But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids
231 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 days ago - ★★★★ - 4.3K ratingsBut Why is a show led by kids. They ask the questions and we find the answers. It’s a big interesting world out there. On But Why, we tackle topics large and small, about nature, words, even the end of the world. Know a kid with a question? Record it with a smartphone. Be sure to include your kid's first name, age, and town and send the recording to [email protected]!
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Episodes
How Do Butterflies Fly?
April 14, 2017 17:21 - 27 minutes - 25.4 MBHow do butterflies fly? Why are butterflies called butterflies? How do airplanes fly? If gravity pulls everything down, how do planes and rockets get up in the air? Why do planes have engines and how do they make them? We're visiting ECHO, the Leahy Center for Lake Champlain and the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for answers.
How Do Piano Keys Make Sound?
March 31, 2017 17:27 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBDid you know pianos have strings and hammers? We're learning all about instruments and how they use strings to make noises.
How Do Big Plants Grow From Such Small Seeds?
March 17, 2017 18:51 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MBWhy are there so many plants? How are seeds made? How does germination work? How can plants grow so big if they start from such a small seed? Why are flowers different colors? Why are plants and trees green? Where does dirt come from? In this episode of But Why , we're talking about plants with garden consultant Charlie Nardozzi.
How Does NASA Drive The Mars Rover?
March 03, 2017 18:09 - 22 minutes - 20.3 MBThe discovery of seven new planets that could contain life has kids and adults pretty excited. We can't get to these planets yet but we do have tools to explore planets closer to home. In this episode, St. Michael's College astronomy professor John O'Meara answers how the Mars rover is driven from back here on earth?
Are Yawns Really Contagious?
February 17, 2017 17:43 - 36 minutes - 33.7 MBWhy are yawns contagious? Why do we hiccup? How do teeth get loose? Why do your ears hurt when you drive up over the mountains? Why do we get dizzy when we spin? Why do people slip? Why do people faint? Why do we have saliva and mucus? Why do people cry when they get hurt? How do voice boxes work? Why does your voice sound weird when it's recorded? Dr. Lori Racha has more answers to your body questions.
Why Do Your Fingers And Toes Turn Wrinkly In The Tub?
February 03, 2017 15:58 - 30 minutes - 27.7 MBWhy do your fingers and toes turn wrinkly in the tub? Why are people ticklish? How do you get freckles? Why do some people have birthmarks? How do our hands feel things? Are humans animals? Why don't humans have tails? Why do we need food and water to survive? Why do our nose and ears keep growing? How do bones connect together? We're talking about our weird and wonderful bodies with Dr. Lori Racha, a pediatrician at the University of Vermont.
How Do Popcorn Kernels Pop?
January 20, 2017 17:40 - 26 minutes - 24.1 MBHow do popcorn kernels pop? How do salmon know where to return to spawn? How do rabbits change colors? Why does television fry your brain? How do zippers zip stuff? Who was the fastest runner in the world? In this episode, we'll tackle all these questions!
Why Is The World Split Into Countries?
January 06, 2017 17:57 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBWhy is all of the world split up into countries, states, cities and counties and more? Why can't we all just live as one big group? Which country has the least amount of people? We're talking about countries and borders with author Juan Enriquez. Also in this episode: why don't school buses have seatbelts?
How Is Chocolate Made?
December 23, 2016 14:49 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBHow is chocolate made? Why can't we eat chocolate all the time? Why does chocolate melt? Why can't dogs eat chocolate? In this episode, we travel to Taza Chocolate in Somerville, Massachusetts to get some answers. Plus, we visit a coffee roaster in Maine to learn about this parent fuel that so many kids find gross!
What's What With The Weather?
December 09, 2016 19:57 - 29 minutes - 26.6 MBWe're getting answers to all of your weather questions! Where does snow come from? Why do clouds stay up in the sky? How hot is lightning? What are thunderstorms? How is wind made? Those questions and more are answered by meteorologist Mark Breen, author of The Kids' Book of Weather Forecasting.
Thanksgiving Special: What Made The Turkey Trot To Boston?
November 22, 2016 21:32 - 10 minutes - 9.93 MBOn this special episode, we're going to listen to a story about how turkeys used to get from farms in Vermont to markets and dinner tables far away in Boston, a distance of a couple hundred miles. This was before refrigerated trucks. So how do you think they did it?
Why Do We Like To Eat Certain Foods?
November 22, 2016 21:19 - 25 minutes - 23.3 MBWhy do we like to eat certain foods? Why do some people like to eat spicy food and some people don't like to eat vegetables? Why does pineapple hurt your mouth when you eat too much of it? Why do we taste things and how? Why do different foods taste different? Do animals have the same taste buds as people? Download our learning guides: PDF | Google Slides | Transcript
Ghosts And Fairies And Gnomes, Oh My!
November 11, 2016 20:56 - 17 minutes - 16.4 MBAre ghosts real? Why do some cultures believe in fairies and gnomes and some don't? We'll learn about how beliefs in ghosts vary in different parts of the world with Justin McDaniel of University of Pennsylvania. Then we're off to Iceland to learn about magical creatures with Terry Gunnell.
