Tumble Science Podcast for Kids

Latest Episodes:

The Mask of the Crow Scientist Oct 26, 2018

Show notes

Not a true crime story, but a true science story! Starring a murder of crows, a person in a creepy mask, and one very curious scientist named Kaeli Swift. We unravel the mystery of what appears like scene from a Halloween fright night, but is actually an experiment designed to reveal the reasons for some very weird crow behavior. Turns out, you can get a lot of strange looks on the road to science discovery. NOTE: This episode is about the scientific study of death in animals. No animals die in this story, but listeners uncomfortable with this topic might want to skip it. Other Halloween episodes are “We Ain’t Afraid of No Ghosts!” and “The Laboratory of the Haunted House.” To see a photo of someone wearing the mask, and watch a video of Kaeli’s study, visit our blog at sciencepodcastforkids.com. We have more from our interview with Kaeli, on our special ad-free Patreon feed! Learn about how Kaeli followed her curiosity from this experiment, to fascinating studies on what crows might actually be thinking during a crow funeral. Pledge starting at $1/month today, at patreon.com/tumblepodcast. Send us your science questions, and tell us about your Halloween-inspired experiments! Email us at tumblepodcast@gmail.com. Happy Halloween!

Pluto and the Planetary Pandemonium Oct 12, 2018

Show notes

It’s a scientific controversy of planetary proportions! Is Pluto a planet, or not? You decide, after we present two sides of an epic astronomy argument. Back in 2006, the International Astronomer’s Union voted on a definition of the word “planet” that excluded Pluto and other newly dubbed “dwarf planets” from planethood status. Astronomers - and everybody else - quickly chose sides. We dive deep into the debate and learn that Pluto’s not the only Space Object Formerly Known As A Planet. Then we’ll ask you to weigh in with your opinion, and see if you can find “consensus” on what should be called a planet. Featuring planetary astronomer Kirby Runyon. We have a present for your birthday!! We’ll be doing birthday shoutouts for our Patreon members, beginning next month. Want to hear a message on the podcast just for your special day? Pledge at the $5 level at patreon.com/tumblepodcast. You’ll be helping us make the show, and we also have extra audio goodies for you. Hear more from our interviews with scientists! For this episode, Kirby Runyon expands on the different types of planets, and the fascinating features you can find on each one. There’s more about planets, on our website at sciencepodcastforkids.com. Don’t forget to subscribe to Tumble and tell your friends!

What Would Earth Be Like If Volcanoes Didn’t Exist? Sep 28, 2018

Show notes

A volcanologist imagines a world without volcanoes, and tells us how her recipe for homemade lava bombs might lead to discoveries about ancient volcanoes in outer space! It turns out that volcanoes do more for planets than create natural pyrotechnic displays. You’re guarenteed to be blown away by volcanologist Erika Rader’s EXTREME VOLCANO SCIENCE PROJECT. Spoiler alert: It involves a huge cauldron of molten rock, an aircannon, and a forklift. Tell Erika what YOU would do with a lava machine: Email us at tumblepodcast@gmail.com with a drawing or recording, and we’ll pass your ideas on! Join our Patreon campaign to hear more from our interview with Erika, on our ad-free podcast feed: patreon.com/tumblepodcast Special thanks to Rob Griffiths for his help with this episode! Check out his podcast, Bedtime.FM and Peace Out on the Kids Listen app - kidslisten.org.

The Journey to the Bat Cave Sep 14, 2018

Show notes

Join us on a field trip to the biggest bat colony in the world! Bracken Cave is home to 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats. It’s the largest concentration of mammals on the planet, and it’s made up of only mothers and their babies. On our visit, we’ll meet a real-life Batwoman. Jessica Dreyer is a bat biologist who is studying how bats learn to be bats. Now… TO THE BAT CAVE! To see photos from our trip, as well videos of “bat rain” and the evening “batnado,” check out our blog at sciencepodcastforkids.com/blog. We’ll also have information about how you can visit Bracken Cave in person, with Bat Conservation International. This week, our Patreon members are getting exclusive audio bonus content from our interview with Jessica! Hear her describe what it’s like to go inside the cave, as she shares tons of other stunning bat facts. Pledge today at patreon.com/tumblepodcast. You’ll also get an ad-free feed, when you sign up at just $1/month!

The Science Splash Jam! Live Aug 31, 2018

Show notes

This summer, Tumble went live!! and we want to share the science magic with all our listeners. In this episode, you’ll hear our favorite parts of our Back-to-School Science Splash Jam from the Scottish Rite Theater in Austin, Texas. Get ready for a sea star song written by listeners, jellyfish trivia, and amazing science questions from fans. A super huge thanks and shoutout to everyone who came to our events! If you’re curious about Tumble live events, email us at tumblepodcast@gmail.com. Our guests were SaulPaul, Elizabeth McQueen, and Juli Berwald. Sara and Michael Lentz recorded the Science Splash Jam. Thanks to our sponsors: The Headwaters School, Austin Family Magazine, Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child, and Listenwise. Our kid contestants were Adele, Liesel, and Finn. Our question askers were Amery, Amara, and Leela.

