Orbit: Science for kids on the move!

We're time traveling this week to get to know one of the most famous wild critters to have *ever* roamed the Earth! We're going back 70 million years to meet the infamous T. rex, the apex predator with an astoundingly powerful bite, huge teeth, ginormous legs, and ... surprisingly small arms? 

We're joined by an amazing paleontologist, perfect to teach us all about the T. rex and age of dinosaurs! Dr. Roger Benson, Macaulay Curator, Division of Paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History!

This episode wraps up the Wild Critters series, with PBS Nature! See all episodes here: https://www.cumbremedia.com/wild-critters

🦖 Info about the American Museum of Natural History: https://www.amnh.org

🦖 Family friendly "OLogy" pages and activities from the American Museum of Natural History: https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology

Orbit links

• 💬 Submit your kids' questions! Click here to get started 
• 💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club 
• 🖍️ Episode coloring pages 
• 🎧 Cumbre Kids website 
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: Read more

Sea otters aren't just adorable! They're a critically important keystone species for a fascinating underwater ecosystem - kelp forests!

In this episode of the Wild Critters series, we're joined by marine biologist and sea otter expert Leilani Konrad from the Monterey Bay Aquarium, who teaches us about sea otters, the relationship with kelp and sea urchins, how they are on the of the few animals to use tools, and the incredible role of foster moms in raising orphaned pups!

Part of the Wild Critters series with PBS Nature and the National Wildlife Federation.

➡️ Ranger Rick Magazine: https://www.rangerrick.org 
➡️ Monterey Bay Aquarium: https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/
➡️ The book that Sam mentioned: "Odder: An Otter's story": link

Orbit links

• 💬 Submit your kids' questions! Click here to get started 
• 💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club 
• 🖍️ Episode coloring pages 
• 🎧 Cumbre Kids website 
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: Read more

Three mountain lion cubs were left orphaned in the California wilderness, and a team of scientists raced to find them before it was too late! 

In this episode of the Wild Critters USA series on Orbit, families meet wildlife ambassador Marco Wendt from the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. We learn about the incredibly versatile mountain lion - which can be found from Canada all the way down to Argentina - including what makes it a stealthy hunter and how it adapts to an incredible variety of environments! 

Part of the Wild Critters series with PBS Nature and the National Wildlife Federation. 

• Ranger Rick Magazine: https://www.rangerrick.org 
• San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers: https://sdzwildlifeexplorers.org/ 
• San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance: https://sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org/ 

Orbit links

• 💬 Submit your kids' questions! Click here to get started 
• 💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club 
• 🖍️ Episode coloring pages 
• 🎧 Cumbre Kids website 
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: Read more

Did you know a coral reef, one of the largest structures ever built by a living creature, is made by an animal smaller than a grain of rice!? And that corals aren't plants or rocks at all, but tiny animals related to jellyfish and sea anemones!?

In this episode, marine scientist Dr. Mike Henley from the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute joins Orbit to explore the underwater world of coral reefs! Learn how thousands of tiny coral polyps build a single reef, how corals make babies during massive "spawning" events that look like an underwater snowstorm, why reefs support a quarter of all ocean life, and what coral bleaching really means for a reef's health. We also hear from David Mizejewski of Ranger Rick Magazine about which animals actually eat coral!

➡️ 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/

➡️ Explore ocean science with the Smithsonian: https://ocean.si.edu/

➡️ Coral reef resources from NOAA: https://coralreef.noaa.gov/

Orbit Family Conversation Starters: Would you ever want to go snorkeling or scuba diving to see a real coral reef? Which reef in the world would you want to visit?

Continue learning as a family: Play "Build a Coral Reef Neighborhood" together, just like Milam did in this episode! Pick five sea creatures to be your reef neighbors, and talk about why you chose each one.

Orbit links

• 💬 Submit your kids' questions! Click here to get started 
• 💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club 
• 🖍️ Episode coloring pages 
• 🎧 Cumbre Kids website 
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: Read more

Ever heard of the SUPER GENERATION of the monarch butterfly!? This little insect goes on one of the most incredible journeys in the whole animal kingdom!  

To learn more, we're joined in this episode by Dr. Dorothy Borowy, an ecologist with the U.S. National Park Service! We also have a new friend! Margaret joins Orbit to cohost and help us bring a chrysalis to life for families! 

➡️ 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/ 

➡️ Milkweed and Monarch resources from the National Wildlife Federation: https://bit.ly/4qxUsO5 

Orbit Family Conversation Starters: If you could make a migration like a monarch butterfly, where would you go and why? 

Continue learning as a family: Continue learning about milkweed and monarch butterflies! Plant milkweed in your garden or another species of native plant to help local pollinators! 

Orbit links

• 💬 Submit your kids' questions! Click here to get started 
• 💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club 
• 🖍️ Episode coloring pages 
• 🎧 Cumbre Kids website 
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: Read more

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! Click here to get started 
• 💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club 
• 🖍️ Episode coloring pages 
• 🎧 Cumbre Kids website 
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: Read more

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: 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! 

Orbit links

• 💬 Submit your kids' questions! Click here to get started 
• 💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club 
• 🖍️ Episode coloring pages 
• 🎧 Cumbre Kids website 
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: Read more

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?

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! Click here to get started 
• 💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club 
• 🖍️ Episode coloring pages 
• 🎧 Cumbre Kids website 
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: Read more

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!

1. If you could build anything out of metal, what would you create?
2. 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! Click here to get started 
• 💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club 
• 🖍️ Episode coloring pages 
• 🎧 Cumbre Kids website 
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: Read more