Podcast – The Children's Hour

Get ready to celebrate the end of the school year with The Children's Hour! This week, we honor teachers, cheer for graduates, and dive into hilarious and heartfelt stories about finishing school. Plus, we share songs about summer adventures and new beginnings. Join us for a joyful goodbye to another great year!

Why do animals travel long distances every year? On this episode of The Children's Hour, we learn all about migration—how it works, why it happens, and which creatures migrate the farthest. From the skies to the seas, we'll explore the incredible journeys that animals take in search of food, warmth, and safety.

This show is for mom! It's a celebration of mothers from Children's Hour listeners and our kids crew. We'll also learn the history of Mother's Day, beginning 1872 when Julia Ward Howe made the first Mother's Day Proclamation. Plus we find out about bird moms, and hear great music honoring motherhood.

In this episode of The Children's Hour, we dig into the world of roots—how they feed plants, connect trees, and even store carbon to help our planet. Artist and educator Jane Westbrook shares her passion for roots, while Robin Wall Kimmerer and Monique Gray Smith introduce us to Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults, a book about Indigenous knowledge, science, and our relationship with nature. Through stories, music, and conversation, we learn how roots keep the Earth strong and how we can care for the plants that sustain us.

Our minds help us understand, learn, and express ourselves. But not everyone thinks the same way! In this episode of The Children's Hour, we explore different kinds of minds, including neurodivergent thinkers, emotional intelligence, and artificial intelligence.

Creativity comes in many forms, and on this episode of The Children's Hour, we celebrate the artists, authors, musicians, and performers who create their own way. We meet Albuquerque street artist Maewyn Padilla, hear from legendary actor William Shatner, and chat with bestselling author Dan Gutman and young actress Celestina Harris about their creative journeys. Plus, we premiere A Balloon's Breath, a symphony for strings composed by 12-year-old Evan Daitz, inspired by the sound of hot air balloons. Join us as we explore the power of imagination and self-expression!

What is justice, and how do courts make sure laws are fair? In this episode of The Children's Hour, the Kids Crew talks with Maria Martinez-Sanchez from ACLU New Mexico to learn how the judicial system works, from local courts to the Supreme Court. We also explore tribal justice systems with Chief Justice Rosanna Toya, who explains how Native American nations have their own courts and laws. Join us as we discover how justice is served in different ways across the United States.

Dr. Seuss' stories have delighted readers for generations with their fun rhymes and memorable characters. In this episode, we learn about his life, creative process, and the impact of his books. Tune in to discover the magic behind one of the greatest children's authors of all time!

Why do we spend so much of our lives sleeping? Is anything happening in our brains while we sleep? Do animals sleep the same way we do? On this episode of The Children's Hour, we explore the science of sleep with expert guests and our Kids Crew.

This time on The Children's Hour, we celebrate the First Lady of children's music, Ella Jenkins, who died in November 2024 at the age of 100. Learn about her extraordinary life and how she created a whole new genre of music for kids and families.

Take flight with the magnificent and mighty eagle on a field trip to the Zuni Eagle Sanctuary with Lucasti and Caibiya, and the Kids Crew meet Dr. Brian Millsap, a biologist who has spent his life studying eagles. Learn with us!

Celebrate the best in kids music, hear about one of our favorite educational podcasts, and sample the Grammy nominees for Best Children's Release. It's all in an hour!

Get into the holiday spirit with The Children's Hour as we unwrap the traditions and tunes that make the season magical!

Bear with us this time on The Children's Hour as we learn about bears from the legendary Dr. Lynn Rogers from the North American Bear Center. Find out how bears fit into our ecology, where and how they live, and how Dr. Rogers overcame his fear of bears to study wild bears.

This time on The Children's Hour, the Kids Crew explores graphic novels. These modern day comic books can help kids become better readers, while keeping them engaged and learning. Dr. Lee Francis IV has a publishing house featuring graphic novels for all ages written by Native authors and illustrators. We also meet a science illustrator whose books help kids understand complex scientific topics. Plus we have book reviews!

In this episode of The Children's Hour, the Kids Crew dives into the captivating realm of great apes, featuring orangutans, chimpanzees, and gorillas. Special guest Michelle Desilets from Forests for Orangutans shares insights into the behaviors, lifestyles, and struggles of these remarkable animals. We also visit the Albuquerque BioPark Zoo to get an up-close look at chimpanzees. Join us for an engaging and informative adventure into the world of these extraordinary creatures!

This special episode of The Children's Hour honors Indigenous Peoples' Day with guest author Laurel Goodluck, who shares stories from her books that highlight indigenous perspectives. Laurel, who is of Mandan Hratsa and Tsimshian heritage, reads excerpts from her books, including Too Much, My Great Big Native Family and She Persisted: Deb Haaland. The Kids Crew engages with Laurel on topics like family, resilience, and cultural pride, while indigenous music from around the world weaves throughout the program, creating an enriching experience for listeners of all ages.

