The Children's Hour

This time on The Children’s Hour, New Mexico Poet Laureate Lauren Camp inspires us to find our poet within, putting our feelings, thoughts, stories and ideas into words to create our own poetry. Featuring poems read by Bob Odenkirk, Joy Harjo, and others, we celebrate poetry and explore our own poet within each one of us.

Find this episode post with all the links at https://childrenshour.org/the-poet-within

What makes a poem, and how do we find the poet within? New Mexico Poet Laureate, Lauren Camp walks us through how poetry comes to life from our thoughts, sensations, and to describe the world around us. Hear how her poem Forest Man makes us feel like we are inside the trees with us.  

New Mexico Poet Laureate Lauren Camp has written more than 10 books of poetry, and has contributed to a coloring book showcasing how amazing New Mexico is, with line art drawings from many talented New Mexican artists. Produced by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, the coloring book is free and you can download and print it no matter where you live!

We hear poetry from former United States Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. She was the 23rd United States Poet Laureate, and the first Native American to hold the honor. Joy Harjo is from the Mvskoke Nation. She is only the sec­ond poet to be appoint­ed a third term as U.S. Poet Laureate.  The Current United States Poet Laureate is Ada Limón. We also hear from Shel Silverstein, Bob Odenkirk, and others.

Write your own poem answering the prompt provided by our guest Lauren Camp: What does zero feel like?  Submit your poem to us in your own voice or using our contact form. We would love to hear from you. Hear what our Kids Crew came up with as we were interviewing Lauren Camp.

This episode of The Children’s Hour was produced by Executive Producer, Katie Stone, with help from Senior Producer Christina Stella. Our Education Director, Lorraine Archibald also contributed.

© 2024 The Children’s Hour Inc. All Rights Reserved 

This time on The Children's Hour we learn about the concept of querencia: the feeling of "home" in a place, and with our communities. Using poetry, imagery, history, music and sharing, we explore the elements of home.

This week on The Children’s Hour we’ll explore New Zealand through stories and songs, and in conversation with our friends, Kiwi musicians Lucy Hiku from Itty Bitty Beats, and Claudia Robin Gunn. One lives on the north island, and the other on the South Island!

We’ll learn about New Zealand’s unique geography, climate, landscape, wildlife, and culture. Expect to hear all New Zealander music, in both English and Maori.

Celebrate the unique culture, landscape, flora and fauna of New Zealand with us. From kiwi birds to Kākāpō, there’s a lot to learn.

You can learn a lot more about New Zealand in our Learn-Along Guide that’s posted above. This guide meets and cites US National Education Standards, and will expand on what we explored today on the show.

This episode was produced by Katie Stone, our Executive Producer, with help from our Senior Producer, Christina Stella. Producer Diana Baron Moore contributed to this episode. Our Learn-Along Guides are written by Lorraine Archibald, with help from Jonathan Dunski. Many thanks to Claudia Robin Gunn and Itty Bitty Beats for being with us on the show.

©2024 The Children’s Hour Inc.

Imagine a world where kindness is a habit. The Kids Crew explore kindness, as a practice, science and feeling on this edition of The Children's Hour.

We're joined by Lindsay Munroe, a singer-songwriter who specializes in music to build caring communities of children.

Acts of kindness are more than just beneficial for the recipient, givers are also rewarded. We discover the science of kindness, and how it's a gift that keeps on giving.

We've created a free, downloadable learning guide on Kindness, which meets national education standards. Find it at https://ChildrensHour.org/kindness/
Download it for free, grab some crayons, pens, markers, and pencils and come along with us as we cultivate kindness.

This show is mixed with inspiring, joyful music that promotes kindness.

Produced by The Children's Hour Inc. Katie Stone is the Executive Producer, Christina Stella is our Senior Producer, Lorraine Archibald is our educator, and Alexander Jacobson writes our transcripts.

2024 The Children's Hour Inc.

This time on The Children’s Hour, the Kids Crew does a deep dive to learn about birthday traditions from around the world. Here in the United States, many kids can expect a birthday cake, candles, presents, and maybe even a party. But in some regions, like where The Children’s Hour is in the Southwest, we have even more to add to a birthday celebration.

