

ABC KIDS News Time
ABC Kids listen
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

Nov 20, 2025 • 13min
Champion spellers and long-lost letters
On this week’s News Time, you’ll hear about a family who’s received a message from 100 years in the past, and we’ll go on a quest to identify a mysterious animal prowling around a forest. Then we’ll put on our dancing shoes for a very wild Wow of the Week!Quiz Questions1. Where has the mango been grown and developed?2. Who won the 2025 NSW Premier's Spelling Bee?3. What was inside the glass bottle?4. What breed of dog (not lion!) is Mouse?5. How long did GrassHopper dance for?Bonus Tricky QuestionHow many songs did GrassHopper dance to?Answers1. Far North Queensland2. Finn3. Two letters4. Newfoundland5. 144 hours (or six days!)Bonus Tricky AnswerMore than 3,000 songs!

Nov 13, 2025 • 13min
Rescued tree and para archery
On this episode of News Time, we’ll descend from great heights to save an endangered tree, then we’ll hear about an archery world champion who shoots arrows with her feet! And, in our Wow of the Week, we’ll collide with something that’s truly out of this world!Quiz Questions1. What was the name of the eSports competition that went to regional New South Wales for the first time?2. What will be built on the car park?3. What was the name of the endangered tree that Stan saw?4. Where were the recent World Para Archery Championships held?5. What part of Andrew's car was struck by the possible meteorite?Bonus Tricky QuestionWhat did the horticulturalists collect from the trees?Answers1. The FUSE Cup2. An aged care facility for Indigenous elders3. Jillaga ash4. South Korea5. WindscreenBonus Tricky AnswerGumnuts

Nov 6, 2025 • 12min
Curious creatures special
This week's News Time is a real creature feature!You’ll hear five stories about curious creatures from Australia and around the world. We’ll meet a cheeky bear that broke into a zoo, then we’ll hop to an island where millions of scuttling crabs are making an escape. And, in our Wow of the Week, we’ll hit the catwalk to meet some very fashionable dolphins. Quiz Questions1. What is the name of the project that's asking Australians to take photos of insects?2. What type of dinosaur was dug up (as a mummy)?3. How many red crabs on Christmas Island are migrating?4. How did zoo staff describe the unexpected bear visitor?5. What were the male dolphins wearing on their heads?Bonus Tricky QuestionWhat are two ways that residents of Christmas Island gently move the crabs?Answers1. The Australian Bug Hunt2. Duck-billed dinosaur3. 100 million4. He was very polite5. Sea spongesBonus Tricky AnswerShields on their cars, and leaf blowers

Oct 30, 2025 • 13min
Bush ingredients and virtual experience
On this edition of News Time, we’ll head to a beach to see a shipwreck, we’ll hear about a clever invention giving sick kids a holiday from hospital, and we’ll hit the shearing sheds for a wild and woolly Wow of the Week! Quiz Questions1. How big was the tiny noisy frog?2. How old is the shipwreck believed to be?3. What sort of business did Sharon create?4. What technology allows kids to have a holiday from hospital?5. How many lambs did Nikki shear in nine hours?Bonus Tricky QuestionHow do the newly-discovered frogs on Dauan Island begin life? Answers1. As big as a fingernail2. 100 years old3. Catering4. Virtual Reality (VR) headsets5. 502Bonus Tricky AnswerThey hatch from eggs (and don't begin life as tadpoles!)

Oct 23, 2025 • 13min
Deep history and a concrete mystery
On this week’s News Time we’ll pound the pavement to solve an animal mystery, we’ll zoom down ski slopes to meet a duo seeking Paralympic glory, and in our Wow of the Week we’ll bang the drum with a kid whose rock’n’roll dreams have all come true.You'll also hear about Deep Time, an ABC resource that shares more than 130 cultural stories from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and language groups.Quiz Questions1. How long have Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples walked and lived on this continent?2. What is the name of the Australian netball team that Hannah and Shelley have both played for?3. What did the public vote to name the imprint?4. How do Georgia and Ethan communicate on the ski slopes?5. Which Aussie rock band did Noah play with?Bonus Tricky QuestionWhich country will host the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games?Answers1. At least 65,000 years2. The Diamonds3. Splatatouille4. Walkie talkie5. The Living EndBonus Tricky AnswerItaly

Oct 16, 2025 • 13min
Traditional words and noisy scrub-birds
On this week’s News Time, we’ll blast off into space to share a message with the universe, we’ll hear the sweet song of a bird for the first time in over a century; and then meet a student who has used a 3D printer to create a big life change, in our Wow of the Week!Quiz Questions1. How have men's AFL games begun since the 1880s?2. People from how many countries participated by recording messages?3. What is Jaz teaching her teachers?4. Which bird has been reintroduced into West Cape National Park?5. What did Lois and her classmates use to create a hand?Bonus Tricky QuestionHow big is the disc that will be sent into space?Answers1. With the centre bounce2. 803. Paakantyi language4. Noisy scrub-bird5. 3D printerBonus Tricky AnswerThe size of a slice of bread!

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