Coming up on The Children's Hour, we get bugged with the Albuquerque BioPark's Curator of Entomology, Jason Schaller who lets bugs loose at the Outpost Performance Space with our Kids Crew. We learn what makes a bug, well … a bug? Why should we love bugs? Do bugs have feelings? Learn about bugs in space, and find out how to make cricket tacos, as we explore the incredible diversity of insects on Planet Earth. Mixed with excellent music, get bugged with us!

In this special episode of The Children's Hour, we celebrate the extraordinary life and legacy of Jimmy Carter, just in time for his 100th birthday on October 2, 2024. Join us as we explore his journey from a peanut farmer in Georgia to becoming the 39th President of the United States, and beyond, with insights into his lifelong dedication to peace, human rights, and community service. Featuring music, interviews, and stories, this episode honors Carter's remarkable impact on the world.

Together we can do anything, and this time on The Children's Hour we explore teamwork, improv, and how playing games brings builds community. The Kids Crew gets a workshop in improvisation as a team building exercise. Then, we learn about games kids have played for thousands of years which helped create and sustain strong communities. Learn with us! 

We speak with our bodies, and some people speak only with their bodies. Communication Nation Episode 3: Other Voices, Other Sounds explores nonverbal communication, sign language, deaf culture, and assistive technology. Comes with a learning guide. Learn with us!

Communication Nation Episode 2: Mother Tongues focuses on the incredible diversity of language around us, from appreciation of the way names sound, to the restoration of endangered languages. Learn with us on The Children's Hour!

Communication Nation Episode One: Speaking the Truth - Media Literacy & Misinformation is the first of a four part radio series exploring communication to better understand one another. We can only have effective communication when we can trust our sources. We learn about media literacy and misinformation from Eisha Buch at Common Sense Media.

It's time for the Olympic games, and our summer intern and longtime Kids Crew member, Thaniel, has written and produced a show for us about the Olympics. Thaniel covers the history of the events all the way back to ancient Greece, and through the modern displays. Hear from the first Native American gold medalist, Billy Mills on how staying active is especially important for tribal community health and well-being. Get ready for the Olympics!

We're celebrating dads for Father's Day with a musical special. As we think about our fathers, we remember the important role they play in our families, and our lives with their nurturing, love, and care. Happy Father's Day to all the dads from all of us on The Children's Hour.

Get out of this world this week with The Children's Hour! We're going to The Moon with Commander Reid Wiseman from NASA's Artemis 2 mission. The Bad Astronomer, Dr. Phil Plait teaches us how the moon was formed, and we learn what happens to the lunar rocks back on Earth from Dr. Chip Sharer. Comes with a learning guide - and mixed with great music.

It's Earth Day on The Children's Hour, and we meet Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM) who explains how National Parks and National Wilderness areas are created. Kids can play a big part! Then, Evan tells us about the Junior Ranger program. Biologists and authors Lily and Barbara Kingsolver share about their new book, Coyote's Wild Home. Learn with us!

This time on The Children's Hour, New Mexico Poet Laureate Lauren Camp inspires us to find our poet within, putting our feelings, thoughts, stories and ideas into words to create our own poetry. Featuring poems read by Bob Odenkirk, Joy Harjo, and others, we celebrate poetry and explore our own poet within each one of us.

This time on The Children's Hour we learn about the concept of querencia: the feeling of "home" in a place, and with our communities. Using poetry, imagery, history, music and sharing, we explore the elements of home.

Imagine a world where kindness is a habit. The Kids Crew explore kindness, as a practice, science and feeling on this edition of The Children's Hour.

Mega Ran is one of the most prolific hip hop artists you have heard, but likely have not heard of. His music is featured in hundreds of video games, earning him an award from the Guinness Book of World Records. Now he's a children's musician with a beat and a message. Get inspired by his amazing journey in an engaging conversation with our Kids Crew.

Who's hooting? On this episode of The Children's Hour, we learn all about owls!  More than 200 species of owls live around the world. Maybe you have had the experience like some of our Kids Crew, of seeing owls in the wild? If you want to learn more about these interesting creatures, this episode is for you!

Megan Piphus is living the dream. A ventriloquist and singer, as the six year old Muppet Gabrielle, Megan is Sesame Street's first Black woman puppeteer. She is with us for the hour.

This time on The Children's Hour, we explore the skin we are in. We are joined by Dr. Holly McGee and Dr. Nina Jablonski, who have written a book to explain the cultural and social history of skin color called It's Just Skin, Silly. Then we meet Dr. Adnan Mir, a pediatric dermatologist who helps us understand even more about our skin from a medical point of view. This episode comes with a digital Learn-Along guide that meets and cites educational content standards, to be used in the classroom.

