The Wonder Podcast for Curious Kids

Available Episodes

5 of 34

S5, Ep6 The Secrets of Stonehenge
It is one of the most famous, and mysterious, stone circles in the world but who built it, and why? Was it an ancient calendar? A place of worship, or pilgrimage? Or a burial ground? Or, as some people have even suggested, a landing pad for alien spaceships? Today we can only guess at Stonehenge’s original purpose. But what remains of this 5,000-year-old monument – which sits within a sacred landscape on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England – offers extraordinary clues. Narrated by Camilla Akers-Douglas Script by Camilla Akers-Douglas Produced by Henrietta McMicking Sound editing by Lou Sawdy Theme music by James Burrell Music Instagram @wonderpodcasts X @wonder_podcasts Facebook @wonderpodcasts TikTok @the.wonder.podcast Email [email protected] or [email protected]
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8:44
S5, Ep5 Ada Lovelace: the Countess of Coding
Have you ever heard of Ada Lovelace? Or Augusta Ada Byron? Or the Countess of Lovelace, as she became? Ada is credited with writing the first-ever computer program 100 years before the computer was even invented. She was also a brilliant mathematician and an aristocratic Victorian. We tell the remarkable true story of the daughter of the poet Lord Byron, a digital pioneer and the celebrated creator of the first computer algorithm. And every time we play a computer game, or listen to a podcast, we are a part of her legacy. Narrated by Henrietta McMicking Script by Henrietta McMicking Produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas Sound editing by Lou Sawdy Theme music by James Burrell Music Instagram @wonderpodcasts X @wonder_podcasts Facebook @wonderpodcasts TikTok @the.wonder.podcast Email [email protected] or [email protected]
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11:16
S5, Ep 4 Taking the piss: pee, wee and piddle
Have you ever thought about the importance of wee? Urine, to give it its proper name, has flowed through human history. The Romans used it to whiten their togas as well as their teeth. Children in the Middle Ages worked as piss collectors because it was such a valued product in the leather and wool industries. In times of war wee has come into its own. Stale pee was used in the manufacture of gun powder. In the absence of clean water, it was used to disinfect wounds. And soldiers in the First World War placed urine-socked socks over their mouths to protect themselves from chlorine gas (when there weren't enough gas masks to go round). There is so much more to wee than the waste liquid we flush down the toilet each day. Narrated by Laura Howarth Script by Henrietta McMicking Produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas Sound editing by Lou Sawdy Theme music by James Burrell Music Instagram @wonderpodcasts X @wonder_podcasts Facebook @wonderpodcasts TikTok @the.wonder.podcast Email [email protected] or [email protected]
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8:21
S5, ep3 Play to win: board games, card games, and other games
Have you ever wondered why we love playing games – board games, card games, computer games, even playground games like It and Kick the Can? There are many wonderful, crazy games – card games like Pokemon and Whist, Exploding Kittens and Uno; games of dice like Perudo; pattern games with tiles like Rummicub; and board games such as Cluedo. Some are based around exciting stories: explorers settling a new land – Catan; an army at war – the game of chess; exploring, building and surviving in an imaginary wold – Minecraft. Games let us experiment and take risks in a safe, fun way. Many games involve luck – like the throw of the dice, the draw of the cards – but they also involve maths. And, sometimes, using maths can help you win… Narrated by Camilla Akers-Douglas Script by Camilla Akers-Douglas Produced by Henrietta McMicking Sound editing by Lou Sawdy Theme music by James Burrell Music Instagram @wonderpodcasts X @wonder_podcasts Facebook @wonderpodcasts TikTok @the.wonder.podcast Email [email protected] or [email protected]
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9:56
S5, Ep2 The lost city of Machu Picchu
What would it be like to discover a whole city hiding in the cloud forest? This podcast – for parents and their children – tells the thrilling story of the rediscovery of Machu Picchu, the Andean citadel built by the Incas in 1400. For hundreds of years, it was covered in undergrowth and known only to local people in a small corner of Peru. Then the American adventurer, Hiram Bingham, found it in 1911. The extraordinary mountaintop city has now been designated one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. Narrated by Jamie Chetwood Script by Henrietta McMicking Produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas Sound editing by Lou Sawdy Theme music by James Burrell Music Instagram @wonderpodcasts X @wonder_podcasts Facebook @wonderpodcasts TikTok @the.wonder.podcast Email [email protected] or [email protected]
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7:59