Wednesday, June 21, 2023
Record-breaking cold snap; Titanic search underway; Zombie lightning strike mix-up; and the best job in the world.
LINKS
Squiz Kids Classroom Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Classroom
Junee Chocolate Factory: https://www.juneelicoriceandchocolate.com/
Newshounds:
Zombi back pic: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid06tfLcv5ijoHbRoh7XqCEDRR9JruNLtPd9Yg1rd7TrWHLWDrVJKeWeGRcvysu2gfQl&id=100044323664953
Zombi front pic: https://www.deviantart.com/gorkafx/art/prothesic-makeup-6-11988852
#Sponsored
Mums, Dads, and Teachers – check out VisitCanberra for some great ways to inspire and entertain the kids on your next trip to the nation’s capital.
Squiz Kids Book Club: https://www.squizkids.com.au/book_club/may-2023/
Classroom Companion:
Teachers! Want to access free, curriculum-aligned classroom resources tied to the daily podcast? Sign up to be a Squiz Kids Classroom and download the Classroom Companion each day. Made by teachers for teachers, differentiated to suit all primary school ability levels. And did we mention it’s free?
Newshounds
Get started on our free media literacy resource for classrooms
https://www.squizkids.com.au/about-newshounds/
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THE LOWDOWN
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Has it been a little harder to drag yourself out of bed the past few mornings? Have the tiles in the bathroom seemed extra icy under your bare feet? Have you been tempted to wear your ugg boots to school?
Then that’s because large parts of Australia are in the midst of a polar blast – with morning temperatures especially in the south-east of the country dropping to record lows for the month of June.
Sydney experienced its coldest June morning on record on Monday, with the mercury dipping to minus 1.8 degrees.
When someone talks about mercury in a story about weather, they’re referring to the fact that thermometers – which measure temperature – used to be filled with the liquid metal mercury … so there you go.
Sydney wasn’t the only place this week where early risers had their teeth chattering: it got down to minus 5 degrees in Canberra yesterday morning – with residents waking to see frost all over the ground.
Melbourne – you had a positively balmy 5 degrees yesterday morning – practically beach weather for the average Melburnian. While up in the Sunshine State – locals were forced to actually put on shoes as temperatures west of Toowoomba plunged to minus 4 degrees.
There was snow down in Tassie – and a big dump of the white stuff on the Snowy Mountains in NSW and Victoria – just in time for the school holiday ski rush.
But if winter’s not your thing: don’t worry. Tomorrow marks what is called the Winter Solstice .. the point at which the daylight hours become a bit longer, the sun shines a little bit brighter and we start the crawl towards spring and summer.
Can I get a hallelujah?
SPIN THE GLOBE
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Each day we give the world globe a spin and find a news story from wherever it stops. And today we’ve landed in the Atlantic Ocean – off the coast of Canada – where the eyes of the world were yesterday as search took place for a submarine that went missing on a dive around the wreck of the Titanic.
At the time of podcasting – navy and coast guard boats were working around the clock to try and locate the missing sub and its five passengers.
The Titanic is the most famous shipwreck in the world. The remains of what was once the mightiest passenger ship ever built – sits on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean at a depth of about 4000 metres … that’s 4km down beneath the surface. So a long, long way down …
Fingers and toes crossed they find the sub.
FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD
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Now here’s a job I think it’s safe to say we could all see ourselves doing.
A chocolate factory in Junee, in western NSW, is looking for people who can taste test its new products.
I’m sorry, what? A taste tester for a chocolate factory? That surely has to be the best job in the world! Where do I sign up?
The Junee Chocolate and Licorice Factory says it wants to send samples of new chocolate products in the post to anyone who’s interested – in return for which they just need to provide feedback. Tell the chocolate makers whether they like it or not. Sounds to me like Charlie And The Chocolate Factory brought to life …
I’ve stuck a link to the factory’s website in today’s episode notes if you are keen to sign up. And let’s face it, who wouldn’t be?
