Ear Snacks Podcast for Kids

Light the lights! Andrew & Polly ask their friends about sources of illumination, human-made and natural. Lori Hoch Stiefel from PJ Library shares her Hanukkah story and we begin to wonder...why do candlelight and winter celebrations go hand-in-hand? Ear Snacks is a free podcast centered around children’s voices & ideas. Please support us by subscribing, leaving a 5-star review, and sharin...

Andrew & Polly's Bad Guy game continues! When they can't figure out WHY they are having fun scaring fish and serving them their least favorite foods, they call up a "Bad Doctor" to find out! Dr. Emiliana R. Simon-Thomas from UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center tells us about what brains have to do with Bad Guys & Superheroes. We're looking for more friends to share what they know! To...

What's a "bad guy?" Is it fun to pretend to be one? (When is it not fun?) Andrew & Polly model conflict in play, learn how to talk like a villain from voice actor Morla Gorrondona , and ask kids what they know about "bad guys!" To learn more or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org - and thanks for listening!

What's a disguises? (How is it different from a costume?) Andrew & Polly solve a mystery for forlorn giraffes Kevin & Lousie, learn how to disguise their voices with voice actor Greg Chun , and explore the link between evolution and animal disguises (crypsis &  camouflage) with CalAcademy's Rebecca Johnson ! And as always, we ask our friends what they know about...DISGUISES! To learn m...

We got a whole lot of chickens. Andrew & Polly celebrate the birthday of one of their heroes by asking their friends one of life's eternal questions: what's a muppet? To learn more or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org - and thanks for listening!

Ahoy, matey! How cold are yer timbers? Andrew & Polly ask some friends about the steps to talking like a pirate, sprinkled in with some historical pirate factoids and Andrew's dad shares buccaneer tales from Post Office Bay in the Galapagos Islands. To learn more or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org - and thanks for listening!

What's the best treat of all-time?   From the food science of sugar rushes to the bellies of hungry musicians, Andrew & Polly ask their friends what makes a good treat. Sensory scientist Dr. Sara Yang explains how people evolved to think about food, why we like what we like, and how we make our decisions. Then Koo Koo 's Brian and Neil expound on the virtues of sheet cake, old-fashioned donuts...

What do la clave, the difference between public and private, and two giraffes have in common? In this sneaky episode of Ear Snacks, Andrew & Polly learn about the rhythms of Cuban music with Martina Castro (producer of The Vivo Songbook ), and then explore the ideas behind artist Paul Ramirez Jonas' project Key to the City (involving 24,000 keys!) Oh - and Kevin & Louise try to crack Andre...

Meep meep! What's a cartoon? New Yorker cartoonist Tom Toro ( Home Free , Back to School Backpack ) talks cartoons of all shapes and sizes on this episode of  Ear Snacks ! Andrew & Polly avoid anvils, consider political cartoons, think about how it feels to STOP watching your favorite stories, and sing a brand new song by Eilis Cahill. Thanks for listening! A big thank you to Leo, Solomon, Han...

Is your family feeling as mid-summer-y as ours? On this 'Bubbles!' episode of Ear Snacks, e've got some amazing crafting & imagination activities for lazy days and long rides alike! First, Claudia Zanes shares her love of (and the science behind) soap-making. Gather some materials to try the basics at home, and learn more about her handmade soaps and incredible family folk music! Then we inven...

Ding dong! Andrew & Polly wax poetic about bells and blindness with Country of the Blind author Andrew Leland and visit an enormous percussion warehouse with LAPR’s Abby Savell. Happy Disability Pride Month! Andrew & Polly are proud members of RAMPD , Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities. July is a great month to open conversations with people of all ages about diffe...

Many happy returns! How should we celebrate Ear Snacks’ 10th birthday? Should we make an Ear Snacks: Songs from the Podcast Vol. 2?!? Today we’re sharing some of the original songs we’ve written for these episodes since Ear Snacks: Songs from the Podcast Vol. 1 came out in 2016, and we thought it’s kind of a magical time capsule of these episodes inspired by the ideas of children. From the absurd...

Happy Birthday, Ear Snacks!  10 years ago this July, we started this bonkers idea. Our music had started reaching kids all over the world , but with our growing family, we didn't get to sing with them very often...but what if we could make a show *with* them? This is that show. So today on Ear Snacks, we want to share our very first episode "Fruit!"  - it's still one of the grapes ! Whether you've...

