Orbit: Science for kids on the move!

Ever wonder how a turtle can trick worms into coming out of the ground just by dancing?! Or how scientists can tell a turtle's age just by looking at its shell?!
We're continuing the Wild Critters series to learn all about wood turtles with turtle biologist Chris Polinski from the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute! Along the way, learn why mama wood turtles travel for miles to lay their eggs, and exactly what to do if you're lucky enough to spot one in the wild!
➡️ Part of the Wild Critters series, created with PBS Nature and the National Wildlife Federation
➡️ Learn more about wildlife with Ranger Rick Magazine: https://rangerrick.org/
➡️ Learn more about the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/
Orbit Family Conversation Starters: Why do you think stomping on the ground to imitate rain tricks worms into coming to the surface?
Continue learning as a family: Go to a local park as a family and close your eyes and listen. What sounds do you hear that are "nature sounds" and what sounds are "people sounds?" Talk about what turtles like Wanda must think!
Orbit links
💬 Submit your kids' questions! https://www.cumbrekids.org/questions 
💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club: https://www.cumbrekids.org/curious-club 
🖍️ Orbit coloring pages for episodes: https://www.cumbrekids.org/color-along
🎧 Cumbre Kids: https://www.cumbremedia.com
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: https://www.cumbrekids.org/our-values

This week, we’re bringing an episode from our friends at “But Why?” from Vermont Public!  Find “But Why?” On your favorite podcast platform or visiting butwhykids.org 
We'll be back next week to learn all about Wood Turtles 🐢 together on Orbit! See you soon! 
Orbit links
💬 Submit your kids' questions! https://www.cumbrekids.org/questions 
💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club: https://www.cumbrekids.org/curious-club 
🖍️ Orbit coloring pages for episodes: https://www.cumbrekids.org/color-along
🎧 Cumbre Kids: https://www.cumbremedia.com
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: https://www.cumbrekids.org/our-values

Ever wonder how a fluffy baby bald eagle grows into the majestic bald eagles that soar through the sky!? Or why bald eagles build giant nests that can weigh as a pickup truck!?
We're continuing the Wild Critters series to learn all about bald eagles with eagle biologist Ulgonda Dunlevy from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service! Along the way, learn why bald eagles almost disappeared in the 1960s, and how people worked together to help their population recover!
➡️ Part of the Wild Critters series, created with PBS Nature and the National Wildlife Federation 
➡️ Learn more about endangered species with Ranger Rick Magazine: https://rangerrick.org/ 
➡️ Learn more about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: https://www.fws.gov/ 
Orbit Family Conversation Starters!
Why do you think bald eagles are used as a symbol for the whole United States?
What do you think it would feel like to be a fledgling learning to fly for the very first time?
Continue learning as a family!
See how many details you can spot on something four feet away versus twenty feet away, like an eagle would!
Read more about endangered species and see if you can learn about an endangered species that lives close to your family! 
Orbit links
💬 Submit your kids' questions! https://www.cumbrekids.org/questions 
💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club: https://www.cumbrekids.org/curious-club 
🖍️ Orbit coloring pages for episodes: https://www.cumbrekids.org/color-along
🎧 Cumbre Kids: https://www.cumbremedia.com
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: https://www.cumbrekids.org/our-values

Did you know a giant, dried-out pile of mammoth poop can survive for over 20,000 years!? And still hold the seeds, pollen, and even parasite eggs trapped inside it! Scientists call it "mummified," and it might be the ultimate Ice Age time capsule! 
This week, we travel to Waco Mammoth National Monument in Texas with Justin Tweet, paleontologist with the U.S. National Park Service! 
➡️ Part of the Wild Critters USA series, created with PBS Nature and the National Wildlife Federation 
➡️ Learn more about Waco Mammoth National Monument: https://www.nps.gov/waco/index.htm 
➡️ Ranger Rick magazine from the National Wildlife Federation: https://rangerrick.org 
Orbit Family Conversation Starters!
If you found footprints, bones, hair, and poop in a cave, which one would you want to investigate first, and why?
What do you think scientists can learn about an animal just by studying its poop?
Continue Learning as a Family!
Look up what kind of Ice Age animals once lived in your own area or country! Many places around the world had their own giant mammoths, sloths, or saber-toothed cats.
Orbit links
💬 Submit your kids' questions! https://www.cumbrekids.org/questions 
💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club: https://www.cumbrekids.org/curious-club 
🖍️ Orbit coloring pages for episodes: https://www.cumbrekids.org/color-along
🎧 Cumbre Kids: https://www.cumbremedia.com
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: https://www.cumbrekids.org/our-values

Did you know the welding arc can get even hotter than the surface of the Sun? 🔥 
This week, we meet Rudy Rodriguez, a welding instructor at Weimar High School in Weimar, Texas. Together, we discover how welders use heat to join metal together, why they wear special helmets, what causes those bright sparks, and how welding helps build everything from playgrounds and roller coasters to bridges, airplanes, and even rockets!
➡️ Part of the Cool Jobs for Curious Kids series, made possible by Level Up Texas and the Texas A&M Office for Youth Engagement ⁠⁠https://tx.ag/cooljobs⁠⁠
➡️ Explore Cool Jobs in the classroom! K-5 classroom resources: https://bit.ly/cooljobs_resources 
Orbit Family Conversation Starters!
If you could build anything out of metal, what would you create?
What is something in your home or neighborhood that was probably welded together?
Continue learning as a family!
Look for welded objects around your home, school, or playground. Can you spot where pieces of metal were joined together?
Visit a construction site from a safe distance and see what materials are being used to build. 

Orbit links
💬 Submit your kids' questions! https://www.cumbrekids.org/questions 
💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club: https://www.cumbrekids.org/curious-club 
🖍️ Orbit coloring pages for episodes: https://www.cumbrekids.org/color-along
🎧 Cumbre Kids: https://www.cumbremedia.com
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: https://www.cumbrekids.org/our-values