On this award-winning show Molly Oldfield, the original QI elf, Guardian kids' quiz compiler and writer (of four books), answers questions sent in by children around the world.
This week Lauren Child, author of Charlie and Lola, Clarice Bean and Ruby Redfort answers the extra Christmassy question 'why do elves have pointy ears?'. We pick the winner from last week's competition and we offer the chance to win a copy of Lauren Child's book Think Like An Elf and an elf-tastic tea towel!
Continuing with the ear-themed questions, we also answer Nella's question 'how do sharks hear?' and we tackle another Christmas question from Martha, 'are stars meant to go on top of the Christmas tree or angels?' 
Tune in for lots of Christmassy fun and subscribe so you don't miss an episode! Enjoy!
Everything Under the Sun is also a book! Check it out here: www.mollyoldfield.com/everything-under-the-sun!
Follow us on social media: Instagram: @everythingunderthesunpod @mollyoldfieldwrites Twitter: @MollyOldfield Facebook: Everything Under the Sun
Thank you! Have a lovely week.
 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

92. Why do elves have pointy ears? With Lauren Child. How do sharks hear? Are stars meant to go on top of the Christmas tree or angels?

Children are full of curiosity and questions about the world.
Each Friday, join Molly Oldfield, write of the weekly kids quiz in the Guardian each Saturday, the original QI elf and author and host of Everything Under The Sun (both the book and podcast) as she answers questions sent in by children around the world with the help of experts including Neil Gaiman, Heston Blumenthal, Grayson Perry, Lauren Child, Richard Branson and Sophie Dahl to the fish curators at the Natural History Museum.
If you're a kid - big or small - with questions you want answered or if you want to learn interesting facts about life on earth, this is the award winning podcast for you.
Do check out Everything Under The Sun - a curious question for every day of the year, published by Ladybird books now!

Kids & Family

Education for Kids

Welcome to Episode 17 of Season 7 everyone! Everything Under The Sun has been nominated for Best British Podcast in the kids category, has moved to Bali, Indonesia, and the paperback book of Everything Under The Sun is OUT NOW!!
 
This week we have a very special episode featuring questions I’ve been collecting here in Bali! It’s been fantastic hearing so many curious thoughts and clever ideas, so thank you to everyone who’s shared them with me.
 
First off, we’ve got a brilliant question from Grade 1 at Green School: can animals laugh? We learn all about our furry friends who like to chuckle.
 
Next we’ve got a great question from Bei, who’s in Grade 4 at Green School here in Bali: why do sperm whales sleep vertically? Dr Felix Marx from Te Papa Museum of Natural History in Wellington, New Zealand answers this one, as he’s a whale expert!
 
And lastly, a question from Ava, who I met at my local children’s bookshop in Bali, called Si Kecil: why do people say cats have nine lives? We find out all about the amazing resilience of daredevil cats.
 
Happy listening everyone!
 
And do buy the brand new PAPERBACK edition of Everything Under The Sun - a year of curious questions - out now!
 
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Everything-Under-Sun-curious-question/dp/0241433460
 
Target Australia: https://www.target.com.au/p/everything-under-the-sun-molly-oldfield/65704592
 
And order it in any beautiful bookshop! Thank you! Hope you love it.
 
Instagram: @mollyoldfieldwrites
Pod Instagram: @everythingunderthesunpod
 
Do check out our website www.mollyoldfield.com for more info about how to send in questions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can animals laugh? Why do sperm whales sleep vertically? With Felix Marx from Te Papa Museum. Why do people say that cats have nine lives?

Welcome to Episode 16 of Season 7 everyone! Everything Under The Sun has been nominated for Best British Podcast in the kids category, has moved to Bali, Indonesia, and the paperback book of Everything Under The Sun is OUT NOW!!
 
This week we have three fascinating questions about our weird and wonderful universe! So get your space helmets on... we're taking a trip through the Solar System!
 
How did the milky way form? Jim Al-Khalili answers this one. He is a theoretical physicist with his own radio show called The Life Scientific! 
 
Why is there no gravity on space? We find out all about the very important force of gravity, and how it works in space (spoiler alert: there IS gravity in space!).
 
Why is Earth called Earth? Ever wondered how our beautiful little planet got its name? We trace Earth's name all the way back to hundreds of years ago.
 
Happy listening everyone!
 
And do buy the brand new PAPERBACK edition of Everything Under The Sun - a year of curious questions - out now!
 
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Everything-Under-Sun-curious-question/dp/0241433460
 
Target Australia: https://www.target.com.au/p/everything-under-the-sun-molly-oldfield/65704592
 
And order it in any beautiful bookshop! Thank you! Hope you love it.
 
Instagram: @mollyoldfieldwrites
Pod Instagram: @everythingunderthesunpod
 
Do check out our website www.mollyoldfield.com for more info about how to send in questions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How did the Milky Way form? With Jim Al-Khalili. Why is there no gravity on space? Why is Earth called Earth?