What makes a good meal great? It's when it tastes delicious and is nutritious, all at the same time. This week on The Children's Hour we get in the kitchen with Kids Cook's Sara Robbins in a demonstration kitchen, as we explore healthy foods for kids of all ages. We talk with pediatric dietician, Jill Castle about making healthy choices for our meals. At the same time, we're cooking at 3 Sisters Kitchen and making burritos from scratch. Our goal is eating well – join us!

Our planet is alive, and not just because it enables life to live here, but also the land on Earth is constantly shifting and moving. This time on The Children's Hour we learn about our earthquakes from science communicator and geologist, Dr. Wendy Rocks. Then we hear about volcanoes from Dr. Mousumi Roy. We explore what causes earthquakes and volcanoes, and how scientists can (or cannot) predict them. Plus hear a Kids Crew review of a new book about epic mythology: Greeking Out. Let's get shaking with The Children's Hour!

We showcase some of the best of 2023 for kids music. The Kids Crew is joined by guests Bob Odenkirk and his daughter Erin Odenkirk. Their book Zilot & Other Important Rhymes is our pick for the best book of 2023 for children. Celebrate the best of 2023 with The Children's Hour.

Celebrate the holidays with The Children's Hour in a holiday musical special. We will play some of the latest and greatest in Kindie releases, and with many of our classic favorites. Get your family singing and dancing and fill your hearts with joy. Happy Holidays from all of us at The Children's Hour!

Astronomy begins at home, just looking up and seeing what we see. The Kids Crew meet with Professor Raman Prinja, Head of Astronomy and Physics at University College in London. Professor Prinja's new book Wonders of the Night Sky details the many celestial sights we can see just by looking up at the sky in our own backyards. Get out of this world with us in a conversation on astrophysics with the Kids Crew.

Join The Children's Hour Kids Crew in a field trip to the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market, the largest in the world! Learn what makes something "Folk Art" in conversations with artists from dozens of countries. This episode comes with a Learn-Along guide for use in classrooms.

This time on The Children's Hour, we're celebrating Thanksgiving in a musical special dedicated to gratitude, family, and appreciation of each another and the Earth. We're finding the joy in every moment, in this Thanksgiving musical Children's Hour.

Join our Kids Crew in a conversation with the beloved children's authors, Goosebump's author RL Stine and Marc Brown, the author and illustrator of the Arthur books and TV show. We discover their secrets to creating some of the most widely read kids' books of all time. Get reading with The Children's Hour!

This Halloween special explores the traditions of Halloween, from carving pumpkins to costumes, and what the history is to explain trick-or-treating. Mixed with great music!

Learn all about sloths with author Georgeanne Irvine from the San Diego Zoo, and biologist Sam Trull from the Sloth Institute in Manuel Antonio Costa Rica. Find out how we can all help protect sloths. This episode comes with a digital Learn Along guide that meets and cites US national education standards.

Because kids are seeing guns in so many places, The Children's Hour has tips on gun safety that hunting families have taught their kids for generations. We learn from kids who are hunters themselves on what hunting means to them, and we explore gun laws in the US and the world. Gun violence prevention begins with a conversation at home. Join us for this lifesaving episode of The Children's Hour.

This time on Children's Hour get blown away with us as we learn all about balloons. We begin with the history of hot air balloons, and we end up in the air on a real balloon. Then we explore latex balloon art and clothing with the team at Airigami. Plus, find out what happens when helium balloons get released into nature. And, that mysterious object you might see floating around in the middle of the day in the skies above you? That might be a weather balloon! All of this is mixed with great music!

Get into the world groove with The Children's Hour as we explore global music for kids. We hear some radio debuts of songs that teach, inspire, and entertain, performed by musicians from around the world. Join us for a musical exploration of world music for kids!

Learn about fossils in a Kids Crew field trip to a secret fossil quarry in the mountains outside of Albuquerque, as well as in a chat with New Mexico Natural History Museum educator Mike Sanchez. Will we become fossilized too? Fossils teach us about the Ice Age and climate change at the La Brea Tar pits in the heart of Los Angeles. This episode comes with a Learn-Along guide and is mixed with great music.

This time on The Children's Hour we are falling into autumn in the northern hemisphere. We learn about equinox, and hear from 5th graders on learning different perspectives about Labor Day, Mexican Independence Day, and Columbus Day.

The Kids Crew learn the science, history, and current schedule of vaccination from Newberry Honor author Dr. Rajani Larocca, and from the Center for Disease Control's Dr. Georgina Peacock. Plus we meet Dr. Richard Corsi, a pioneer of the cheap D-I-Y air purifier.

Celebrate The Children's Hour's fifth birthday in a show full of memorable moments from our last five years, and mixed with some of our favorite tunes.