Mega Ran is one of the most prolific hip hop artists you have heard, but likely have not heard of. His music is featured in hundreds of video games, earning him an award from the Guinness Book of World Records. Now he’s a children’s musician with a beat and a message. Get inspired by his amazing journey in an engaging conversation with our Kids Crew.

Who’s hooting? On this episode of The Children’s Hour, we learn all about owls! 

More than 200 species of owls live around the world. Maybe you have had the experience like some of our Kids Crew, of seeing owls in the wild? If you want to learn more about these interesting creatures, this episode is for you!

This time on The Children's Hour we learn about our Black American history, this time exploring the Negro Baseball Leagues. These were professional teams made up of Black and other non-white players, and the only way Black athletes could play professional baseball while the Major Leagues remained segregated. Our guest is Byron Motley, author of Negro Baseball Leagues - A Memoir which chronicles the story of these leagues.

Byron's own father was an umpire for the Negro Baseball Leagues. His father's love of the game was passed along to Byron, who only understood as an adult what challenges his dad had to overcome to be included in the world of baseball.

Many legends of baseball come from the NBL, including Jackie Robinson, the first Black player to integrate the Major Leagues. We learn about the oldest player to ever rookie for Major League Baseball at the age of 42, Satchel Paige, along with NBL players Larry Doby, and Josh Gibson.

We've also got a poem from E. Ethelbert Miller's book "If God Invented Baseball" and we hear some classic comedy by Abbot & Costello.

This episode is mixed with great music, and comes with a Learn-Along Guide that meets and cites National education standards. Find it at https://ChildrensHour.org/Negro-Baseball-Leagues

Negro Baseball Leagues was written and produced by Executive Producer, Katie Stone, with help from Senior Producer, Christina Stella, and producer Eli Henley. Chad Scheer was our engineer at Outpost. Lorraine Archibald authors our Learning Guides, and Alexander Jacobson writes our Transcripts.

© The Children’s Hour Inc. 2024

This time on The Children’s Hour, we’re joined by Sesame Street’s first Black woman puppeteer, Megan Piphus. Portraying six year old Muppet Gabrielle, Megan is living her dream life on the street she came to know as a tiny child. Megan is a self trained ventriloquist and she shares some of her secrets with the Kids Crew. Find the episode page at https://childrenshour.org/living-the-dream

Megan has just released her first children’s album called Spaceships & Dreams. The hip hop and soulful release was a collaboration with Bootsy Collins of Parliament fame. Megan learned to sing at church, where her dad was the pastor.

Hear tracks from her new album, and get captivated and inspired by Megan Piphus’s incredible success and achievements to make Sesame Street more diverse.

This episode was produced by Katie Stone, our Executive Producer, our Senior Producer, Christina Stella, post production from Ann Marie Awad, and transcription by Alexander Jacobson.

©2024 The Children’s Hour Inc.

This time on The Children's Hour, we meet Ms. Caitlin Gooch from Saddle Up And Read, an organization that motivates kids to read with horses. Evan Daitz reviews My Life In The Fish Tank, and Maya Falcon gives us her review of PANDEMIC 2020: A 9 Year Old's Perspective by Prisha Hedau. The kids in the Extinction Diaries teach us about why some zebras are being born with bizarre stripe patterns, and what that means. We've got great music on this show, too.

Find the full episode information at https://childrenshour.org/Read-Ride

Learn with us!

What makes a good meal great? It’s when it tastes delicious and is nutritious, all at the same time. This time on The Children’s Hour we get in the kitchen with Kids Cook’s Sara Robbins in a demonstration kitchen, as we explore healthy foods for kids of all ages. We talk with pediatric dietician, Jill Castle about making healthy choices for our meals. She explains how parents can help kids establish good habits when it comes to food, exercise, and being healthy. Get cooking with The Children’s Hour, and learn with us about Eating Well.

