Squiz Kids

Bringing back the Tassie Tiger, and keeping Venice afloat 15.09.2026 10m

Your daily kids news podcast. Bringing back the Tassie Tiger; keeping Venice afloat; dinosaur poo delivers a clue; and the Big Peg is up for sale. Could the Tasmanian tiger be about to claw its way back from extinction? Venice’s incredible flood barriers have already saved the floating city more than 150 times. But rising seas mean they’re being used more and more, creating a tricky new problem. Scientists peering inside 66-million-year-old fossilised dung discovered amazingly preserved feathers, bird bones and fish scales. Forget the pool and renovated kitchen — this NSW property comes with a 5.2-metre steel clothes peg! For the full episode transcript, click here. Researched and hosted by Christie Kijurina

Panama - Squiz the World goes to... 14.09.2026 16m

Each fortnight, we give the world globe a spin and see where we land. Then we take the kids of Australia on an audio excursion to visit that country and its people. Join your captain, Christie Kijurina, on an audio adventure to Panama, a skinny, S-shaped country known as the “Bridge of the World, Heart of the Universe”. Discover how giant ships climb a watery staircase through the rainforest, meet golden frogs that wave to one another, and learn why the famous Panama hat isn’t actually Panamanian. Buckle up... we’re taking off for Panama! Want to explore some more? ⁠Watch how the Panama Canal’s lock system works⁠ ⁠Watch David Attenborough meet Panama’s extraordinary waving golden frogs⁠ ⁠Find out about the famous hat that's actually not from Panama⁠ For the full episode transcript, ⁠click here.⁠ Researched and hosted by Christie Kijurina

Screen time limits in classrooms, and Footy semi-finals bring the action 13.09.2026 10m

Your daily kids news podcast. Screen time limits in classrooms; England’s planet-saving zoo; Footy semi-finals bring the action; and celebrating International Democracy Day. NSW classrooms are heading for a digital detox, with screen time set to shrink and good old pen-and-paper making a comeback. Bristol Zoo is giving its animal collection a conservation makeover, focusing on species threatened with extinction. September footy is getting serious! AFL and NRL teams battled through a massive weekend of finals, the NRLW locked in its contenders, and the NFL took over the MCG. Today’s Squiz Kids Salute goes to kids proving you don’t need to be a grown-up to make a difference. For the full episode transcript, click here. Researched and Hosted by Bryce Corbett Aussie of the Month https://www.aussieofthemonth.org.au/

Roald Dahl - Your Shortcut... From the Vault 12.09.2026 13m

Celebrate Roald Dahl Day with a scrumdiddlyumptious trip into the Squiz Kids Vault. Roald Dahl gave us chocolate factories, giant peaches, marvellous medicines and some of the nastiest grown-ups ever committed to paper. But did you know he was also a fighter pilot, a spy and a schoolboy chocolate tester? In this Shortcut, we explore the real-life experiences that inspired Dahl’s much-loved stories, discover why children adore his revolting characters and phizz-whizzing invented words, and pick up some tricks for creating wonderfully Dahl-esque characters and stories of our own. Links: ⁠⁠A toxicological analysis of George's Marvellous Medicine - The British Medical Journal.⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Listen and describe, and create your own character task. ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Create your own Marvellous Medicine!⁠

How, or where, does wind start? Science Short 11.09.2026 5m

Where does wind begin? It can mess up your hair, slam doors shut and send umbrellas tumbling down the street, but what gets all that invisible air moving? Inspired by an excellent question from Judah in Wollongong, Christie discovers how the Sun and differences in air pressure create everything from refreshing sea breezes to wild gusts. Plus, why buildings can create wind tunnels... and the special weather ingredients needed to form cyclones and tornadoes. Do you have a science question you'd like Christie to investigate? Email it to us at [email protected], and you might hear your answer on an upcoming episode.

Kids vs Adults Weekly News S'Quiz 10.09.2026 9m

A fun kids vs adults news quiz to test who’s been paying the most attention to the week in news. For the full episode transcript, click here.

