History Archives - The Children's Hour

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.

Fourth graders teach listeners about the Underground Railroad and the life of Harriet Tubman. Kids learn how secret routes, brave helpers, and the North Star guided people to freedom. This episode helps young listeners understand courage, teamwork, and an important chapter in American history.

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.

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...

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...

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...

What does the Pledge of Allegiance really mean? And what makes someone a great leader? On this episode of The Children’s Hour, we explore patriotism and leadership with bilingual eighth graders from Washington Middle School and fourth graders from Adobe Acres Elementary in Albuquerque. These students share powerful insights about what it means to love your country, and why some people protest the...

Have you ever seen a story carved into a rock? This week on The Children’s Hour, we explore the meaning and magic of petroglyphs - images etched into stone by ancient hands. Find a learning guide, activities, and the full episode page at https://childrenshour.org/petroglyphs Our Kids Crew visited Mesa Prieta Petroglyph Project, home to more than 60,000 documented carvings, and talked with archaeol...

This time on The Children's Hour, we celebrate the First Lady of children's music, Ella Jenkins, who died in November 2024 at the age of 100. Learn about her extraordinary life and how she created a whole new genre of music for kids and families.

We explore Black History through stories from Dr. Marsha Hardeman, Professor of Africana Studies at the University of New Mexico.

Get into the holiday spirit with The Children’s Hour as we unwrap the traditions and tunes that make the season magical! 🎁✨ This week, we explore how New Mexicans celebrate Christmas with a unique twist—ever heard of “Christmas” red and green chili on your food? 🌶️ The second graders from Coronado Elementary School’s bilingual classroom teach us all about the state’s iconic chilies, their histor...

In this episode of The Children’s Hour, we explore the fascinating world of archaeology. The show was recorded live at the New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies during International Archaeology Day. We meet three amazing guests: Dr. Eric Blinman, Mary Weahkee, and Marlon Magdalena, who each help us understand how archaeology uncovers the past. Dr. Blinman talks about how archaeologists caref...

Jimmy Carter: Celebrating a Century of Service and Compassion 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 dedicat...

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 get onboard and learn about trains. The Kids Crew went on a field trip to The Wheels Museum of Albuquerque, and discovered the rich history of railroads. Learn with us!

For more than forty years, the Negro Baseball Leagues provided opportunities for Black American athletes to play professionally. We learn about these leagues with author, historian, and son of a NBL umpire, Byron Motley. This episode comes with a Learn-Along guide!

This time on The Children's Hour we explore black history through music. We've put together a special playlist of songs to educate about a few of the people who made significant contributions to technology, culture, and the quest for justice and equality.

This week on The Children’s Hour, we learn about Indigenous Peoples Day. Plus we are treated to live music from an all women mariachi band, Mariachi Flor del Alma, we’ve got a book review of Under The Cottonwood Tree, a new graphic novel for kids based on an ancient New Mexican folk tale, and the Extinction Diaries cover the bird die-off that happened late this summer in the southwestern United St...

This week on The Children's Hour, we explore architecture with the legendary New Mexican architect and University of New Mexico professor emerita Edie Cherry in a live broadcast from the Special Collections branch library. With musical guests, the Squash Blossom Boys, and featuring The Children's Hour Kids Crew, and librarians. Learn a lot more about New Mexican architecture inside Dr. Cherry's Ne...

What is Anthropology, and how does understanding human evolutionary history help us understand people today? The Children’s Hour celebrates a year on the road exploring what makes us human at the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, University of New Mexico. We learn about human evolutionary history, and how we're related to our ancient ape ancestors.

The Children's Hour broadcast live from the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center in Albuquerque. Featuring cultural educator and storyteller Jon Ghahate (Laguna/Zuni) and live indigenous music with Steven Toya of Zia Pueblo.

This week on The Children's Hour, traditional Southwest Hispanic folk music includes many beloved children’s songs. An expert in New Mexico folklore and music, Dr. Enrique LaMadrid shares songs and their stories of a traditional New Mexican childhood. Sing along with us!

Take a trip to Chaco Canyon with The Children's Hour with our special guests, Hilary Grabowska, Park Ranger (Interpretation) at Chaco, Wendy Bustard, Chaco Curator, Brenna Lissoway, Chaco Archivist, and 6 year old Rowan Lissoway who recently earned his Junior Ranger badge at Chaco.

The Children's Hour hosted kids from Jimmy Carter Middle School who told us how cultures around the world welcome spring. From exploding snowmen, drowning dolls, rolling down a hill with cheese, and flinging colored powder at friends, people worldwide have unique ways of saying goodbye to winter. Plus, we learned about Dia De Los Niños , what's on at The Guild Cinema, events for kids this weekend,...