Eating well begins at home, and parents play a critical role in establishing healthy food habits with children that can last a lifetime. This time on The Children's Hour, the Kids Crew is at 3 Sisters Kitchen, an industrial food preparation location, in order for us to cook something with Sara Robbins from Kids Cook. Sara teaches students across New Mexico about our bodies, and what they need from our meals in order to thrive. Today she has the Kids Crew cooking homemade tortillas to make burritos, and we are discovering that food preparation includes using our math skills.

Jill Castle has been described as America’s Child Nutritionist, and she is the author of numerous books, including her acclaimed The Nourished Child.
In a conversation with Executive Producer, Katie Stone, Jill explains the five food groups: protein, grains, dairy, fruit and vegetables. These are grouped by their nutritional value, and are familiar to families. Every day, we should have foods from each one of these groups to meet our bodies' nutritional needs.

Jill has her own system for talking with families about diet, too. She categorizes food into three categories: highly nutritious - like the foods in the five food groups, decently nutritious, like boxed cereal, and minimally nutritious, like candy and other sweet treats. She explains how families can help kids practice habits to balance these foods.

We return to the kids at 3 Sisters Kitchen cooking with Sara Robbins from Kids Cook to hear how the meal preparation is going. The recipes the Kids Crew used were for corn tortillas, black beans, and salsa fresca. You'll hear the kids talk about green chile in this episode, and that is because where we live in New Mexico, green chile is our State Vegetable, and true Hatch green chile can only be grown in New Mexico. Sometimes green chile is spicy, but kids here learn to eat spicy foods at a younger age than in other parts of the United States.

This episode of The Children's Hour was produced by our Executive Producer, Katie Stone, with help from Senior Producer Christina Stella, and producer, Ann Marie Awad. Chad Scheer provided our live engineering at 3 Sisters Kitchen. Our transcripts were written by Alexander Jacobson.

© 2024 The Children's Hour Inc.

Our planet is alive, and not just because it enables life to live here, but also the land on Earth is constantly shifting and moving. This time on The Children's Hour we learn about our earthquakes from science communicator and geologist, Dr. Wendy Rocks. Then we hear about volcanoes from Dr. Mousumi Roy. We explore what causes earthquakes and volcanoes, and how scientists can (or cannot) predict them. Plus hear a Kids Crew review of a new book about epic mythology: Greeking Out. Let's get shaking with The Children's Hour!

This time on The Children's Hour we visit with the inspiring and talented children's musician, author, motivational speaker and change-maker SaulPaul, a musician with a message. The Kids Crew learn about his triumph over adversity, and challenge him to compose a freestyle rap while on the air with us!

Learning from adversity, and inspiring with positivity are the messages behind SaulPauls music for kids. An author, motivational speaker and change-maker, SaulPaul is changing the sound of children's music, while being a force for good in his community. We spend the whole hour learning about his life, work, motivation and hear some of his incredible music.

As the Kids Crew learn about his triumph over adversity, we challenge him to compose a freestyle rap while on the air with us!

Then Kids Crew member Evan Daitz reviews the book A Whale of the Wild by Roseanne Parry. His Kids Crew review ranks the book on our green chili rating system: 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. Evan loves to read books critically, and we find out if Roseanne Parry's book makes the grade for Evan.

We've got an hour of excellent music in a show that will inspire you to Be The Change!

Be The Change was produced by executive producer Katie Stone with help from senior producer Christina Stella.

We learn all about skunks with world renown mephitologist, Dr. Jerry Dragoo. Mixed with great music sure to captivate kids of all ages. Comes with a Learn-Along Guide!

We showcase some of the best of 2023 for kids music. The Kids Crew is joined by guests Bob Odenkirk and his daughter Erin Odenkirk. Their book Zilot & Other Important Rhymes is our pick for the best book of 2023 for children. Celebrate the best of 2023 with The Children's Hour.

Celebrate the holidays with The Children's Hour in a holiday musical special. We will play some of the latest and greatest in Kindie releases, and with many of our classic favorites. Get your family singing and dancing and fill your hearts with joy. Happy Holidays from all of us at The Children's Hour!