Digital devices out of classrooms?; and France’s famous painting heist 09.09.2026 11m

Your daily kids news podcast. Digital devices out of classrooms?; France’s famous painting heist; Bird flu conspiracy debunked; and bandicoots and bilbies bounce back. Could laptops and tablets be making it harder to concentrate? A major international study found Aussie students report more digital distractions than the global average. It sounds like a movie plot! Thieves broke into France’s Renoir Museum and grabbed four paintings before police arrived, forcing them to flee. Bilbies, bandicoots, bettongs and quolls are making a comeback inside enormous fenced areas designed to keep feral cats and other pests out. Wild conspiracy theories about bird flu are spreading online, making Squiz-E’s nose twitch overtime. Shortcut to Invasive Species: https://www.squizkids.com.au/squiz-kids-shortcuts/invasive-species/ For the full episode transcript, click here. Researched and hosted by Bryce Corbett

Footy gets a theme park, and the Pope farms aura. 08.09.2026 9m

Your daily kids news podcast. Footy gets a theme park; Rwanda’s school-meal mission; Australia’s wild house guests; and the Pope farms aura. NRL fans could soon step inside the game at a new Sydney attraction packed with augmented reality, coaching clinics, video games and giant match parties. Rwanda wants to put even more healthy, locally grown food onto school lunch plates. Possums in roofs, bats in curtains and an echidna rearranging the pantry! Aussie wildlife is increasingly turning up inside homes as natural habitats disappear. Is the Pope farming aura? Pope Leo tried out some viral slang during a Vatican family celebration. For the full episode transcript, click here. Researched and hosted by Christie Kijurina

The Macfarlane Brothers - Filmmakers and Content Creators - Squiz Kids Spotlight... 07.09.2026 14m

From lost socks to millions of followers, the Macfarlane brothers know where a homemade movie can lead. Filmmakers and content creators Lachlan and Austin Macfarlane join Bryce under the Squiz Kids Spotlight to talk about making movies as kids, building an audience of millions and the hard work behind their wildly creative videos. Their best advice for young creators? Don’t wait! Just start making stuff. Plus, find out how budding filmmakers aged 15 and under can enter this year’s Trop Jr short-film competition. If you’ve got a movie idea bubbling away, now’s the time to grab a phone, tablet or camera and bring it to life for Trop Jr. To enter, you’ll need to be aged 15 or under and create a short film of no more than five minutes featuring this year’s special signature item: a map. It could lead to buried treasure, point the way to another dimension, or simply appear somewhere in the background. It’s entirely up to you. The deadline for entries has been extended to October 23, so get cracking! ⁠https://www.tropfest.com/tropjr⁠ Macfarlane Bros: When you give a kid unrestricted internet access ⁠https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4OjoWAiFqY⁠

New world map unveiled, and the Star Wars museum of storytelling 06.09.2026 10m

Your daily kids news podcast. New world map unveiled; Korea’s robot theme park; the Star Wars museum of storytelling; and soiled undies and kissing bears win science prize. The familiar world map set to get a serious resize! K-pop dancers, pianists and kickboxers... South Korea’s new theme park has robots doing the entertaining. Buried undies, kissing polar bears and stolen baby lollies. Welcome to the wonderfully weird Ig Nobel Awards! Star Wars creator George Lucas has turned his love of storytelling into a spectacular new museum in Los Angeles. For the full episode transcript, click here. Researched and hosted by Bryce Corbett. Trop Jr: Short Film Competition for kids  https://www.tropfest.com/tropjr Macfarlane Bros: When you give a kid unrestricted internet access  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4OjoWAiFqY

Dads - On Fathers' Day... Your Shortcut - From the Vault 05.09.2026 16m

In this Squiz Kids Shortcut for Fathers' Day, Christie and Bryce explore the wild world of animal dads. From devoted emperor penguins and pregnant seahorses to fathers whose parenting methods are a little more questionable. They also travel through history to discover how the role of dads has changed and meet the many different people who can do the dadding in our lives. So grab your dad, stepdad, grandad or another special father figure and listen together. There’s a S’Quiz at the end!

How do 3D Printers work? Science Shorts 04.09.2026 4m

Eight-year-old Ethan from Casula in Sydney wants to know how 3D printers work. Christie discovers how computer designs are sliced into thousands of incredibly thin layers, then built into real objects using everything from melted plastic and powdered metal to concrete and chocolate. Along the way, we find out how 3D printing could help astronauts, hospitals and people living in remote communities. Do you have a science question you'd like Christie to answer? Send it in to [email protected], and you might hear your answer in an upcoming episode.