// STING
Hey – speaking of getting feedback on free stuff … teachers: I know it’s getting to the end of the term and the last thing you need is one more thing on your to-do list – but we’re in desperate need of a bit of feedback on our free classroom resources. I’ve stuck a link to a survey in today’s episode notes: and if you’re a subscriber to Squiz Kids Classroom – and you regularly receive the Classroom Companion – the excellent activity sheets produced by our resident primary school teacher, Christie – we’d really appreciate it. I’ve stuck a link to the survey in today’s episode notes. Or you can find a link to it on the home page of our website: squizkids.com.au. And a huge thanks in advance.
NEWSHOUNDS
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Every Wednesday, Squiz-E the Newshound sticks his snout into Squiz Kids HQ to report back on fishy things he’s sniffed out on the internet – and today, his nose is twitching after being tricked by a zombie lightning strike photo meme on Facebook.
That’s a lot to process isn’t it … a zombie lightning strike photo meme .. so let’s break it down.
Squiz-E was scrolling through his Facebook feed the other day and came across a post which said: “If you are lucky enough to survive a lightning strike, this is what your body will look like,”.
Accompanying the words was a photo of a person’s back – battered and bruised and covered with veins. It’s pretty gross. I’ve stuck the link in today’s episode notes.
The Facebook post was shared more than 700 times in two weeks.
But something smelled fishy about the post – and so some clever people did some online digging – and discovered the photo was in fact of an actor in zombie make-up. I’ve stuck a link to a photo of the front side of the actor, which is also pretty gross in a zombie kind of way.
It’s yet another reminder to always do as Squiz-E says: and that’s to Stop. Think and Check before believing everything we see, read or hear on the internet.
Because sometimes lightning strikes are actually just zombies. Thanks Squiz-E – you’ve done it again!
// CANBERRA //
Do you have a budding artist in your family? Do you love to draw or paint? Then you’re going to love the Squiz Kids Q+A we did last week with Sandra Bruce from the National Portrait Gallery in Australia.
In it she chats about how any of us can make art, what makes a compelling portrait – and reveals details of a cool portrait painting competition for Aussie kids.
And if you’re heading off on a road trip to our nation’s capital these school hols – have a listen. The pod is packed with other great ideas for kids’ entertainment, Canberra-style.
The Q+A should play immediately after this ep if you’re listening on a podcast app – otherwise search for it in the app or via the Q+A page on our website. Enjoy!
THE S’QUIZ
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This is the part of the podcast where you get to test how well you’ve been listening …
- What’s the name of the mountain range in NSW and Victoria where the Aussie ski fields are?
- Squiz-E sniffed out a photo on Facebook – the caption said it was a lightning strike survivor when in fact it was someone made up to look like a what?
- What does a factory in Junee in regional NSW want people to help it taste test?
SHOUT OUTS
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It’s June 21 – if you’re in NSW or Queensland, or anywhere else and a lover of NRL, it’s time to whip out your blue or maroon supporter gear as the State of Origin Game 2 takes place tonight in Brissie …. May the best state win …
It’s also a special day for these Squiz Kids celebrating a birthday today … Emmanuelle from Montmorency, Aaeleya from Junee, Oscar from Redfern and Oscar from Belrose, Leo from Sydney, Arina from Holsworthy and Gabby from Andrews Farm.
And belated shout outs go to… Kate from Rosanna, Makayla from Darlington and Ariel from NSW.
Classroom shout outs go to… class 3A at Gardenvale Primary School in Brighton East, classes 4M and 5W at Glendore Public School, class 6M and Mrs Meyn at Batemans Bay Public School, class HB16 and Mr Freyer at Woongarrah Public School, class 6J and Miss Jones at Gulgong Public School and lastly to class 5Z and Ms Zielinski at The Scots School in Albury.
The S’Quiz Answers:
- Snowy Mountains
- Zombie
- Chocolate