Tumble Science Podcast for Kids

Latest Episodes:

Tumble Sonic Saturday May 10th! Featuring the Science of Ocean Sounds May 09, 2025

Show notes

🎉 We’re getting ready for our biggest live event ever — Sonic Saturday! It’s a day of science, sound, and storytelling in Brooklyn, NY on May 10, and we’re celebrating by rebroadcasting one of the episodes that inspired it all: The Science of Ocean Sounds. 🌊🔊

Come join us (and special guest Dan Saks from Noodle Loaf!) for two interactive shows, hands-on science, and live demos from amazing STEM educators — including accessible science activities for blind and low-vision communities. RSVP ⁠now⁠!

And if you can’t be there in person, don’t worry — we’ll have a recording available soon.

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Explore the sounds of ocean science on a sound scavenger hunt! Tune in as oceanographer Amy Bower takes us to the sea, to show us how she uses sound to study ocean currents and make ocean science accessible for blind and visually impaired people. Listen up and help us search for clues beneath the waves to reveal the secrets of the underwater realm!

Ocean data sonifications courtesy of Dr. Jon Bellona at Oregon State University, and the Accessible Oceans project.

Learn more about Dr. Amy Bower in our bonus interview episode, available to Patrons who pledge just $1 or more a month to support Tumble, at patreon.com/tumblepodcast.

We have free resources to keep exploring the world of ocean science and data sonification with Amy Bower. They’re on the blog at sciencepodcastforkids.com, along with a free transcript.

This episode is the first in a series featuring blind scientists. The material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number # 2148711 - Engaging Blind, Visually Impaired, and Sighted Students in STEM with Storytelling through Podcasts.

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We're also launching a fundraiser! Go visit our donation page ⁠here⁠ to make a tax deductible donation, support your favorite joke tournament contestant, and maybe even win some cool prizes!

Why Is It Calm in the Eye of a Hurricane? Apr 25, 2025

Show notes

Why is the center of a raging storm so… calm? Tumble listener Lydia wants to know what’s really going on in the eye of a hurricane. To find out, we’re flying into the storm — literally — with meteorologist Shirley Murillo! Shirley is a real-life “hurricane hunter” who flies in a specially equipped airplane to collect data from inside the hurricane itself! Discover how hurricanes form, and what keeps the center of the storm calm, and what Shirley learned while flying through Hurricane Katrina, one of the most impactful storms in U.S. history. Buckle up — it's going to be a wild ride!

You can find a transcript of the episode and learn more about hurricane hunters on the blog at sciencepodcastforkids.com

Send us your science questions to tumblepodcast@gmail.com and leave a review on Apple Podcasts with the help of a grownup!

Support the show by becoming a Patreon member for just $1/month!

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number # 2415575 - Culturally Situated STEM Podcasts for Kids.

Was There Ever Nothing? Apr 11, 2025

Show notes

Was there ever nothing in the universe? What is nothing? That’s what listener Aviva wants to know. We turned to particle physicist Dr. Jessica Esquivel to find out! She takes us on a mind-bending journey to ask what existed before the universe began, and how a quantum dance party might have started the Big Bang! This story about subatomic particles, giant magnets, and quantum physics is something that will blow your mind.

You can find a transcript of the episode and learn more about the particle party in nothing on the blog at sciencepodcastforkids.com

Send us your science questions, ideas and songs to tumblepodcast@gmail.com

Support the show by becoming a Patreon member, or making a tax-deductible donation to Tumble Education, a 501c3 organization.

We also have a new merch store! Go get yourself some stuff!

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number # 2415575 - Culturally Situated STEM Podcasts for Kids.

What If Trees Didn't Exist? Mar 28, 2025

Show notes

Have you ever wondered what life on Earth would be like without trees? In this episode of Tumble Science Podcast for Kids, we’re exploring that big question with the help of two curious listeners, Rowan and Neesha!

Join Lindsay and Marshall as they talk to plant ecophysiologist Angelica Patterson to uncover the essential role trees play in our world. From providing oxygen to supporting animals and keeping water clean, trees are a crucial part of life as we know it. But could they disappear? And what happens when trees move? Plus, Angelica shares her unique (and surprising!) method for studying trees—spoiler alert: it involves a shotgun!

Get ready for a wild journey into forests, photosynthesis, and the impact of climate change on trees. Don’t miss this leafy adventure!