The Case of the Shrinking Laboratory Aug 17, 2018

Show notes

What if you could shrink your technology down to a size that’s 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair? It sounds like sci-fi, but it’s not. Romain Quidant shows us how he helped shrink an entire medical laboratory down to the size of a computer chip. The “lab on a chip” uses molecular mini-detectives to track down diseases hiding within a tiny drop of blood. We’ll find out how it works, and why a tiny particle could make a big difference for human health. To see a photo of Romain holding the lab on the chip, check out our blog at sciencepodcastforkids.com/blog. Tumble is brought to you with support from KiwiCo. KiwiCo is offering Tumble listeners the chance to try them for free - to redeem this offer and learn more about their projects for kids, visit kiwico.com/tumble. Love Tumble? Support us on Patreon! All you need to do is go to patreon.com/tumblepodcast and sign up to pledge. Listener support makes a HUGE difference in helping us make the show. We’d also love to give you a shoutout on our next episode!

The Girl Who Spoke Science Aug 03, 2018

Show notes

Meet 11-year-old Sarah Galvani-Townsend! She’s our first ever kid science expert. In many ways, Sarah is a regular kid who loves science. But she’s got an unusual hobby. Sarah tells us why studying dogs and rabies is one of her favorite extracurricular activities, and how she translates “science language” into “kid language.” To read Sarah’s paper and find out more about Science Journal for Kids, visit our blog at sciencepodcastforkids.org/blog. The original paper is called “One Health approach to cost-effective rabies control in India” and the lead author is Meagan C. Fitzpatrick. Tumble is brought to you with support from KiwiCo. KiwiCo is offering Tumble listeners the chance to try them for free - to redeem this offer & learn more about their projects for kids, visit kiwico.com/tumble Love Tumble? Support us on Patreon! Go to patreon.com/tumblepodcast and pledge today. Even just a $1/month means a lot to us! We love hearing from you. Email us your questions, comments and feedback at tumblepodcast@gmail.com.

The Snapdragon Hunt Jul 20, 2018

Show notes

It’s the tale of an epic science adventure. It’s the drama of the hunt for a dragon… a snapdragon! This isn’t the kind of dragon that breathes fire. It’s a flower! And biologists have been hunting for them every summer, in an ongoing quest to understand how species evolve and separate. We tag along with biologist Carina Baskett on her very first day of the snapdragon hunt, in the Pyrenees mountains of Spain. Join us as we get excited about “fieldwork” - one of the coolest (and most adventurous) parts of the scientific process! You can see photos from the snapdragon hunt and learn about fieldwork all over the world, on our blog. We’re doing it live! Check out Tumble’s live events coming up in August, on our website. Tumble is brought to you with help from KIND Snacks. Complete offer details are available at: https://www.kindsnacks.com/kidsoffer Our Patrons make a WORLD of difference to us! Pledge to support at patreon.com/tumblepodcast. Rewards include ad-free episodes, free educational materials, chances to appear on the show, and more.

Mailbag Episode With Joe Hanson! Jul 06, 2018

Show notes

Joe Hanson is a scientist who hosts PBS Digital Studio’s It’s Okay to Be Smart and Hot Mess, a new YouTube show about climate change. He’s been a longtime friend of Tumble’s, so it was a no-brainer to ask him to help answer listener questions! Joe tells us why penguins can’t fly, how animals breathe underwater, what’s beyond the universe, and why our teeth get wobbly and fall out. Plus, find out what we think Tumble: Aquatic Edition would sound like! Watch some of our favorite of Joe’s videos on our website: sciencepodcastforkids.com/blog. Don’t forget, a great way to support Tumble is to pledge on Patreon. You can also tell five friends about the show! Either way, we’ll love you. We’ve got a special offer for you to try KIND Kids Bars! Go to KindSnacks.com/science and enter code SCIENCE at checkout to receive 20% off of your order of KIND Kids Bars.

The Road Trip to Outer Space Jun 22, 2018

Show notes

Got a long trip coming up? Turn it into an adventure into outer space! Marshall’s headed out on an intergalactic journey. He’s lined up the best episodes on astronomy for your road trip! See what it’s like to spend a year on Mars, take a wild ride through the solar system, find out if it’s possible to ship Co2 off our planet, search for alien life, and investigate black holes with the world’s top black hole hunter. You’ll be there in no time when time is flying by at warp speed! When we get to 150 Patrons, Marshall will do something very silly. So if you can, please pledge today: patreon.com/tumblepodcast Hope you’re having a great summer! We’ll be back with new episodes soon.

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