

ABC KIDS News Time
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Every Friday, join Ruby for News Time as she counts down the week’s most interesting news stories for kids. From amazing animals to special events, the natural world to outer space, News Time is made especially for children to help them understand the world around them.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 9, 2025 • 13min
World Mental Health Day special
Every year the World Health Organisation marks World Mental Health Day. So on this week's News Time, we're bringing you five stories that dive deep into mental health, and how we can take care of ourselves and our friends.We’ll join some schoolkids in the garden, then travel to a town cutting down on screen time. After that, we’ll go the distance with someone who loves to spread kindness, in our Wow of the Week.If this episode brings up any feelings for you, please make sure you speak to a grown-up you trust. You can also call the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.Quiz Questions1. When is World Mental Health Day held each year?2. What do the schools do with the vegetables they grow?3. Which junior rugby league team did Nicho Hynes start playing football with?4. How many hours of screen time does the Mayor of Toyoake want residents to keep to each day?5. How far does Juliann drive on her journey every six weeks?Bonus Tricky QuestionWhat did Natalie say that the residents of Wilcannia discuss with Juliann?Answers1. October 102. Create a shared school lunch3. Umina Bunnies4. Two hours5. 1,000 kilometresBonus Tricky AnswerAnything at all - including talking about sad days and good days

Oct 2, 2025 • 12min
Stone tricks and emu chicks
On this week's News Time, we’ll hear about a world championship that’s been rocked by scandal, then we’ll meet some mother hens that have taken orphaned emu chicks under their wings.Then, we’ll fall from the sky at a very high speed in our Wow of the Week.Quiz Questions1. How far can the plane fly on a single charge?2. What demonstration did Neville Bonner give in 1971?3. What did the cheats do to their stones?4. What did the zookeepers name the emu chicks?5. In which sport is Natisha is the World's Fastest Female?Bonus Tricky QuestionHow fast did Natisha get at this year's World Cup?Answers1. 400 kilometres2. Boomerang throwing3. Ground them into a circular shape4. Muffin and Socks5. Speed skydivingBonus Tricky Answer497 kilometres an hour!

Sep 25, 2025 • 13min
Mozzie fight and tricky motorbike
This week on News Time you’ll hear about Aussies doing big things at home and around the world!You’ll meet a team fighting diseases with the help of mosquitoes, and we’ll cheer on a motorbike rider who has landed a world-first trick after 15 years of trying. Then, we’ll jump on a tram to compete in some wacky challenges in our Wow of the Week.Quiz Questions1. What is the name given to Australians who work in Antarctica?2. Which country has been sent 130 million mosquito eggs?3. What did the students create to tell Matt's life story?4. Which "impossible" trick did Clinton do?5. Which country won the Tram Driver World Championship?Bonus Tricky QuestionHow tall was the wave that Matt surfed off the Portugal coast?Answers1. Expeditioners2. Laos3. Dance4. 7205. AustriaBonus Tricky Answer15 metres

Sep 18, 2025 • 13min
Koala park and robot shark
On this week’s News Time menu, we’ll hear about a park designed to keep koalas safe, then we’ll swim upstream to meet a bloodsucking fish. And we’ll finish with a rather large helping of dessert in our Wow of the Week.Quiz Questions1. How much waste can the robot shark collect each day?2. What is the name of the planned National Park in NSW?3. What sport does Jamieson play?4. How did the pouched lampreys get from Antarctica to Western Australia?5. Which country set a new strudel line world record?Bonus Tricky QuestionWhat were the two main ingredients used to make the strudels?Answers1. 500 kilograms2. The Great Koala National Park3. Boccia4. By sucking on the backs of whales5. CroatiaBonus Tricky AnswerFlour and apple

Sep 11, 2025 • 13min
Seal splash and fishy trash
This week on News Time, we’ll meet a tourist living large on a beachside holiday, and we’ll float along with an outlawed fish, before we take to the skies with a teenager and her puppy in our Wow of the Week.Quiz Questions1. Which was the last World Marathon that Charlie needed to run to complete all seven?2. What did locals spot Sammy the elephant seal eating?3. Who is the new women's surfing world champion?4. Which Australian state or territory has banned fish-shaped soy sauce containers?5. What is the name of Jennifer's co-pilot pup?Bonus Tricky QuestionWhat word is used to describe Jennifer's journey, or lap of Australia?Answers1. Sydney Marathon2. A baby shark3. Molly Picklum4. South Australia5. BellaBonus Tricky AnswerCircumnavigate