Whale hello there! What's your favorite quarium?   Andrew & Polly are getting ready for a big July -- the 10th year of Ear Snacks! Wolftrap on July 11th ! -- but we can't leave June without celebrating Aquarium Appreciation Month! Nate from The Show About Science talks about Luna the Otter at the Shed Aquarium in Chicago, Rebecca Johnson from the California Academy of Science talks about nudib...

Today on Ear Snacks we're celebrating Juneteenth (Freedom Day! Jubilee Day! Emancipation Day!) with songs from the GRAMMY-nominated family music album "All One Tribe" - we hope your family will find, support, and share their work! On this episode you'll hear: For All by The Wise Channel Family Reunion by Fyütch feat. Divinity Roxx What Do You Believe? by Shine and the Moonbeams Clap Your Hands by...

Polly goes to Fiddle Camp, violinist Katie Buckbee and her son Archer expound on their love of bluegrass, and our pal Eddie Berman introduce us to his 5-string banjo. A bit of ear training on Ear Snacks! (And we use "fiddling" as a model for ways of learning by doing.) We're getting ready for the 10th year of Ear Snacks, and we can't make this show without you! Parents around the world have shared...

We mustache you a question -- What exactly IS a mustache? And WHO can have one? Celebrate Pride month with Andrew & Polly by wondering about all the different types of hairs that can grow on a face! Filmamker Sally Rubin joins us to talk about her family's mustaches and her animated short film "Mama Has a Mustache" a conversation starter for families and educators thinking about gender (that w...

(Hello! We're excited to make more music and podcasts for & with you in 2025! Meanwhile, enjoy these holiday-themed episode remixes -- and thanks for listening!) Happy Happy Holidays! Let these completely original family-music tunes light up your holidays, road trips and home days! Thanks to these incredibly talented and generous musicians who fill our ears and hearts all year long - a great w...

(Hello! We're excited to make more music and podcasts for & with you in 2025! Meanwhile, enjoy these holiday-themed episode remixes -- and thanks for listening!) Andrew & Polly talk about BOXES in a special interview with Antoinette Portis, author of Not a Box . This episode also highlights The Box Project with Eliza Gregory - and, of course, thanks to our kid experts: Ruslan, Gavin, Manny...

(Hello! We're excited to make more music and podcasts for & with you in 2025! Meanwhile, enjoy these holiday-themed episode remixes -- and thanks for listening!) Sundown, lights up! Andrew & Polly ask their friends about sources of illumination, human-made and natural. Lori Hoch Stiefel from PJ Library shares her Hanukkah story and we begin to wonder...why do candlelight and winter celebra...

(Hello! We're excited to make more music and podcasts for & with you in 2025! Meanwhile, enjoy these holiday-themed episode remixes -- and thanks for listening!) Celebrate the winter solstice by exploring the darkest depths of the ocean with marine biologist and self-proclaimed Mermaid Danni Washington ! Check out her amazing book, Bold Women in Science , and her podcast for kids, Genius Gener...

(Hello! We're excited to make more music and podcasts for & with you in 2025! Meanwhile, enjoy these holiday-themed episode remixes -- and thanks for listening!) Andrew & Polly think about how to stay warm in the winter with some of our favorite family holiday tunes. For more great episodes on the holidays, check out these episodes about Hanukkah , Kwanzaa , our most favoritest family holi...

Hey Texas! Andrew & Polly are SUPER-excited to finally perform in you! We're taking the stage at Austin City Limits / Austin Kiddie Limits this Friday and Saturday, October 4th & 5th, at 12:30p. Awesome band? GRAMMY-nominated music? Double check. Enough shakers, stickers & bubbles to share? Check, check, check! The good people of ACL are bringing some amazing live acts for all ages alo...

Kick off your summer with new bops and classic tunes about translucent spectra! Here’s just a taste of the songs you’ll discover on our Spotify playlist, Songs About Rainbows 🌈 : Sing a Rainbow by Peggy Lee Cry a Rainbow by Pierce Freelon & Nnenna Freelon Rainbowland by Miley Cyrus & Dolly Parton Rainbow Seekers by Ants on a Log Rainbow Shoppe by Andrew & Polly feat. Lucy Kalantari Ra...

Metamorphic caterpillars! Fungus farming ants! Digital bees? Oh my! -- how can these all be bugs? In this episode, Avery talks about bugs in computer code and how she built a pollination video game with a Raspberry Pi. Izaiah updates us about the worms in the compost pile on his farm. And our friends at Valle de Niños in San Francisco take us on a tour of the life cycle of caterpillars. (Entomolgi...