Astronomy begins at home, just looking up and seeing what we see. The Kids Crew meet with Professor Raman Prinja, Head of Astronomy and Physics at University College in London. Professor Prinja’s new book Wonders of the Night Sky details the many celestial sights we can see just by looking up at the sky in our own backyards. Get out of this world with us in a conversation on astrophysics with the Kids Crew.

Join The Children's Hour Kids Crew in a field trip to the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market, the largest in the world! Learn what makes something "Folk Art" in conversations with artists from dozens of countries. This episode comes with a Learn-Along guide for use in classrooms.

This time on The Children's Hour, we learn about a canine that is thriving across North America: coyotes. They may look like wild dogs, but we learn from biologist Zoe Rossman that they are quite different from our friendly house pets.

ICKY: A Radio Musical is a pandemic inspired theatrical performance with a Learn-Along guide.

Way back in the days before the end of The Big Sick, students everywhere were forced to stare at computer screens featuring live video feeds of their classmates. This was happening in bedrooms, living rooms, and kitchens across the country and the world ...

This time on The Children’s Hour, we’re celebrating Thanksgiving in a musical special dedicated to gratitude, family, and appreciation of each another and the Earth. We’re finding the joy in every moment, in this Thanksgiving musical Children’s Hour.

Trees have birthdays too, and scientists find out when they are by studying tree rings. This episode comes with a Learn-Along guide that meets and cites US educational standards.

Join our Kids Crew in a conversation with the beloved children's authors, Goosebump's author RL Stine and Marc Brown, the author and illustrator of the Arthur books and TV show. We discover their secrets to creating some of the most widely read kids' books of all time. Get reading with The Children's Hour!

This time on The Children's Hour, the winner of the 2022 Grammy for Best Children's Release, Falu is our guest for the whole hour.

This Halloween special explores the traditions of Halloween, from carving pumpkins to costumes, and what the history is to explain trick-or-treating. Visit ChildrensHour.org/Pumpkin-spice for a digital Learn-Along guide that meets & cites content standards for using our podcast in schools. Mixed with great music. Happy Halloween!

Learn all about sloths with author Georgeanne Irvine from the San Diego Zoo, and biologist Sam Trull from the Sloth Institute in Manuel Antonio Costa Rica. Find out how we can all help protect sloths. This episode comes with a digital Learn Along guide that meets and cites US national education standards.

Get into the world groove with The Children’s Hour as we explore global music for kids. We hear some radio debuts of songs that teach, inspire, and entertain, performed by musicians from around the world. Join us for a musical exploration of world music for kids!

Because kids are seeing guns in so many places, The Children's Hour has tips on gun safety that hunting families have taught their kids for generations. We learn from kids who are hunters themselves on what hunting means to them, and we explore gun laws in the US and the world. Gun violence prevention begins with a conversation at home. Join us for this lifesaving episode of The Children's Hour.

This time on Children’s Hour get blown away with us as we learn all about balloons. We begin with the history of hot air balloons, and we end up in the air on a real balloon. Then we explore latex balloon art and clothing with the team at Airigami. Plus, find out what happens when helium balloons get released into nature. And, that mysterious object you might see floating around in the middle of the day in the skies above you? That might be a weather balloon! All of this is mixed with great music!

Learn about fossils in this action packed episode of The Children's Hour that comes with a Learn-Along guide that meets and cites National (US) Education Standards. The Kids Crew took a summer field trip to a secret fossil dig site located in an active mining quarry in the mountains of New Mexico. They spoke with the paleontologists working to extract 350 million year old fossilized marine creatures and plants.  Hear from science educators, and working paleontologists at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, CA to learn even more. Find the Learn-Along guide at ChildrensHour.org/fossils

This time on The Children's Hour we are falling into autumn in the northern hemisphere. We learn about equinox, and hear from 5th graders on learning different perspectives about Labor Day, Mexican Independence Day, and Columbus Day.