Support Tumble on Patreon by visiting patreon.com/tumblepodcast.

OR donate to our new non-profit by visiting bit.ly/donatetumble

How To Be An Inventor Mar 14, 2025

Show notes

What does it take to become an inventor? To find out, we spoke with an inventor named Josh Miele about one of his greatest inventions: tactile maps! Tactile maps use braille technology to help blind people explore their neighborhoods with their fingers first. But how does Josh create brand-new inventions? Tune in to find out how inventors bring new ideas to life, and stick around to find out whether birds like wearing denim.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number # 2148711 - Engaging Blind, Visually Impaired, and Sighted Students in STEM with Storytelling through Podcasts.

If you want to learn more about Josh and all his inventions, go to our blog at sciencepodcastforkids.com, where we've got lots of awesome resources!

If you want to make a recurring $5 donation to Tumble, you can go to bit.ly/donatetumble. Or you can support us at any level you like by going here.

Or support us on Patreon at patreon.com/tumblepodcast

Tumble is brought to you with support from IXL Learning. For a special discount for tumble listeners, go to IXL.com/tumble!

Why Do Animals Play? Feb 28, 2025

Show notes

Why do some animals play - and some don’t? That’s what Meredith wants to know. In this special collaboration with Outside/In, we investigate how and why animals - and people! - of all shapes and sizes play. Play scientists Junyi Chu and Jackson Ham help us ask the important questions like: Can you tell an octopus to play? And what can rats teach us about why taking turns is important? It turns out that play is serious science!

This episode is a collaboration with Outside/In from New Hampshire Public Radio, and co-reported with executive producer Taylor Quimby. Taylor recommends the show for older kids and teens, and suggests these family-friendly episodes for listening together.

The $1,000 balloon

What's living under your porch

You can make kids hike, but you can't make them hikers

Learn more about animal play on the blog on our website, sciencepodcastforkids.com

Support Tumble on Patreon at patreon.com/tumblepodcast.

Why are Capybaras So Big? Feb 14, 2025

Show notes

Why do capybaras have such big teeth? Adrian had to know! To get to the bottom of this, we spoke to a biologist named Santiago Herrera Alvarez. Capybaras are Internet sensations, and Santiago can't get enough of them! Santiago's questions were even bigger than capybara teeth: how did capybaras, a relative of rodents like mice and rats, get to be so enormous? Tune in for a capybara rodeo, and stick around to find out how one little animal can grow to superstardom.

Want to learn more? Go visit us at sciencepodcastforkids.com for videos, resources, and so much more about the world's biggest rodents! If you want to support Tumble on Patreon, go to patreon.com/tumblepodcast.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number # 2415575 - Culturally Situated STEM Podcasts for Kids.

How Does Vision Work? Jan 31, 2025

Show notes

How does vision work? That’s what Junie wants to know. And is it possible to create vision for people who don’t see? We’ll dive into the mysteries of how we see with Lucas Nadolskis, a scientist who became blind when he was five. Lucas is studying how vision works in the brain to understand if it’s possible to see without using your eyes! Intrigued? Listen in to find out more of the mysteries behind the science of vision!

The Wild Axolotl Jan 17, 2025

Show notes

Why are there so many axolotls in fishtanks, and so few in the wild? That’s what Maximiliano wants to know. You may have found axolotls in the lush caves of Minecraft, but in real life, they live in the lakes and canals of Xochimilco, near Mexico City. But the species is slowly disappearing from its native habitat. Axolotl veterinarian Horacio Mena takes us on a journey to Xochimilco to find out what scientists are doing to save these adorable amphibians.

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2415575.

The Polar Bear Adventure Jan 03, 2025

Show notes

Happy New Year! This is a rebroadcast of “Polar Bear Adventure” from Season 8!

Join us on an Arctic adventure as we head out onto the sea ice with a polar bear scientist! Andrew Derocher shares exciting stories of flying in helicopters, getting bit by a polar bear cub, and discovering how polar bears are surviving in a warming world.

Andrew explains what happens when polar bears move into human towns, in the bonus interview episode. It’s available to Patrons who pledge just a dollar or more a month on patreon.com/tumblepodcast.

Teachers! Find a toolkit to share polar bear science with students, on the World Wildlife Fund’s WildClassroom.org. A transcript for this episode and other resources are available on the blog on our website, sciencepodcast.com