Squiz Kids

A racing heart, a startled scream… and then a request to do it all again! Why can a good scare feel so much fun?

In this Halloween edition of Squiz Kids Science Shorts, Christie investigates what happens inside your brain and body when you’re frightened, how pretend danger can produce a real reaction, and what scientists discovered when they fitted haunted-house visitors with heart-rate monitors. From spooky movies to rollercoasters, we explore the sweet spot between boring and TOO scary... and why it’s different for everyone.

Got a science question you’d love answered...

Get ready for a ghostly adventure with Squiz-E! 🎃 It's Halloween night, and Squiz-E’s just about to settle in after trick-or-treating when… KNOCK! KNOCK! Something’s at the door. But who could it be so late? Follow Squiz-E into the dark, shadowy night as he faces his fears, braves creepy corners, and discovers a glowing secret that’s got everyone spooked. Will he solve the mystery of the Ghostly Glow? Find out in this spine-tingling tale, full of spooky twists and a heart warming surprise! 👻

Check out more of what we do at ⁠https://www.squizkids.com.au/

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.

Your daily kids news podcast.

ChatGPT warning for kids; Iceberg diving in Canada; sleeping jumping spiders; and noodles made from geckos?

Twelve-year-old Blake Mackenzie has taken out a national slam poetry title with a powerful warning about relying too much on ChatGPT.

Get your costumes, lolly buckets, and spooky screams ready! Halloween is here.

Professional cliff diver Molly Carlson has become the first woman to dive off an iceberg into the ocean!

Sweet dreams, creepy crawlies! Aussie scientists have found evidence that jumping spiders experience REM-like sleep.

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Your daily kids news podcast.

Ancient treasures found in WA; a South African train goes to great lengths; a snake that turns cartwheels; and a spud that’s no small potatoes!

Six years after the devastating destruction of an ancient Aboriginal rock shelter, Traditional Owners and archaeologists are uncovering extraordinary pieces of its past.

South Africa says its whopping 7.6-kilometre freight train has broken a world record, previously held by Australia, with 696 wagons and 13 locomotives working together.

Forget slithering... this tiny snake prefers gymnastics! Scientists have filmed Southeast Asia’s dwarf reed...

Squiz Kids Q+A with kids' author extraordinaire Aaron Blabey. Aaron braves the Hot Seat for the second time with his new book... Game of Pets: The Boy Who Knew Too Much.

Has Pig the Pug EVER learnt his lesson? Why is a guinea pig the villain in The Bad Guys? And should we be suspicious of our pets?

Bestselling author and illustrator Aaron Blabey returns to the Squiz Kids Q+A Hot Seat, joining Bryce Corbett to answer questions from the kids of Australia.

From the childhood fears that inspired The Bad...

Your daily kids news podcast.

Kindness shines after dark week; South Korea’s curious shark; Van Gogh’s stars revealed; and Zara Larsson’s Lush Life dancers.

Australians have responded to a frightening event with an enormous act of kindness, donating more than $1 million to Save the Children.

Meet Bukangi, the three-metre shark who has apparently decided a canal in Busan is home sweet home.

Researchers believe they’ve used astronomy to pinpoint when and where Van Gogh painted a famous starry scene.

Zara Larsson’s Australian tour has sent the L...

Why do we dress up for Halloween? Where did trick-or-treating begin? And what did people carve before pumpkins took over?

With Halloween around the corner, we’re dusting off a Squiz Kids Shortcut from the Vault to uncover the stories behind the spooky fun. Join Amanda and Bryce as they explore Halloween’s Celtic roots, discover how songs and poems once earned people treats, and meet the legendary Stingy Jack and his rather unusual lantern.

There are haunted houses, apple-bobbing adventures and even costumes for pets. Listen carefully … there’s a S’Quiz at the end!

How do trees take in carbon dioxide and make the oxygen we breathe? Dylan, eight, from Karrinyup has sent in this week’s excellent question and Christie’s heading inside a leaf to investigate!

