Tumble Science Podcast for Kids

New Tumble episodes are coming next month, in Season 6! For now, please enjoy one of our favorite episodes of Season 5, with NASA astronaut Dr. Serena Auñon-Chancellor. How do you become an astronaut? That’s what Tumble listener Margaret wants to know. We go straight to the source to get an answer: A NASA astronaut! Dr. Serena Auñon-Chancellor shares her journey to outer space with us. Starting from being a kid watching shuttle launches, to her school’s Astronaut Club, all the way to NASA’s Astronaut Candidate program, and finally to the International Space Station. Serena also shares the surprising truth about doing science research in space. Join us on her path to the stars!

We're so excited to share the first episode of The Wildlife of Your Home Podcourse with you! We think of it as a true crime science story, happening in your own home. But don't be scared - this is definitely a kid-friendly who-dunnit!  The Wildlife of Your Home is an interactive, educational audio experience - based on one of our favorite episodes of Tumble! Join me and scientist Rob Dunn for a 10 part series that will show your home in a whole - new - way. You’ll meet fascinating creatures and solve the mystery of what lives inside your home. Better yet, you’ll get the tools to do real science - starting a journey that can continue long after you finish the course. If you’ve ever enjoyed hunting for bugs, this course is for you. Go to learning.himalaya.com/tumble and enter promo code TUMBLE at checkout to get your first 14 days free.

Join Tumble for a first-of-its-kind, interactive, educational audio experience. The Wildlife of Your Home Podcourse is a 10 episode series that will train you to become an indoor wildlife investigator - a rare kind of scientist! You’ll learn about ecosystems, by discovering the unknown creatures you wake up with every day. As you listen, you’ll be writing, observing, and getting on your hands and knees to explore. And best of all, you’ll be doing REAL SCIENCE - contributing to a worldwide scientific effort to study indoor ecosystems. The Wildlife of Your Home is coming to you this July, exclusively on the Himalaya Learning Platform. Himalaya Learning provides bite-sized courses from world-class thinkers and industry experts for you to enjoy in the app, on the go. Not only will you receive all of our premium episodes, but you’ll also have access to educational PDFs to guide and expand your discovery. To listen to this audio course and others like it, go to learning.himalaya.com/tumble and sign up to pre-enroll and get your early bird discount.

Mystery Recipe is a children’s podcast about cooking from America’s Test Kitchen Kids. Hosted by Molly Birnbaum (our guest on “The Science of Smell”), the series is a journey through different ingredients, all leading up to a grand finale cook along! The recipe is a MYSTERY—will you be able to guess what it is? Today we’re featuring the first episode. If you like what you hear, the first season is available wherever you get your podcasts. Tumble is working on exciting new projects, and we’ll be sharing them with you soon! Stay tuned for more!

Stoopkids Stories is a storytelling podcast about Black characters navigating and overcoming different obstacles with family, friends and community. It’s hosted and written by performer Melly Victor. This episode, called “The BB Twins” is all about dance. It’s about two twins who hit it big with a dance they upload to the internet. Their success opens a big new opportunity - but is it one they want to take? We hope you enjoy the story, and maybe it will start some important conversations! You can subscribe to Stoopkids Stories wherever you listen to podcasts. To find more podcasts featuring Black voices and Black creators, check out the podcasts on this list by the School Library Journal. Tumble is taking a break from regular episodes, but we’ll be back with some VERY SPECIAL PROJECTS we have in the works, throughout the summer! And don’t worry, birthday shoutouts are still in effect! To get one, just pledge at the $5 level or higher at patreon.com/tumblepodcast.

How would you reinvent something that’s been used for thousands of years, by millions of people? In this episode, we discover the process of invention with Rory Cooper, an engineer who revolutionized the wheelchair. He’s our guide to time traveling back to the kings and queens who used wheelchairs, and to the future of rideable robots. Anyone want a ride on a Mars rover?! Listen to more of our interview with Rory Cooper, when you become a member on Patreon! Just $1/month gets you access to our special bonus interview episodes with all our scientists. Pledge at patreon.com/tumblepodcast.  Watch videos of Rory’s wheelchairs (including the waterpark wheelchair in action!) at our website, sciencepodcastforkids.com.

Would you fly to the top of a volcano that’s about to erupt at any moment? Volcanologist Helena Buurman did, and survived to tell the tale! In 2008, Helena was monitoring Mount Redoubt in Alaska, when the ground beneath the volcano began to shake. What follows is a tale of volcanic adventure, involving earthquakes, helicopters, and a massive eruption!  We invite you to invent your own volcano! Find resources to learn more about volcano warning signs and eruptions, on our website at www.sciencepodcastforkids.com We have more from our interview with Helena Buurman for our Patrons who pledge just $1/month or more. To listen, pledge today at patreon.com/tumblepodcast. For more volcano episodes, check out one of our favorites: “What Would Earth Be Like If Volcanoes Didn’t Exist?”

What happened when astronomers discovered the first alien from another solar system? This is a true story! In 2017, a telescope in Hawaii spotted a distant object in the night sky, behaving like nothing we’d ever seen before. They named it ‘Oumuamua, and an astronomical chase began! Join astronomer Jane Luu on her quest to track it down and figure out how the first interstellar visitor arrived in our solar system. We have another great episode with Jane Luu, about her breakthrough discovery of the Kuiper Belt! Listen to The Search at the Edge of the Solar System. You can also listen to an extended interview with Jane Luu about Oumuamua when you pledge to support Tumble on our Patreon, for just $1/month. Learn more about ‘Oumuamua on the blog on our website, sciencepodcastforkids.com.

We’re back with a new set of kids’ questions about COVID19, as well as some important updates on questions from our first coronavirus episode. Dr. Juan Dumois, infectious disease pediatrician, answers some tricky questions like, “If you were the coronavirus, what would life feel like?” and “Can I play with my friend?”  * *Our interview with Dr. Dumois was recorded on April 17, 2020. If you’re listening weeks later, the situation and the science might have evolved, and Dr. Dumois’ answers might be outdated - information that feels old or incorrect. In that case, look for more recently updated information from trusted sources, like the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and follow guidelines from your local government. You can also keep sending us questions at tumblepodcast@gmail.com! Do you love Tumble? Support us on Patreon.com/tumblepodcast with a pledge! Find more information about some of the answers in this episode at our website, sciencepodcastforkids.com.

Why do foods smell the way that they do? A would-be chef goes on a quest to find out, after she loses the ability to smell. Molly Birnbaum, editor of America’s Test Kitchen Kids and host of the podcast, Mystery Recipe, navigates us through the olfactory organs and the startling chemistry of food. Join us to discover the science of smell, and how your nose helps you cook and taste. Want to hear more from our interview with Molly? We have a special bonus interview episode available to all our patrons! Just pledge $1 or more a month at patreon.com/tumblepodcast. We’re sharing more resources about the science of smell and cooking on our blog at our website, sciencepodcastforkids.com.