Welcome back to Everything under the Sun everyone! We've missed you! We've been taking a little break but now we are BACK and ready for another fantastic episode. 
 
This week we're learning all about SOUNDS! And we've got some very interesting questions indeed, from Sam, Florrie and Bruno.
 
Why do people's voices sound different? Professor Guri Sandhu answers this one, as he is a doctor who takes care of the human voice.
 
How do echoes work? Have you ever shouted into a big empty space, and then heard your voice coming back towards you? We learn all about the mysterious way that we hear echoes.
 
How did the Grand Canyon open up? The Grand Canyon is famous for its powerful echoes, and its breathtaking views. We learn about how the canyon came to be!
 
Don't forget to buy your copy of the PAPERBACK edition of Everything Under The Sun - a year of curious questions - out now!
 
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Everything-Under-Sun-curious-question/dp/0241433460
 
Target Australia: https://www.target.com.au/p/everything-under-the-sun-molly-oldfield/65704592
 
And order it in any beautiful bookshop! Thank you! Hope you love it.
 
Instagram: @mollyoldfieldwrites
Pod Instagram: @everythingunderthesunpod
 
Do check out our website www.mollyoldfield.com for more info about how to send in questions.
 
Have a lovely listen and a great week!
 
 
 
  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Why do people's voices sound different? With Professor Guri Sandhu. How do echoes work? How did the Grand Canyon open up?

Welcome to Episode 14 of Season 7 everyone! Everything Under The Sun has been nominated for Best British Podcast in the kids category, has moved to Bali, Indonesia, and the paperback book of Everything Under The Sun is OUT NOW!!
 
This week we have a special episode about global warming and protecting our beautiful planet. We've got some super important questions coming up:
 
What happens to garbage that is not recycled? James Piper, Rubbish Expert and author of The Rubbish Book: A Complete Guide to Recycling, answers this one. We learn all about where our rubbish goes, and the power of recycling.
 
Why does pollution cause climate change? We learn about greenhouse gases, and how they are heating up our planet. We also find out what WE can do to help.
 
Which part of the world is most affected by global warming? We learn about how rising sea levels are threatening some beautiful low-lying islands, and how those places are protecting themselves.
 
Find out all about the dangers our planet is facing, and learn how YOU can help slow down global warming and be a Climate Hero!
 
And do buy the brand new PAPERBACK edition of Everything Under The Sun - a year of curious questions - out now!
 
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Everything-Under-Sun-curious-question/dp/0241433460
 
Target Australia: https://www.target.com.au/p/everything-under-the-sun-molly-oldfield/65704592
 
And order it in any beautiful bookshop! Thank you! Hope you love it.
 
Instagram: @mollyoldfieldwrites
Pod Instagram: @everythingunderthesunpod
 
Do check out our website www.mollyoldfield.com for more info about how to send in questions.
 
Have a lovely listen and a great week!
  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What happens to garbage that is not recycled? With James Piper. Why does pollution cause climate change? Which part of the world is most affected by global warming?

Welcome to Episode 13 of Season 7 everyone! Everything Under The Sun has been nominated for Best British Podcast in the kids category, has moved to Bali, Indonesia, and the paperback book of Everything Under The Sun is OUT NOW!!
 
We're going to be having lots of fun answering kids' questions from all over the world.
 
This week we have some super exciting questions coming up:
 
Why do our hearts beat when we're afraid? Teddy Keen, adventurer and author of The Lost Book of Adventure and Journey to the River, answers this one for us. We learn about our survival instincts, and how to stay calm when we're feeling scared. 
 
How are spiders born? Have you ever seen a spider egg? We find out how these incredible creepy crawlies produce little spiderlings! 
 
Why do some children look like their parents? Have you ever wondered why you have the same nose as your dad, or the same colour eyes are your mum? We learn about how and why we inherit certain parts of the way we look from our mums and dads. 
 
Find out all about why are heart speeds up when we're scared, how spiders have babies and why we look like our parents in this weeks fantastic episode!
 
And do buy the brand new PAPERBACK edition of Everything Under The Sun - a year of curious questions - out now!
 
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Everything-Under-Sun-curious-question/dp/0241433460
 
Target Australia: https://www.target.com.au/p/everything-under-the-sun-molly-oldfield/65704592
 
And order it in any beautiful bookshop! Thank you! Hope you love it.
 
Instagram: @mollyoldfieldwrites
Pod Instagram: @everythingunderthesunpod
 
Do check out our website www.mollyoldfield.com for more info about how to send in questions.
 
Have a lovely listen and a great week!
 
  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

92. Why do elves have pointy ears? With Lauren Child. How do sharks hear? Are stars meant to go on top of the Christmas tree or angels?

Download our free app to listen on your phone