Discover how trees use sunlight to make their own food and produce oxygen in the process, and how microscopic ocean organisms help produce the oxygen our planet depends on. From roots to treetops and out to sea, there’s a lot behind every breath!

Got a science question you’d like Christie to investigate? Email ⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠.

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.

Special Edition: Governor-General Sam Mostyn AC

How do we help kids make sense of difficult news without adding to their worries?

In this special edition of Squiz Kids, Bryce Corbett sits down with Australia’s Governor-General, Sam Mostyn AC, following the violent attack on Federal MP Helen Haines.

A friend of the podcast and supporter of our Newshounds media literacy program, the Governor-General reflects on an event that has sent a chill across the country, the graciousness of the Haines family, and why teaching children to think critically about the content they consume on...

Your daily kids news podcast.

Sydney’s new airport’s ready for boarding; a sweeter future for Nigeria’s gorillas; the WNBL’s back and on Fire; and Squiz-E sniffs a fishy fake.

After decades of talking, planning and building, Western Sydney International Airport is finally welcoming passengers!

Could chocolate help protect gorillas? Hershey is backing a rainforest project in Nigeria that aims to help cocoa farmers earn a living while keeping forests standing.

Townsville’s Abbey Ellis has exploded for a club-record 47 points as Australia’s basketball season gets rolling.

A red...

Your daily kids news podcast.

An answer to the Earhart mystery? New Zealand’s Rubik’s cube robot; Japan blasts off to Mars; and some very sticky sculptures.

The hunt for Amelia Earhart’s plane has come to an end, and not in the way researchers expected.

Four New Zealand university students have built a robot that solved a 4x4x4 Rubik’s Cube in just 9.8 seconds.

A spacecraft has blasted off from Japan on an epic mission to grab at least 10 grams of dust from Mars’s moon Phobos.

More tha...

Powerful queens, talking drums and dinner with an arm workout… we’re off to Nigeria!

Join Christie aboard the Squiz Kids Super Fast Supersonic Jetliner for an adventure through Africa’s most populous country. Explore bustling cities and tropical forests, and meet remarkable royal women. We also explain the slave trade and Nigeria’s journey to independence in an age-appropriate way.

Then it’s off to school with a Learning Passport before exploring spectacular celebrations, drums that imitate speech and the enormous movie industry known as Nollywood.

On the menu? Fufu and a friendly d...

Your daily kids news podcast.

ChatGPT in kids’ safety lawsuit; world’s first flying car; Scientists discover a green star; and how to collect elephant snot.

AI could transform the world, but governments are wrestling with how to make it safer.

Is it a car? Is it a rocket? Somehow, it’s both! A futuristic vehicle has been shown driving upside down 50 metres above the ground before flipping and landing using jet thrusters.

Astronomers have discovered something they’ve never seen before... a greenish- hued dwarf star!

Possibly the grossest...

A whole world of history… in a bowl of noodles!

To mark World Food Day, we’re heading back into the Squiz Kids Vault for one of our most delicious Shortcuts.

Join Amanda and Bryce on a noodle adventure around the globe. From 4,000-year-old leftovers in China to Thailand’s famous pad thai and Italy’s love affair with pasta. Discover why long noodles have a special place at birthday celebrations, explore the American connection to spaghetti and meatballs, and find out why that famous story about Marco Polo isn’t quite what it seems.

Plus...

How does a piece of glass know where your finger is? Brooklyn, aged 10, from Cammeray has an excellent question: how do touchscreens work?

Join Christie as she peels back the layers of this everyday technology, uncovering see-through electrical pathways, glass that gets a 400-degree salt bath, and the surprising role your own body plays in every tap, swipe and zoom. Discover why gloves and water can confuse a touchscreen, and how a cracked screen can sometimes keep working.

Got a science question you’d like Christie to investigate? Send it to [email protected].

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.

If you want to send us a question for Aaron Blabey, email it to [email protected] with your first name, age and where you're from.

Your daily kids news podcast.

Giant crabs enter missing adventurer tale; New York’s horses get a rest; AI videos that aim to divide; and here comes the rugby league World Cup!

