The Children's Hour

We take a step back in time, to over 80 years ago to World War II, one of the biggest conflicts in human history, which changed modern humanity forever. Learn from Ms. Teresa Rand Bridges' bilingual 5th grade class at Alvarado Elementary, a public school in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Why do we spend so much of our lives sleeping? Is anything happening in our brains while we sleep? Do animals sleep the same way we do? On this episode of The Children's Hour, we explore the science of sleep with expert guests and our Kids Crew.

Celebrate the year in kids’ radio and music with The Children’s Hour Best of 2025. Hear favorite moments from the Kids Crew’s interviews and shows, along with songs from Grammy-nominated children’s artists. It’s a joyful look back at a year filled with learning, laughter, and discovery.

Celebrate the season with Holidays 2025, a joyful Children’s Hour episode filled with winter songs, multicultural traditions, kid-friendly stories, and festive music. Enjoy classic carols, new holiday tracks, and cheerful moments perfect for families, classrooms, and holiday listening.

This time on The Children’s Hour we explore mushrooms with mycology educator and author, Peter McCoy. This episode comes with a companion learning guide.

We celebrate being yourself with author Jane Yolen and cartoonist Craig Yoe as we explore creativity, confidence, and joy in being authentic.

The Kids Crew and Katie Stone explore the most powerful organ in the human body—our brain! Joined by Ingrid Lane and Nick Aase from the Mind Research Network at the University of New Mexico, they uncover how the brain controls everything we do, from breathing and moving to thinking and feeling. Find the episode page, learning guide and activities at https://www.childrenshour.org/the-brain Listener...

This time on The Children’s Hour, we’re celebrating Thanksgiving in a musical special dedicated to gratitude, family, and appreciation of each another. The science is clear that focusing on being grateful actually makes us happier. That’s why it’s so important to take a moment to count our blessings, including our time we have with one another. We’re finding the joy in every moment, in this Thanks...

Discover what makes a healthy breakfast with the Kids Crew and nutritionist Patty Keene, plus explore how kids worldwide start their mornings.

Lemurs are some of the most amazing primates in the world. These furry animals are only found in Madagascar, an island off the coast of Africa. On this episode of The Children’s Hour, the Kids Crew and Katie Stone meet Faye Goodwin, an educator from the Duke Lemur Center in North Carolina. Together they explore what makes lemurs unique, how they live, and the challenges they face in the wild. Find...

On this episode of The Children’s Hour, we learn all about composers — the people who write music. Have you ever wondered how songs are created? A composer is the person who puts the notes together, making melodies that can be played by singers, choirs, or even a whole orchestra. Some composers lived hundreds of years ago, and their music is still played today. Others are writing brand-new songs r...

It’s Halloween time on The Children’s Hour! In this episode, we celebrate pumpkins, jack-o’-lanterns, costumes, and trick-or-treating. Our Kids Crew shares their own traditions, from trunk-or-treat clothing drives to festive parades in northern New Mexico. We’ll find out why some houses put teal pumpkins outside their doors, and learn how this helps kids with food allergies have a safe and fun hol...

Trees have birthdays too, and scientists find out when they are by studying tree rings. This episode comes with a learning guide.

The Kids Crew discover the animals living right outside our doors. From prairie dogs, coyotes, and roadrunners in New Mexico to monkeys in Thailand, stray dogs in India, koalas in Australia, and wildlife in Brazil, we learn how animals adapt to city life. With expert guest Cooper Freeman and research from junior producer Thaniel Lentz, we explore the challenges and joys of living alongside wild cr...

On this episode of The Children’s Hour, we explore balloons. From party balloons to weather balloons, and from the first hot air balloons in 18th-century France to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the Kids Crew dives into the history, science, art, and wonder of ballooning. Find the full episode page, including a companion learning guide and activities at https://www.childrenshour.org...

Everything we do uses energy, but not all energy is the same. On this episode of The Children’s Hour, we learn about renewable energy—power that comes from sources we can use again and again without running out. Find the learning guide, activities, and full episode page at https://childrenshour.org/renewable-energy Our Kids Crew wondered: what exactly makes energy “renewable”? Experts joined us to...

What does it mean to be a stranger in a new land? On this episode of The Children’s Hour, we explore the experiences of refugees—people who must leave their homes to find safety somewhere else. Find the learning guide, photos, links and the episode page at https://childrenshour.org/welcome-stranger Our special guest is Rahim AlHaj, a two-time Grammy Award-winning musician and composer. He grew up...

On this episode of The Children’s Hour, junior producer and intern Thaniel Lentz takes us through the incredible history and science of animation. From early tools like the zoetrope and flipbooks to famous characters like Felix the Cat and Mickey Mouse, we learn how still pictures came to life. Thaniel explains how Disney’s Snow White used cels to transform animation, and how computers made it pos...

Have you ever looked up and spotted a bright red dot in the night sky? That’s Mars — our neighbor in the solar system, and a planet full of mysteries. On this episode of The Children’s Hour, we journey to the Red Planet with planetary volcanologist Dr. Larry Crumpler from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science. He works directly with NASA’s Perseverance Rover, which is exploring Mars...

What is journalism, and why does it matter? On this episode of The Children’s Hour, we learn what journalism is and how journalists help us understand the world around us. We meet trailblazing reporters, hear from our Kids Crew, and talk with Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Maria Hinojosa. She shares what it means to be a good journalist, why she started her career, and how young people can begi...

Birthdays are something many kids look forward to every year. On this episode of The Children’s Hour, we celebrate everything about birthdays! From candles and cakes to songs, games, and traditions around the globe, our Kids Crew explores what makes a birthday special in different places and cultures. We also find out how birthday customs have changed over time, and where ideas like singing “Happy...

Have you ever wished your classroom could be outside? On this episode of The Children’s Hour, we explore what happens when kids learn in the open air. We visit summer programs across New Mexico where children share how nature helps them feel strong, calm, and curious. Find our learning guide and the full episode page with activity links at https://ChildrensHour.org/every-kid-outside We learn how s...

Join our Kids Crew in a conversation with the beloved children’s authors, Goosebump’s RL Stine and Marc Brown, the author and illustrator of the Arthur books and TV show. We discover their secrets to creating some of the most widely read kids’ books of all time. Get reading with The Children’s Hour! Find the full episode post at: https://www.childrenshour.org/reading-and-writing/ RL Stine is the a...

This time on The Children's Hour we learn about the concept of querencia: the feeling of "home" in a place, and within our communities. Using poetry, imagery, history, music and sharing, we explore the elements of home with our special guest from the Center for Social Sustainable Systems, Alicia Chavez. Find the full episode page at: https://www.childrenshour.org/querencia-is-home/ When you feel l...

This time on The Children’s Hour, we immerse ourselves in good vibes for summertime fun with some excellence in Kindie music and a classic Bill Harley story about the terror of the high dive, and the power of unrequited love. Be uplifted with us and spread the joy of summer.