This time on The Children’s Hour, it’s a full hour of stories and story-songs with authors Todd Parr and Michelle Adam, and many more. We hear stories from Bill Harley, Joanne Shenandoah, and song stories throughout the program. This episode takes us on adventures to new worlds and ideas. Join us while we tell you stories, this time on The Children’s Hour.

The Kids Crew learn the science, history, and current schedule of vaccination from Newberry Honor author Dr. Rajani Larocca, and from the Center for Disease Control's Dr. Georgina Peacock. Plus we meet Dr. Richard Corsi, a pioneer of the cheap D-I-Y air purifier.

Celebrate The Children's Hour's fifth birthday in a show full of memorable moments from our last five years, and mixed with some of our favorite tunes.

This week on The Children’s Hour, it’s the three hundred eighty third anniversary of the Pueblo Revolt on August 10th and we cover the story. Taken from our educational series: A Brief History of the American Southwest for Kids, join us for a dive into 23,000 years of American history.

This time on The Children's Hour we learn about the largest animal to ever live on Earth, which still roams the oceans today: whales.

This week we explore a creature that used to live throughout the mountain west United States, the elusive black footed ferret. Once declared extinct, the highly endangered specialist predator may make a comeback in the North American prairie thanks in part to our guest, Paul Marinari, Senior Curator at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute at the National Zoo.

This time on The Children's Hour, we learn about parasites. Parasitologists Dr. Matt Bolek and Dr. Sarah Bush join our Kids Crew for a lively discussion.

The Kids Crew is joined by Charles Bergman who is a writer, photographer, and speaker and longtime professor at Pacific Lutheran University. He also wrote Every Penguin in the World: A Quest to See Them All.

This time on The Children’s Hour, we learn about Manatees, the gentle giants of the sea. In a visit with Andrea Hermann from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, the Kids Crew and Katie discuss the current ecological status of manatees, plus we find out all about their lives in the seas around Florida and elsewhere in the world.

This time on The Children’s Hour, we immerse ourselves in good vibes with a summer fun soundtrack. We've got brand new Kindie music and a classic Bill Harley story about the terror of the high dive and power of unrequited love. Be uplifted with us!

This week on The Children's Hour we honor fathers in a musical special for the dads, stepdads, granddads, papas, and fellas in our lives who help us grow. Featuring some of the best in Kindie musicians, plus old favorites.

The Kids Crew visit with producers and a young voice actor from PBS Kids Work It Out Wombats, which teaches kids about computational thinking, and problem solving in systematic, organized ways.

This time on The Children's Hour we get onboard and learn about trains. The Kids Crew went on a field trip to The Wheels Museum of Albuquerque, and discovered the rich history of railroads. Learn with us!

This time on The Children's Hour we explore the most inexpensive energy source in the world: solar power, in a show recorded live at the Solar Fiesta in Albuquerque New Mexico. Comes with a signature Learn-Along Guide!

This time on The Children's Hour we learn how everyone can contribute to active scientific research by participating in Community Science with groups like BEMP: the Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Program. This episode comes with a free Learn-Along Guide!

This time on The Children's Hour we explore what sounds classic. First we learn about classical music with prodigy pianist Kayden Kelly. Then we play with sound effects with Kip Allen and Crawford MacCallum.

Celebrate Mom with The Children's Hour in a musical Mother's Day special. We feature some of the latest tunes from Kindie musicians honoring mothers, and we hear poetry about the special bond between kids and our moms. Happy Mother's Day to all who celebrate from The Children's Hour.

We take a step back in time, to over 80 years ago to World War II, one of the biggest conflicts in human history, which changed modern humanity forever. Learn from Ms. Teresa Rand Bridges' bilingual 5th grade class at Alvarado Elementary, a public school in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

This time on The Children's Hour we explore how reading to dogs can help kids feeling confident and excited about reading. Read To The Dogs programs can be found in many libraries, and sometimes they come to schools.