Kids vs Adults Weekly News S'Quiz 03.09.2026 9m

A fun kids vs adults news quiz to test who’s been paying the most attention to the week in news. For the full episode transcript, click here.

The algorithm robot in the spotlight, and Footy Finals Fever is here 02.09.2026 10m

Your daily kids news podcast. The algorithm robot in the spotlight; Canada’s mysterious moving island; Footy finals fever is here; and where have all the dugongs gone? The algorithm knows what you watch, click and like, and keeps serving up more to keep you scrolling. Now Australian politicians are debating whether we should get to choose if it tracks us at all. Is it an island or an enormous raft? A football-field-sized chunk of trees and plants has been spotted floating across a Canadian lake. Grab the snacks and claim the couch... Australian footy is entering crunch time! Scientists are trying to solve a worrying mystery in northern Australia, where dugong numbers may have fallen dramatically. For the full episode transcript, click here. Researched and hosted by Bryce Corbett.

Gamers get a glimpse of the future, and a phone survives a fall from space! 01.09.2026 12m

Your daily kids news podcast. Big ticks for bush schooling; a backyard Viking Treasure find; gamers get a glimpse of the future; and a phone survives a fall from space! Could climbing trees help your times tables? Sydney students swapped the classroom for the bush and returned more confident, engaged and connected to nature. Forget finding worms while gardening — one Danish homeowner uncovered a Viking fortune! Hundreds of thousands of gamers descended on Germany for Gamescom, getting an early look at the games heading our way. Talk about a drop test! A phone was carried more than 30 kilometres above Earth before being released without a parachute. For the full episode transcript, click here(opens in new tab). LEGO Skylines Trailer Minecraft Dungeons II Trailer Researched and hosted by Christie Kijurina

Dads - Your Shortcut... For Father's Day 31.08.2026 15m

Some dads brave the Antarctic winter to protect a single egg… others give birth to hundreds of babies… and almost all of them believe their jokes are hilarious. In this Squiz Kids Shortcut for Father’s Day, Christie and Bryce meet some of the animal kingdom’s most extraordinary fathers. From egg-balancing emperor penguins and pregnant seahorses to fish dads that occasionally eat their own offspring. They also discover how dadding has changed throughout human history, explore the origins of Father’s Day, and celebrate the dads, grandads, stepdads and other special people who do the dadding in our lives. There’s also a S’Quiz at the end… so listen carefully! For the full episode transcript, click here.

Nepal’s glacier landslide explained, and Fat Marmot Week crowns a winner. 30.08.2026 12m

Your daily kids news podcast. Nepal’s glacier landslide explained; Roger the working seagull; Media literacy in the spotlight; and Fat Marmot Week crowns a winner. Rescuers are working around the clock after catastrophic flooding devastated communities in Nepal and Tibet. All hail Dawn, the newly crowned champion of Fat Marmot Week! More Aussie kids are turning to AI for their news, but research shows plenty are also accidentally sharing fake stories. Meet Roger, possibly Britain’s first seagull security guard. For the full episode transcript, click here. Donate to help victims of Nepal-Tibet tragedy: https://emergencyaction.org.au/nepal-flood-appeal/ Bears in a pool Squiz Kids Instagram Researched and hosted by Bryce Corbett

Water - Your Shortcut... From the Vault 29.08.2026 11m

To celebrate World Lake Day, we went searching through the Squiz Kids Vault for an episode all about water. Which was lucky, really, because we’d sprung a leak and were well on the way to creating an underground lake of our own. Thankfully, we found this Shortcut sitting safe and dry on a high shelf. Join us as we discover where Earth’s water came from, why it’s essential to life and how the same water has been travelling around our planet for billions of years.

How are stars formed? Science Short 28.08.2026 4m

Look up on a clear night and you might see hundreds, or even thousands, of stars. But where did they all come from, and what makes a new star begin to shine? This week, Isabella from Cammeray asks: How are stars formed? Christie travels into a stellar nursery to discover how gravity gathers enormous clouds of gas and dust, why a growing protostar becomes incredibly hot, and how nuclear fusion turns it into a shining star. Plus, if stars aren’t really on fire, what produces all that heat and light? If you have an excellent science question you’d like Christie to investigate, send it to [email protected]. You might hear your answer in a future Squiz Kids Science Short!