The search for Amelia Earhart’s missing plane has taken a creepy turn thanks to Nikumaroro’s enormous coconut crabs.

After 165 years, New York’s famous Central Park horse-drawn carriages are heading into the history books.

Clear the couch! There’s serious sport incoming! The Rugby League World Cup kicks off with Australia facing New Zealand, while the women’s competitio...

Your daily kids news podcast.

Parents warned to monitor kids online; stolen art under the stairs; an orangutan rehoming; and a ridiculously enormous pumpkin.

A difficult debate is unfolding over whether an execution should be broadcast online. Whatever happens, there’s an important message for kids: you never need to watch disturbing footage to understand a news story, and it’s always okay to click away.

Two stolen Renoir paintings have been discovered hidden behind a wall beneath some stairs in France.

Eight rescued Bornean orangutans are back where they belong amon...

What do snake catching, alpaca shearing, glow-in-the-dark books and thousands of years of First Nations knowledge have in common? The answer is Corey Tutt!

Corey is a proud Kamilaroi man, award-winning author and founder of DeadlyScience, an organisation helping Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids discover just how deadly science can be. And by “deadly,” we mean excellent, brilliant and seriously cool!

Corey joins Christie to share his unusual journey from animal-mad kid to zookeeper, laboratory researcher, snake catcher and the 2020 NSW Young Australian of the Year. He reveals how DeadlyScience got its name, explains why...

Your daily kids news podcast.

Mission to solve Amelia Earhart mystery; Panama rocked by earthquake; Brodie’s king of the mountain; and the world’s oldest tortoise.   

Almost 90 years after Amelia Earhart vanished while flying around the world, researchers are heading to a remote Pacific island chasing an extraordinary clue.

Amelia Earhart's Final Journey - Map

A powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake has rocked Panama, shaking buildings and sending frightened residents into the streets.

Brodie Kostecki pulled off a spectacular comeback to win his second Bathurst 1000 after his rival ran out of fuel...

What do the Spice Girls, superheroes and household chores have in common? They’re all part of the story of Girl Power!

To mark the United Nations’ International Day of the Girl on 11 October, we’re digging into the Squiz Kids Vault for a Shortcut about girls’ rights, big dreams and equal opportunities.

Listen carefully, there’s a S’Quiz at the end!

Note - This episode comes from the Squiz Kids Vault. Some statistics and examples reflect the time of the original recording.

Got a question for author Aaron Blabey? Send it in t...

How do our senses work?

An orange in your lunch box, a barking dog and an annoying wrinkle in your sock… how does your brain make sense of them all?

This week on Squiz Kids Science Shorts, Christie investigates an excellent question from Miranda from Griffith: How do our senses work?

Discover how eyes detect light, ears turn vibrations into messages, and noses and tongues team up to deliver delicious flavours. Plus, meet the extra sense that helps you find your nose with your eyes shut, explore some remarkable animal senses, and find ou...

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.

Got a question for author Aaron Blabey? Send it in to [email protected] and we'll pick the best ones to ask him in the Q+A Hot seat.

Your daily kids news podcast.

Bravery medal for WA teen; France’s school kids take to the streets; Fake health advice online; and the alligator who thinks he’s Elvis.

Austin Applebee was just 13 when he raised the alarm that saved his stranded family. Now he and his mum have received bravery awards.

Hundreds of French schools have closed as students join protests over education funding.

A sunbaking bird, an ambushing squirrel and an alligator apparently channelling Elvis. Welcome to the Comedy Wildlife Awards.

AI-generated “doctors” are appearing online promotin...

Your daily kids news podcast.

Brisbane let the bird out of the bag;  birthday buddies turn 227; 57 new sea creatures; and a teen artist takes a title!

Oops! Brisbane 2032 accidentally spoiled its own surprise when the finished Olympic and Paralympic designs appeared online early.

As the Nobel Prizes are announced, three scientists have scored one of science’s biggest honours for extraordinary brain research using light.

The deep ocean has delivered another monster surprise: 57 species previously unknown to science and a seacucumber nicknamed Loki.

