The Children's Hour

This week on The Children's Hour, it's the season of gratitude, and we're grateful for some of the most important people in our lives: our grandparents. The Kids have messages and stories to share for and about their own grandparents. We'll also hear kids from Jimmy Carter Middle School in Albuquerque, NM telling stories about grandparent love and magic in action.

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!

In this episode of The Children’s Hour, the Kids Crew dives into the world of Presidential elections! With the help of New Mexico's Secretary of State, Maggie Toulouse Oliver, and State Representative Pamela Herndon, we break down how elections work, what the Electoral College is, and why voting is so important. From learning about ballots to understanding how votes are counted, this episode is filled with interesting facts and answers to questions about the election process. Even though kids can’t vote, they can still learn and inspire adults to take part in elections!

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.

On this episode of The Children's Hour, we learn all about the Post Office from the American Postal Workers Union Local 380 President, Ken Fajardo. Mr. Fajardo has worked at the United States Postal Service for over 30 years, and explains what happens when a letter goes through the mail. We also learn about stamp collecting and how the postal service makes a big difference in elections. Plus, puzzlemaker Riya Joshi challenges the Kids Crew to a puzzle on the air. Learn with us!

This week on The Children’s Hour, we’re saying goodbye to summer. The kids crew share our favorite, and not so favorite, memories of summertime, and we’ll set some goals for the start of the school year. With a story by Bill Harley, great music, tips for a great school year, and more.

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. Get ready for the Olympics!

This time on The Children's Hour, we learn what watersheds are, and how they are impacted by forest fires. All over the world, people rely upon watersheds for drinking water, irrigating farmland, and for ecosystems. We are joined by educators from the New Mexico Watershed and Forest Restoration Institute, Natalia Shaw and Raymundo Melendez, along with educator and ecologist Dr. Krista Bonfantine.

This week on The Children’s Hour, learn about the history of the Southwest United States. Adapted from our educational podcast series: A Brief History of the American Southwest for Kids, join us for a dive into 23,000 years of American history.

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.

This week on The Children’s Hour, where does our tap water come from, and where does it end up when we flush or wash it down the drain? We learn about Water Treatment with the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority's education director, Erin Keck. Our water system is circular, from the Rio Grande and back again. In the meantime, it goes through pipes to homes, and down the drains when it's dirty. How do they clean it for drinking, and then clean it again after it's gross? And what role do tardigrades play?

Celebrate Mother's Day with a musical Children's Hour, featuring some of our favorite "Kindie" musicians honoring mothers through shoutouts and songs. We even hear from Katie Stone's mom!

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!