Short & Curly
ABC
Short & Curly is the fun and educational ABC Kids and Family podcast that makes philosophy and ethics easy, entertaining, and thought-provoking. Hosted by Molly Daniels, Carl Smith, and philosopher Eleanor Gordon-Smith, the show explores big questions for kids about right and wrong, fairness, truth, knowledge, logic, beauty, and art.
Perfect for kids aged 8–12, Short & Curly is loved by families, parents, and teachers worldwide. One of the best kids shows for curious minds, it inspires learning, laughter, and big ideas that help children learn how to think, not what to think.
Created by the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), trusted makers of award-winning children's content.
Binge this free educational ABC kids podcast series on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts worldwide
Classroom Resources: Listen to the podcast in the classroom or as homework and use these resources to explore and expand upon the diverse themes and subjects covered in the show.
Perfect for kids aged 8–12, Short & Curly is loved by families, parents, and teachers worldwide. One of the best kids shows for curious minds, it inspires learning, laughter, and big ideas that help children learn how to think, not what to think.
Created by the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), trusted makers of award-winning children's content.
Binge this free educational ABC kids podcast series on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts worldwide
Classroom Resources: Listen to the podcast in the classroom or as homework and use these resources to explore and expand upon the diverse themes and subjects covered in the show.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 22, 2016 • 19min
Children under the microscope — the ethics of science
In the 1950s, a group of young boys took part in a now famous experiment to find out how easy it would be to turn two groups of children into enemies. The boys didn’t know they were in a scientific study, and many later regretted the things they did to each other. Is the knowledge we might get from such an experiment worth the pain it might cause to get it?
Jun 22, 2016 • 19min
Should you eat your pet?
Unless you’re a vegetarian, there are some animals you probably eat regularly. But how would you cope if your next dinner was some stir-fried dog? Why is it okay to eat a baby cow (veal) or sheep (lamb) and not a cute little puppy? Are our ideas about eating animals a bit of a mess? And does this matter?
Mar 28, 2016 • 18min
Can competitive sport be truly fair?
When you dive into the pool at the school swimming carnival, how fair is the race? You might all start swimming at the same time, but what things give you an unfair advantage over other competitors?You might have access to great coaches, great equipment and great healthy food.Are these good things fair or not?We are joined by Liz Ellis, the three time world champion former captain of the Australian netball team, the Diamonds.Also appearing is Joseph Winter, the head of Innovation, Research and Development at the Australian Institute of Sport.Basically, he gets to develop all kinds of cool high performance gadgets and clothing.
Mar 27, 2016 • 18min
Is it ever okay to fight back against a bully?
Back in 2011, an Australian teenager was filmed being punched again and again in the school playground by a bully. What made the video go viral was what happened next. The bullying victim lifted up the bully and threw him to the ground, hard. Was that a kind of justice?Our guests are Onor, Izzy and Alex from Theatre Bugs in Adelaide.
Mar 26, 2016 • 18min
Should chimps have the same rights as kids?
They share most of our DNA and many of our social skills, and in some experiments, chimpanzees outperform human children. So why do we put chimpanzees in zoos and children in schools?Is the line between humans and other animals a little more blurred that you'd think?Our guest Lou Grossfeldt is a zoo keeper with over twenty years on the job.She works with primates at Mogo Zoo and even has a tattoo of her favourite chimpanzee on her back.She is the co-author of the book Our Primate Family.
Mar 25, 2016 • 16min
Is stealing music or jokes really stealing?
Not all stealing is about taking someone's physical property. If a comedian comes up with a joke, you see it on YouTube and then start telling all your friends, is that stealing?If you take a small sound or beat from a song you love and then use it in a whole new piece of music you've created, is that stealing?Our guest, Urthboy, is one Australia’s best known hip hop artists and is also part of the group The Herd.
Mar 24, 2016 • 20min
Can you trust a robot?
By the time today's 7-12 year olds get their driver's license, robotic cars will become more common. They will be programmed to make snap decisions when something goes wrong on the road, but can we trust them?And, as robots around us become more and more sophisticated and human-like, how can we be sure what they tell us is real?Our guest Gerard Waldron doesn't think his granddaughter will ever need to learn to drive.Gerard was in charge of the first trial of a driverless car trial on a public road in Australia and is the head of the ARRB Group.