At just 17, Jazz Lancaster Merton has bee...

It has a Spanish name that means “the little boy”... scientists can spot it forming from space... and it can affect everything from anchovies to Australian bushfire weather.

In this Squiz Kids Shortcut, Christie and Bryce dive into the giant Pacific Ocean climate pattern known as El Niño.

With a little help from Bryce’s highly scientific bathtub experiment, we’ll find out what El Niño actually is, why warm water sloshing around the Pacific can change where rain falls, and how scientists use satellites, ocean buoys and weather models to watch it unfold.

The 2026 Nobel Prize winners start being announced tomorrow, so we’ve found the perfect episode in the Squiz Kids Vault.

Why are prizes for discoveries, writing and peace named after the man who invented dynamite? Meet Alfred Nobel, hear about some extraordinary winners, including Marie Curie and Malala Yousafzai, and discover the wonderfully strange research celebrated by the Ig Nobel prizes. Yes, there’s an upside-down rhino involved.

It’s an explosive story with a S’Quiz at the end!

Nobel Prize Mix and Match

MLK Speech

Could an evil supervillain erase every photo, message and high score on your phone with one enormous magnet? ZAP! It might work in the movies, but what would happen in real life?

Ten-year-old Audrey from Naremburn wants to know whether a magnet can really erase a phone’s memory. Christie investigates how old cassette tapes, floppy disks and computer hard drives stored information using magnetism, why modern phones use something completely different called flash memory, and what a powerful magnet can interfere with inside your phone.

It’s a magnetic mystery with a surprising answer, and...

Cane toads, runaway rabbits and ants that turn themselves into living ___??… some uninvited guests really know how to make themselves at home!

In this Kids vs Adults S’Quiz, we’re exploring invasive species — the animals, plants and tiny organisms that arrive somewhere new and cause big problems.

Can the kids outsmart the adults? Will a Pokémon question give younger brains the edge? And who remembers an international hitchhiker from The Simpsons?

Ten questions for the kids. Ten for the adults. Gather your team, fire up the grey matter and find out who rules...

Join us in the morning each Monday to Thursday during the school holidays for a brain-boosting riddle. Then, tune back in after 2:30pm AEST for the solution. Keep those cogs turning throughout the school break.

Join us in the morning each Monday to Thursday during the school holidays for a brain-boosting riddle. Then, tune back in after 2:30pm AEST for the solution. Keep those cogs turning throughout the school break.

Join us in the morning each Monday to Thursday during the school holidays for a brain-boosting riddle. Then, tune back in after 2:30pm AEST for the solution. Keep those cogs turning throughout the school break.

Join us in the morning each Monday to Thursday during the school holidays for a brain-boosting riddle. Then, tune back in after 2:30pm AEST for the solution. Keep those cogs turning throughout the school break.

Join us in the morning each Monday to Thursday during the school holidays for a brain-boosting riddle. Then, tune back in after 2:30pm AEST for the solution. Keep those cogs turning throughout the school break.

Join us in the morning each Monday to Thursday during the school holidays for a brain-boosting riddle. Then, tune back in after 2:30pm AEST for the solution. Keep those cogs turning throughout the school break.

Join us in the morning each Monday to Thursday during the school holidays for a brain-boosting riddle. Then, tune back in after 2:30pm AEST for the solution. Keep those cogs turning throughout the school break.

Join us in the morning each Monday to Thursday during the school holidays for a brain-boosting riddle. Then, tune back in after 2:30pm AEST for the solution. Keep those cogs turning throughout the school break.

September has been Biodiversity Month, so we’re heading into the Squiz Kids Vault for a trip to one of the most remarkable places on Earth: the Galápagos Islands!

How did swimming iguanas, giant tortoises and finches with different beaks end up on these volcanic islands? And what did a young Charles Darwin notice when he arrived aboard the Beagle?

Join Amanda and Bryce to discover how the Galápagos helped change our understanding of life on Earth. Keep your ears open for a rather gruesome finch, and a S’Quiz at the end!

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