Short & Curly

Friends are like flowers. There are lots of different ones out there, but you pick a couple to be your favourites.

But what about your teacher? Can you be friends with them? And if they're a friend, can they still be a good teacher?

Thank you to Orli for this great question!

Pssst, we love your favourite episode too! 'Are parents hypocrites?' was a goodie.

Bullying is being mean to someone over and over again. It can happen at home, school, online, on the bus… and it's not always physical.

When you're bullied, you can feel hurt, angry, and sad, all at once.

So, if a bully hurts you, can you hurt them back? Can you call it justice?

Thank you to Athena for this great question!

What if your friend asks if their shirt looks cool and you don't think it does? Or your dad asks if you like his gift, but you actually don't?

The truth can be so hard to say – especially to the people we love the most.

Should we tell the truth even when it hurts someone?

Thank you to Charlotte and Nima for this curly question!

Sacrifice is a big word, and it's often said in a big situation.

How much should a family sacrifice for one person's happiness? What if you're the only one sacrificing?

Thank you to Eli for this curly question – hope you listen to this one on a car ride too!

It's one of the most requested topics ever – homework! Nobody loves doing it, but is it something we should do or not? Molly and Carl find out whether teachers should be allowed to give you work to do outside of school time.

Brain Trust — Casuarina Street Primary School, Katherine: Bruno, Leilani, Eloise Lawson, Lexi, Kodah

Molly has a confession to make. In her youth, she was a famous cat burglar, who stole precious jewellery and never got caught! But now as an elderly woman, justice has caught up with her. But if her crimes were a long time ago and she's changed a lot since then, should she still be punished?

Brains Trust – Anula Primary School, Darwin: Maggie, Feranmi, Leo, Oli, Esha, Marjorie

Short & Curly listener Tabitha thought it would be great to get some backyard chickens. Delicious, fresh eggs every morning and cute birds to name and look after. But in reality, it wasn't so easy. Like, what happens when the chickens get older and stop laying eggs? Is it okay to kill them and replace them with younger chicks who will lay eggs?

Brains Trust – Anula Primary School, Darwin: Maggie, Feranmi, Leo, Oli, Esha, Marjorie

Have you ever found yourself being rude to a smart speaker because it doesn’t understand you? As robots get better and smarter and more human-like, how should we treat them? Does it matter if we act badly towards something that isn’t even human?  

Brain Trust - Casuarina Street Primary School, Katherine: Riley, Mahlia, Milo, Clay, Angus, Ava 

If you've seen the movie The Lion King, you'll know that envy and jealousy play a big part in the story. Scar's envy of his brother King Mufasa takes him down a very dark and murderous path. But is envy always a bag thing? Is it wrong to really, really want something someone else has?

Brain Trust — Casuarina Street Primary School, Katherine: Bruno, Leilani, Eloise Lawson, Lexi, Kodah

Have you ever been trying to convince your parents of something and just ended up crying, yelling or storming off to sulk in your room? Grown-ups might be bigger than you, they might have more power than you, and they might even be wiser than you, but that doesn’t mean you can't beat your parents in a good fair argument. And even if you still don’t win, learning to argue in a way that’s good for everyone is a really handy skill to have. 

Brains Trust: Lyneham Primary School: Neve, Ashwyn, Alice, Ava, Sammy