Episodes

  • Lights! (Explaining Hanukkah & How Candles Work)
    Dec 11 2025

    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 sharing with your friends! And if you can follow us on Instagram, that helps too!

    Thanks to Arlo, Molly, Poppy, Opal, Sam, and Thiri (and their parents) for sharing what they know about lights and how their families use lights to celebrate. To find out more or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org - and thanks for listening!

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    20 mins
  • The Neuroscience of Bad Guys & Superheroes!
    Nov 12 2025

    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 find out more or be on the show, visit earsnacks.org - and thanks for listening!

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    20 mins
  • Playing Bad Guys!
    Nov 4 2025

    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!

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    17 mins
  • Disguises! (Halloween!)
    Oct 8 2025

    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 more or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org - thanks for listening!

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    32 mins
  • What's a Muppet? (Happy Birthday, Jim Henson!)
    Sep 24 2025

    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!

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    6 mins
  • Pirates! (Talk Like a Pirate Day!)
    Sep 18 2025

    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!

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    19 mins
  • Treats!
    Aug 27 2025

    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 and ice cold lemonade.

    Thanks to our friends Elias, Bodin, Madelyn and Monk for sharing what they know about treats! To learn more or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org - and thanks for listening!

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    27 mins
  • Keys!
    Aug 20 2025

    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 Andrew & Polly's gate code to leave them some peppermint.

    To learn more about Ear Snacks or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org - thanks for listening!

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    22 mins