The Children's Hour

This time on The Children's Hour podcast for kids we learn about the extraordinary life of Jim Henson, the legendary puppeteer who created Sesame Street, the Muppets, and many movies, TV shows, and songs. Jim Henson's biographer Brian Jay Jones joins the Kids Crew in an exploration of the creative genius of a guy who just wanted to be remembered as a true artist. Learn even more in our learning guide.

Bear with us this time on The Children's Hour as we learn about bears. Meet the legendary Dr. Lynn Rogers from the North American Bear Center. Find out how these gentle giants fit into our ecology, where and how they live, and how Dr. Rogers overcame his fear of bears. It's a bears podcast for kids, with a companion learning guide and activities.

This time on The Children’s Hour, learn about space junk with space anthropologist Dr. Alice Gorman. We’ll explore the consequences of polluting our upper stratosphere, and what the plan is to pick up our trash in orbit. Comes with a learning guide, this is a space junk podcast for kids.

Join The Children's Hour as we say goodbye to summer with the summertime best releases in 2026. Get ready to hang up your towel and grab your lunchbox, but first we have a dance party in this musical special.

Learn with our kids science podcast about exoplanets on 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. Find out if they have found aliens, and how you can help in the search.

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. The podcast learning guide and activities for use in classrooms can be found at ChildrensHour.org/folk-art

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.

This week on The Children’s Hour, learn about the history of the Southwest United States. Adapted from our educational podcast series: A Brief History of the American Southwest for Kids, join us for a dive into 23,000 years of American history.

We're joined this time on The Children's Hour by Paul and Cheryl Reisler from Kid Pan Alley, who have written more than 2,500 songs with more than 70,000 children over the last 30 years.

We’re celebrating dads with a musical special Father's Day podcast for kids. As we think about our fathers, we remember the important role they play in our families, and our lives with their nurturing, love, and care. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads from all of us on The Children’s Hour.

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.

It's Globalquerquito, a kid's global music show recorded live Albuquerque Museum, with Taos Pueblo's Robert Mirabal, and Quebecois Mélisande.

Celebrate Mom with The Children's Hour in a musical Mother's Day special. We feature some of our favorite songs by Kindie artists 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.

Celebrate the year in kids’ radio and music with The Children’s Hour Best of 2025. Hear favorite moments from the Kids Crew’s interviews and shows, along with songs from Grammy-nominated children’s artists. It’s a joyful look back at a year filled with learning, laughter, and discovery.

Celebrate the season with Holidays 2025, a joyful Children’s Hour episode filled with winter songs, multicultural traditions, kid-friendly stories, and festive music. Enjoy classic carols, new holiday tracks, and cheerful moments perfect for families, classrooms, and holiday listening.

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.

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

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.

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!

Just in time for Father’s Day on June 15, 2025, this episode of The Children’s Hour is For Dad. We celebrate with the EGOT winning artist John Legend whose latest musical release is all about fatherhood, kids, and the love of childhood. Dads play a unique and special role in children’s lives, and we honor them through music and poetry. Happy Father's Day from The Children's Hour!

Get ready to celebrate the end of the school year with The Children’s Hour! This week, we honor teachers, cheer for graduates, and dive into hilarious and heartfelt stories about finishing school. Plus, we share songs about summer adventures and new beginnings. Join us for a joyful goodbye to another great year!

It’s the season for sleeping outside under the stars, and The Children’s Hour kids learn more about how to avoid bears, stay safe in bad weather, and be prepared for campfires and camping from our friends Jordan Stone and Naina Panthaki at Cottonwood Gulch, and meteorologist Kerry Jones.

Why do animals travel long distances every year? On this episode of The Children’s Hour, we learn all about migration—how it works, why it happens, and which creatures migrate the farthest. From the skies to the seas, we’ll explore the incredible journeys that animals take in search of food, warmth, and safety.

This show is for mom! It’s a celebration of mothers from Children’s Hour listeners and our kids crew. We’ll also learn the history of Mother’s Day, beginning 1872 when Julia Ward Howe made the first Mother’s Day Proclamation. Plus we find out about bird moms, and hear great music honoring motherhood.

This time on The Children's Hour, we learn about frogs and toads, with Senior Zoologist of the ABQ Biopark Zoo's Amphibians and Reptiles, Josh Butler. We have a lot of questions about these ancient creatures. We also hear from the kids in the Extinction Diaries who have a warning about the shrinking populations of frogs.

In this episode of The Children's Hour, we dig into the world of roots—how they feed plants, connect trees, and even store carbon to help our planet. Artist and educator Jane Westbrook shares her passion for roots, while Robin Wall Kimmerer and Monique Gray Smith introduce us to Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults, a book about Indigenous knowledge, science, and our relationship with nature. Through stories, music, and conversation, we learn how roots keep the Earth strong and how we can care for the plants that sustain us.

Our minds help us understand, learn, and express ourselves. But not everyone thinks the same way! In this episode of The Children's Hour, we explore different kinds of minds, including neurodivergent thinkers, emotional intelligence, and artificial intelligence.

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.

Dr. Seuss' stories have delighted readers for generations with their fun rhymes and memorable characters. In this episode, we learn about his life, creative process, and the impact of his books. Tune in to discover the magic behind one of the greatest children's authors of all time!

This time on The Children's Hour, we celebrate the First Lady of children's music, Ella Jenkins, who died in November 2024 at the age of 100. Learn about her extraordinary life and how she created a whole new genre of music for kids and families.

Take flight with the magnificent and mighty eagle on a field trip to the Zuni Eagle Sanctuary with Lucasti and Caibiya, and the Kids Crew meet Dr. Brian Millsap, a biologist who has spent his life studying eagles. Learn with us!

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.

Celebrate the best in kids music, hear about one of our favorite educational podcasts, and sample the Grammy nominees for Best Children's Release. It's all in an 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. ?

This time on The Children’s Hour, we will hear traditional stories that have been passed down through the generations, which we call Folktales. From a live performance of La Llorona, to some classic folktales we love, like Pete Seeger's Abiyoyo, and other storytelling songs, we dedicate the hour to our imaginations through storytelling and music.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

This time on The Children's Hour, we learn what 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.