Why Do Geese Fly In The Shape Of A 'V'?
October 28, 2016 13:44 - 22 minutes - 20.3 MBHow do birds fly? Why do they flock? How do they not get shocked when they sit on telephone wires? The Bird Diva has our answers to all of your questions about our feathered friends. And why do chickens lay different colored eggs? We visit the hen house at Shelburne Farms to find out.
Who Invented The President?
October 14, 2016 15:04 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MBWho invented the president? Which country had the first president? We answer presidential questions historical in nature with author Kenneth C. Davis . Also in the episode: why do leaves change color in the fall?
Why Is The Sea Salty?
September 30, 2016 17:51 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MBWe're heading to the coast of Maine to learn a little bit about why the sea is salty, how mussels get their shells and how model ships get in those glass bottles. Download our learning guides: PDF | Google Slide | Transcript | Ship In Bottle Plans
Why Is Soccer Called 'Soccer' Instead Of 'Football'?
September 16, 2016 18:51 - 12 minutes - 11.8 MB7-year-old Kala wants to know why we say soccer in the United States, when the rest of the world calls the game "football." In this episode we hear from people who make their living in the game, professional players, coaches and commentators.
How Long Does It Take For A Baby Cheetah To Go From Fluffball To Hunter?
September 02, 2016 16:02 - 15 minutes - 13.8 MBHow long does it take for baby animals to grow up? In this episode, we're learning about cheetahs and horses with two questions from siblings in Australia.
Do Bumblebees Have Hearts?
August 19, 2016 12:00 - 20 minutes - 19 MBThis episode is all about bugs! We've gotten a lot of questions from you about insects and other critters. So we're tackling them with the help of Jessica Honaker and Kristie Reddick, otherwise known as the Bug Chicks. Download our learning guides: PDF | Google Slide | Transcript
Why Don't Bicycles Fall Over?
August 05, 2016 10:37 - 21 minutes - 19.8 MBIt's all about bikes in this episode of But Why? Why bicycles can stay up when you're riding them, but fall over when stopped. Olympian Lea Davison tells how to get started when riding, and we learn how a bike chain moves a wheel.
How Does An Engine Work?
July 22, 2016 13:25 - 12 minutes - 11.8 MBSeven-year old Sawyer wants to know: how does an engine work? We learn about chainsaws from Ashleigh Belrose, an instructor the Center for Technology in Essex, Vermont.
How Does It Feel When Your Family Changes?
July 08, 2016 12:00 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MBFamilies grow and change. What does that feel like? We asked kids to tell us about their families, and we speak with author Amy Bloom about how love is not something that needs to be divided up, like a pie, but can expand and multiply.
Why Is The Sky Blue?
June 24, 2016 12:00 - 10 minutes - 9.5 MBWhy is the sky blue? We get an answer from a science writer for NASA's Space Place. And what are Saturn's rings? Carolyn Porco of the Cassini Imaging Team explains.
Special Episode: How Do You Talk To Kids About Violence In The News?
June 13, 2016 12:00 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MBThis is a special episode just for parents. It's about how to address violence and tragedy in the news with your children. This podcast comes the day after and in response to the mass shooting in Orlando, Florida.
How Do You Make Paint?
June 10, 2016 12:00 - 22 minutes - 20.9 MBIn this episode of But Why we're learning how to make paint from an artist who wild-crafts his own pigments, and we're visiting the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum to learn about the value of art.
Why Do People Have Different Religions?
May 27, 2016 12:00 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MBIn this episode of But Why we tackle the question of why people have different religions. Our answer comes from Wendy Thomas Russell, who wrote a book on how to talk about religion for secular families. Plus we visit a farm where kids of both the human and the goat variety are involved in making cheese.
Who Invented Words?
May 13, 2016 12:00 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MBOn But Why we let you ask the questions and we help find the answers. One of the things that many of you are curious about is language. How we speak, why we speak and what we speak.
How Does Music Move Us?
April 29, 2016 12:00 - 18 minutes - 17.1 MBWe're turning things around! Instead of you sending us the question, this time we're asking the question and looking to you for some answers. We wanted to explore why music moves us.
What Is The End Of The World Going To Feel Like?
April 15, 2016 12:00 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MBThis episode looks at a big question, a really big question. It's about the end of the world and what it might feel like. Parents: this episode is about asteroids and supernovas; some kids may find this episode a bit scary, or may have never considered those possibilities before, so you may want to listen first on your own.
How Do Bears Sleep All Winter?
April 01, 2016 12:00 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MBIn our very first episode, we've got owls and turtles and bears, oh my! It's all about animals. But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids is a show led by you. Kids ask questions and we find someone who can give you an answer. And that way all the rest of us listening get to learn something cool!
But Why: Intro For Adults
April 01, 2016 11:00 - 4 minutes - 4.06 MBMy name is Jane Lindholm and I'm hosting a new podcast for kids from Vermont Public Radio. We're calling the show But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids. And it's designed to be something you and your kids can listen to on long rides in the car, at the dinner table, or whenever you’re in the mood for learning something new. Think of it as public radio - made especially for kids.