The Children's Hour

Get into the holiday spirit with The Children’s Hour as we unwrap the traditions and tunes that make the season magical! 🎁✨ This week, we explore how New Mexicans celebrate Christmas with a unique twist—ever heard of “Christmas” red and green chili on your food? 🌶️ The second graders from Coronado Elementary School’s bilingual classroom teach us all about the state’s iconic chilies, their history, and how they’re grown. 🌟

Bear with us this time on The Children's Hour as we learn about bears from the legendary Dr. Lynn Rogers from the North American Bear Center. Find out how bears fit into our ecology, where and how they live, and how Dr. Rogers overcame his fear of bears to study wild bears.

This time on The Children’s Hour, the Kids Crew explores graphic novels. These modern day comic books can help kids become better readers, while keeping them engaged and learning. Dr. Lee Francis IV has a publishing house featuring graphic novels for all ages written by Native authors and illustrators. We also meet a science illustrator whose books help kids understand complex scientific topics. Plus we have book reviews!

This week on The Children's Hour, it's the season of gratitude, and we're grateful for some of the most important people in our lives: our grandparents. The Kids have messages and stories to share for and about their own grandparents. We'll also hear kids from Jimmy Carter Middle School in Albuquerque, NM telling stories about grandparent love and magic in action.

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.

In this episode of The Children’s Hour, the Kids Crew dives into the captivating realm of great apes, featuring orangutans, chimpanzees, and gorillas. Special guest Michelle Desilets from Forests for Orangutans shares insights into the behaviors, lifestyles, and struggles of these remarkable animals. We also visit the Albuquerque BioPark Zoo to get an up-close look at chimpanzees. Join us for an engaging and informative adventure into the world of these extraordinary creatures!

In this episode of The Children’s Hour, the Kids Crew dives into the world of Presidential elections! With the help of New Mexico's Secretary of State, Maggie Toulouse Oliver, and State Representative Pamela Herndon, we break down how elections work, what the Electoral College is, and why voting is so important. From learning about ballots to understanding how votes are counted, this episode is filled with interesting facts and answers to questions about the election process. Even though kids can’t vote, they can still learn and inspire adults to take part in elections!

This week on The Children’s Hour, we explore how kids cope with death and grief. We'll learn what are the best things to say to someone in mourning, and what we absolutely should never say. Find out about the Day of the Dead, and how you can memorialize someone you love.

Learn about archaeology with The Children's Hour and the New Mexico Office of Archaeological Studies.

This special episode of The Children’s Hour honors Indigenous Peoples' Day with guest author Laurel Goodluck, who shares stories from her books that highlight indigenous perspectives. Laurel, who is of Mandan Hratsa and Tsimshian heritage, reads excerpts from her books, including Too Much, My Great Big Native Family and She Persisted: Deb Haaland. The Kids Crew engages with Laurel on topics like family, resilience, and cultural pride, while indigenous music from around the world weaves throughout the program, creating an enriching experience for listeners of all ages.

Coming up on The Children’s Hour, we get bugged with the Albuquerque BioPark’s Curator of Entomology, Jason Schaller who lets bugs loose at the Outpost Performance Space with our Kids Crew. We learn what makes a bug, well … a bug? Why should we love bugs? Do bugs have feelings? Learn about bugs in space, and find out how to make cricket tacos, as we explore the incredible diversity of insects on Planet Earth. Mixed with excellent music, get bugged with us!

In this special episode of The Children’s Hour, we celebrate the extraordinary life and legacy of Jimmy Carter, just in time for his 100th birthday on October 2, 2024. Join us as we explore his journey from a peanut farmer in Georgia to becoming the 39th President of the United States, and beyond, with insights into his lifelong dedication to peace, human rights, and community service. Featuring music, interviews, and stories, this episode honors Carter’s remarkable impact on the world.

This time on The Children's Hour, we're joined by three cave biologists who are researching life underground. Learn the basics of caves, spelunking, and hear about cutting edge research into extremophiles.

On this episode of The Children's Hour, we learn all about the Post Office from the American Postal Workers Union Local 380 President, Ken Fajardo. Mr. Fajardo has worked at the United States Postal Service for over 30 years, and explains what happens when a letter goes through the mail. We also learn about stamp collecting and how the postal service makes a big difference in elections. Plus, puzzlemaker Riya Joshi challenges the Kids Crew to a puzzle on the air. Learn with us!

This week on The Children’s Hour, we’re saying goodbye to summer. The kids crew share our favorite, and not so favorite, memories of summertime, and we’ll set some goals for the start of the school year. With a story by Bill Harley, great music, tips for a great school year, and more.

Together we can do anything, and this time on The Children's Hour we explore teamwork, improv, and how playing games brings builds community. The Kids Crew gets a workshop in improvisation as a team building exercise. Then, we learn about games kids have played for thousands of years which helped create and sustain strong communities. Learn with us!

We speak with our bodies, and some people speak only with their bodies. Communication Nation Episode 3: Other Voices, Other Sounds explores nonverbal communication, sign language, deaf culture, and assistive technology. Comes with a learning guide. Learn with us!

Communication Nation Episode 2: Mother Tongues focuses on the incredible diversity of language around us, from appreciation of the way names sound, to the restoration of endangered languages. Learn with us on The Children's Hour!

Communication Nation Episode One: Speaking the Truth - Media Literacy & Misinformation is the first of a four part radio series exploring communication to better understand one another. We can only have effective communication when we can trust our sources. We learn about media literacy and misinformation from Eisha Buch at Common Sense Media.

It’s time for the Olympic games, and our summer intern and longtime Kids Crew member, Thaniel, has written and produced a show for us about the Olympics. Thaniel covers the history of the events all the way back to ancient Greece, and through the modern displays. Get ready for the Olympics!