We celebrate Earth Day on The Children’s Hour with students working to save the environment around them. RiverXchange is a program that partners with schools on the Rio Grande to create projects that protect our precious environment. We also learn about the founder of Earth Day, Gaylord Nelson.

The Kids Crew learn about autism from the authors of A Kids Book About Autism, David and Justin Flood. We also hear from scientist Dr. Temple Grandin about what she thinks kids with autism need to know. Finally, we learn about a teenager with autism who's superpower is to impersonate Michael Jackson. Mixed with great music!

It's National Poetry Month in the USA, and we are celebrating with a Poetry Palooza on The Children's Hour! We're joined by author, poet and educator Allan Wolf for an hour of poetry in verse, song and craft.

This time on The Children's Hour, we learn about squid with Skype A Scientist, Dr. Sarah McAnulty. These ubiquitous creatures are the psychedelic acrobats of the ocean.

This time on The Children’s Hour we are joined by the Epic Voice Guy himself, Jon Bailey. Maybe his name isn’t familiar but his voice has been heard in thousands of commercials, TV shows, video games, animations, toys, movies, and more.

This time on The Children's Hour, we're joined by 5 time Grammy nominee, 9 time Parents Choice Gold winner Justin Roberts. Plus, Rebel Girls teach us about kid superstar drummer, Nandi Bushell.

This time on The Children’s Hour, the Kids Crew get aboard the JOIDES Resolution, virtually, while the ship is at sea off the coast of Portugal. We meet Amy Mayer, the Onboard Outreach Officer for the JOIDES Expedition 397, and research fellow Saray Sanchez.

This time on The Children's Hour we visit with the bilingual, Grammy winning duo, Lucky Diaz and Alisha Gaddis from the Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band.

This time on The Children's Hour we explore black history through music. We've put together a special playlist of songs to educate about a few of the people who made significant contributions to technology, culture, and the quest for justice and equality.

This time on The Children’s Hour, we learn about a profession with the task of informing the public of the truth: Journalism. We will learn from journalists themselves, including two from New Mexico Press Women who let us know what journalists do, and how they are different from paid advertisers. Find out what we can look for to verify the truth of a story. Then we meet Maria Hinojosa, a groundbreaking, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist with a new children’s book about her life.

This week on The Children's Hour, we learn about one of the most ancient animals to live on our planet, that is still alive today: Lungfish.

2022 Grammy nominee for Best Children’s, Divinity Roxx is a superstar bassist, and longtime member of Beyoncé’s touring band. This time on The Children’s Hour, she guest deejays the show, and answers all of our many questions about life as a rockstar.

This week on The Children's Hour, we explore the best musical releases for kids in 2022, including the five nominees for the Best Children's Grammy.

This time on The Children's Hour we explore black history through music. We've put together a special playlist of songs to educate about a few of the people who made significant contributions to technology, culture, and the quest for justice and equality.

How do we stay calm and centered during times of anxiety, and how do we practice being peaceful? The Children's Hour Kids Crew explore strategies together, and with Andy Mason, a singer songwriter from Santa Fe New Mexico who helps kids find their inner strength through music.

What could be more spooky than a pandemic Halloween? The Kids Crew are joined by Drs. Bop 'n Pop, who are on a mission to help normalize lifesaving public health behaviors for children and families through their songs and videos. We get an update from the doctors about how Covid can be contained and we find out how to have a safe Halloween, in spite of the pandemic.

This time on The Children's Hour, we learn all about how Presidential Elections work. We feature New Mexico Secretary of State, Maggie Toulouse Oliver who walks us through the election process. Then we learn all about the Electoral College with an actual elector, Dr. Pamelya Herndon. Why do we have this indirect way of voting for President and Vice President? The Kids Crew explore whether the process is fair, and what it would take to change it. Plus we find out how kids can get involved at the polls. Click here to find out how you can help in your state.

This week on The Children’s Hour, we learn about Indigenous Peoples Day. Plus we are treated to live music from an all women mariachi band, Mariachi Flor del Alma, we’ve got a book review of Under The Cottonwood Tree, a new graphic novel for kids based on an ancient New Mexican folk tale, and the Extinction Diaries cover the bird die-off that happened late this summer in the southwestern United States.