Sep 4, 2025 • 12min
Seagull mess and puppy express
This week on News Time, we’ll head to the nation’s capital, where some hungry birds are getting in a flap. Then we'll board a bus filled with barking best friends, before we pull up to a whale pit stop in our Wow of the Week. Quiz Questions1. What job does Greta do during AFL games?2. Which city is being swarmed by seagulls?3. What is the name of the comic book Molly created?4. How many dogs board the bus each week?5. What type of whale is scientist Aashi studying?Bonus Tricky QuestionWhat have the whale calves have been eating?Answers1. Boundary umpire2. Canberra3. Dreamwalker4. 635. Southern right whaleBonus Tricky AnswerKrill and crab larvae

Aug 28, 2025 • 13min
Football deals and building on wheels
We’re kicking goals on News Time this week! You’ll hear from a young soccer player gearing up for the Deaflympics. We’ll also dig up a pearler of a fossil in the outback before we head to a sporting event for robots in our Wow of the Week.Quiz Questions1. What is the record-breaking amount of money that AFL player Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera will earn each season?2. How old is the fossil pearl?3. Where will this year's Deaflympics be held?4. Why did the church have to be moved?5. What sort of robots recently competed in Beijing?Bonus Tricky QuestionWhat items did workers have to remove along the road so the church could get to its new destination?Answers1. $2 million2. 100 million years old3. Japan4. Fissures in the ground due to nearby mining5. Humanoid robotsBonus Tricky AnswerLamp posts, traffic lights, and a bridge!

Aug 21, 2025 • 13min
Parading wizards and tracking lizards
Shalailah Medhora is filling in for Ruby in this week’s edition of News Time. We'll get the buzz on beekeeping, and hear how it’s helping people stay focussed and relaxed. We’ll also head overseas to a country offering grandmas for hire. Then we’ll grab a board and hang ten in our Wow of the Week!Quiz Questions1. How many years has Children's Book Week been around?2. How many beehives does Miranda's family have?3. What prize is on offer for the trackers who find the most skink burrows?4. How much does it cost to hire a grandma?5. Who is Kelia's surfing hero?Bonus Tricky QuestionWhat is the great desert skink said to be coloured like?Answers1. 80 years2. 4503. A trophy4. $605. Molly Picklum (from Australia)Bonus Tricky AnswerA sunset

Aug 14, 2025 • 12min
Science Week spectacular
In this edition of News Time, get out your lab coats because it’s National Science Week! It's a celebration of science and technology that happens every August.We'll investigate some scientific discoveries and technical triumphs! Find out about some clever climbing contraptions saving cats, hear about a thrill-seeking teen swapping his wheelchair for a race car, and we'll put our microscopes up to some boogieing birds who love to body-roll in our Wow of the Week!Quiz Questions1. What is the name of the organisation sharing First Nations science?2. What was the sport Ally did before taking up racing?3. How long can the giant cuttlefish grow?4. Which city has built tiny staircases on the sides of its canals?5. Why did the researchers think the cockatoos were dancing?Bonus Tricky QuestionWhat are some of the dance moves that the cockatoos displayed?Answers1. Deadly Science2. Snow skiing3. The length of a cricket bat (1 metre)4. Amsterdam5. They were feeling goodBonus Tricky AnswerHeadbang, body-roll, sidestep

Aug 7, 2025 • 12min
Bird backpack and rocket set back
This week on News Time we’ll track down a backpack-wearing bird, we’ll crash down to earth in a rocket, and then we’ll think like a fish in our Wow of the Week!Quiz Questions1. What name has been given to the women's shed in Cairns?2. What have researchers placed in each of the birds' backpacks?3. Which soccer team is Hannah Hampton part of?4. How long was the rocket in the air?5. What has grown on the tiles?Bonus Tricky QuestionWhat is the name of the bird that's back on Phillip Island?Answers1. She Shed2. GPS trackers3. England Lionesses4. 14 seconds5. Algae and barnaclesBonus Tricky AnswerBush stone-curlew