Around the World
They can cost hundreds of dollars, or nothing at all… they’re important at every stage of childhood… and they. are. FUN! We’ll take you through WHY toys are important…WHAT toys tell us about the culture they come from … and HOW toys have changed over the years..
Listen nowWorld’s Toughest Animals
Frogs that stay buried underground for years… creatures that survive the vacuum of space… and worms that live happily in boiling acid water… We’ll take you through what makes five of the world’s animals so tough; how they got that way; and why we humans should care.
Listen nowEarthquakes and Volcanoes
Animals know about them before we do… school kids in the ring of fire practice for them… and they are very tricky to predict. Today, we’ll take you through what earthquakes and volcanoes have in common, where they usually happen, and how people living in those places adapt.
Listen nowThe Nobel Prizes
They’re the most prestigious prizes in the world… the winners get one-and-a-half million dollars … and two people have said “no thanks”. We’ll take you through how the Nobel Prizes got started, who are some of the most famous winners, and what exactly an “Ig Nobel Prize is.
Listen now