Library News
I am an avid lover of podcasts. You can find a podcast on just about any topic imaginable, they are free, and you can listen to them anywhere. In library lessons, we have been listening to a variety of podcasts and enjoy discussing the content.
There are many benefits for our children. Audio, more often than not, engages children’s imaginations more than video. Listening to podcasts asks children to shut off some of their senses, escape into their imagination and make up the picture to fit the story in their minds. Apart from being a calm and soothing activity, it stimulates the imagination. So many brilliant podcasts today are wonderfully engaging and educational. They make scientific, philosophical, political, historical and pop-culture theories accessible and interesting.
Here are some of my favourites that you may like to explore:
SHORT & CURLY is a fast-paced fun-filled ethics podcast for kids and their parents, with questions and ideas to really get you thinking. It asks curly questions about animals, technology, school, pop culture and the future.
Science is brought to life in this podcast that tells stories about science discoveries with help from actual scientists. They answer questions from “Why do cats always seem to land on their feet?” to “What would a journey to the center of the earth look like?”
An online treasure-trove of free audio stories. You can listen to a mixture of original stories, fairy tales, and specially adapted myths and histories. Storynory has published an episode every week since 2005, so there is plenty to love and something for everyone.
Children have all kinds of crazy questions—it’s one of the things we love best about them! This production, from Vermont Public Radio, tackles such topics as Why Do People Have Nightmares?, Do Animals Get Married?, and Why Do Lions Roar?
The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian is a serialized science-fiction story for kids (start with Episode One), told in 15 to 20 minute episodes for parents to put on when driving around town, or to marathon on road trips, or to bond over before bed. The story centres on Finn Caspian, an eight-year-old boy aboard The Famous Marlowe 280 Interplanetary Exploratory Space Station. He and his friends Abigail, Elias and Vale are Explorers Troop 301, taking off from the Marlowe to explore uncharted planets, help the occasional alien, and solve a mystery that threatens to destroy the Marlowe.
There are many more to list.
Squizz Kids – A news podcast for curious children
The Big Fib –Hilarious and fast-paced, the show teaches kids to ask insightful questions, weigh the evidence before them, and trust their gut.
If you know of other good podcast recommendations and are interested in sharing, you can contact me at elinor.couper@gsg.wa.edu.au.
Yours in reading,
Ms Elinor Couper | Head of Library Services