This time on The Children's Hour we explore a few of our favorite things. Genevieve goes to the opera, Corbit and Kodiak fly an airplane, and we visit with pet rescuers from Animal Humane New Mexico.

This time on The Children's Hour, we learn about climate change, including its causes, results, and the actions we must take to protect future generations. Our guest is Dr. David Gutzler, professor emeritus at the University of New Mexico in the Earth and Planetary Sciences department with a specialization in climate science. Mixed with great music.

We’ve got a lot of gratitude this year, for our health, well-being, families, food, homes, and so much more. We’re celebrating Thanksgiving with a musical special in recognition of how thankful we are.

This time on The Children's Hour, we learn what a watersheds are, and how they are impacted by forest fires. All over the world, people rely upon watersheds for drinking water, irrigating farmland, and for ecosystems. We are joined by educators from the New Mexico Watershed and Forest Restoration Institute, Natalia Shaw and Raymundo Melendez, along with educator and ecologist Dr. Krista Bonfantine.

This week on The Children’s Hour, Katie and the Crew learn about the Little Free Library network with Shelby King, program director and coordinator of the Impact Library Program. Airdrie reviews Rowen And The Rascal Lion, and Evan gives us a review of A Wolf Called Wander. Mixed with excellent music celebrating books, libraries, and reading.

This time on The Children’s Hour, we learn from two people who have dedicated their lives to being leaders in their communities. First, the kids chat with Pierce Freelon, who is a multi-Emmy winning TV and movie producer, Grammy winning children’s musician, educator, and city councilor in the city of Durham, North Carolina. Pierce talks about how he came to wear all these hats, and explains to us what it is a city councilor actually does.

The Kids Crew explore the physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits of running with blind Olympic champion runner George Mendoza, kids and adults from Running Medicine, and Gabe Vasquez whose running is helping him run for Congress. Mixed with great music, and including a full reading of Colors of the Wind: The Story of Blind Artist and Champion Runner George Mendoza.

This time on The Children's Hour, our summer interns Julia Wolfe and Sophie Anderson-Haynie have co-written and produced a program about Banned Books. They teach us what that means, the history of banning books, and how it's even possible in the era of digital reading.

Are you hungry, because we're cooking on this episode of The Children's Hour. We'll be making a kale salad with Kids Cook's Sara Robbins. We also have a book series review from our Kids Crew member Zander of My Big Fat Zombie Goldfish by Mo O'Hara. Mixed with great music!

On this episode of The Children’s Hour, the Kids Crew talk with an exoplanetologist, Dr. Diana Dragomir. We discover what an exoplanet is, and how astronomers find them in a vast sea of stars. Learn if there’s life outside our solar system, and how you can help in the search.

We've created a special musical edition of The Children's Hour that honors our fathers, just in time for Father's Day. Also learn about Juneteenth!

This time on The Children's Hour, we look for the adventures we might have this summer.

This time on The Children's Hour we learn about two of the most endangered big wild cats: tigers and snow leopards.

This time on The Children's Hour, we go far out into space with Dr. Katie Mack, a theoretical astrophysicist whose current focus is on the timeline of the universe, from its birth through its death, billions of years from now.

This time on The Children's Hour, we will hear stories that have been passed down through the generations. We call these "Folktales". Hear the story of La Llorona, told by storyteller Dr. Rosalia Pacheco. This episode is mixed with great music and more stories.

The Children's Hour presents a Father’s Day Special. This edition of The Children’s Hour features messages from kids in our listening audience and from our Kids Crew about their fathers, we learn the history of Father's Day, plus we hear from award winning poet Hakim Bellamy about what black fathers must teach their sons in America today.







durationtitleartistalbumlabel




05:15Just the Two of UsWill SmithWill Smith: Greatest Hits1987, 1988, 1990, 1991 Zomba Recording LLC, 1997 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., 1997, 1999, 2002 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.


00:01Father, FatherNY OilSingleKim Sharpton


03:45Call Me PapaDonavon FrankenreiterDonavon Frankenreiter2004 Universal Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.


02:58What Daddies Do (I'll Be With You)Greg LatoCreate My Own WorldGreg Lato 2020


01:44Best Friend (Mickey Dolenz)Brandon CruzEddie Is A Punk2006 Taang! Records


01:00You're My Best FriendQueenThe Platinum Collection (Greatest Hits I, II & III)2014 Hollywood Records, Inc.


04:55Walkin' DaddyGreg BrownCovenant2000 Red House Records


03:35Father SongTalking Hands Talking FeetWalking Songs2014 Talking Hands Talking Feet


03:35Color Him FatherKeb' Mo'Big Wide Grin2001 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.


03:18Daddy Played the BanjoSteve MartinThe Crow: New Songs for the Five-String Banjo2009 Rounder Records Manufactured and distributed by Concord Music Group


01:42I Love You DaddyThe Laurie Berkner BandWaiting For the Elevator2019 Two Tomatoes Records, LLC., Distributed by Concord.


01:38Anne Frank (feat. Miri Ben-Ari)Mark Isham featuring Miri Ben-AriFreedom Writers (Music from the Motion Picture)This Compilation 2006 Paramount Pictures


02:05Bus Ridewill.i.amFreedom Writers (Music from the Motion Picture)This Compilation 2006 Paramount Pictures


01:30Tum Tum Concrete SidewalksAnikukuDemoAnikuku


04:06Your Daddy Loves YouGil Scott-HeronNothing New2014 XL Recordings Ltd.


03:58Tu Sangre en Mi Cuerpo (feat. Pepe Aguilar)Angela AguilarPrimero Soy Mexicana2018 Machin Records


03:46Not All Heroes Wear CapesOwl CityCinematic2018 Owl City


04:05Dance With My FatherNuttin' But StringzStruggle from the Subway to the Charts2006 Koch International








The Children’s Hour is supported by the Cultural Services Department and the Urban Enhancement Trust Fund at the City of Albuquerque, city councilor Pat Davis, as well as Bernalillo County, New Mexico’s Commission. We also have support from Electric Playhouse and numerous foundations also support our work including the Infinite Gesture Fund, The Limestone Fund, The Laughing Buddha Fund, and the Entheogen Fund. Thank you to our listeners who also support us!

This time on The Children's Hour, we explore imagination, boredom, and the benefits of both with special guests, Kids Imagine Nation.

Celebrate Mother's Day with a musical Children's Hour, featuring some of our favorite "Kindie" musicians honoring mothers through shoutouts and songs. We even hear from Katie Stone's mom!

Celebrate our planet Earth with The Children's Hour, and our special guests, renown climate scientist Dr. Michael Mann, author Megan Herbert, and kids from The Global Warming Express. This show is mixed with excellent music.

This time on The Children's Hour, we explore the games we love to play. The Kids Crew share their favorites all through the show, including games we can all play that don't need any pieces, game boards, or equipment.

This time on The Children's Hour, we spend the hour with Cristina and Andrés from 123 Andrés, a bilingual indie band up for a Grammy this year for their release, Actívate!

This time on The Children’s Hour we explore mushrooms with mycology educator and author, Peter McCoy. This episode comes with a companion Learn-Along guide. Find it at https://ChildrensHour.org/Fungus-Among-Us

This remixed episode of The Children's Hour is about being an anti-racist kid. The Crew interview behavioral psychologists Dr. Rebecca Ezechukwu and Dr. Danielle Riddle-Price about what racism is, and how to be anti-racist.

When we witness someone being bullied, it can be hard to know what to do. On this edition of The Children's Hour, we learn about bystander intervention with iHollaback educators. The Kids Crew find out what are the 5 D's which give us concrete steps to respond when someone is being bullied.

This time on The Children's Hour, we're learning all about earthquakes and volcanoes with Dr. Mousumi Roy, a University of New Mexico professor of Physics and Astronomy with a specialty in Earth Sciences.