Orbit: Science for kids on the move!

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
💬 Submit your kids' questions! ⁠⁠https://www.cumbrekids.org/questions⁠⁠
🖍️ Coloring pages for each episode! ⁠⁠https://www.cumbrekids.org/color-along⁠⁠
💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club: ⁠⁠https://www.cumbrekids.org/curious-club⁠⁠
Orbit Family Conversation Starters!
If you could build anything out of metal, what would you create?
Would you rather work on roller coasters, rockets, race cars, metal artwork, or giant skyscrapers? Why?
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.
Talk about a time you learned a skill that seemed difficult at first but became easier with practice.

🎧 More podcasts by Cumbre Kids in English and Spanish: ⁠⁠https://www.cumbrekids.org⁠⁠
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: ⁠⁠https://www.cumbrekids.org/our-values⁠⁠

Who cleans a river? It turns out some of the hardest workers are animals you may have never heard of: freshwater mussels.
Join Tyler Hern from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as we discover how these amazing animals help keep rivers healthy, how baby mussels hitch rides on fish, and why scientists are working hard to protect them.
➡️ Part of the Wild Critters USA series, created with PBS Nature and the National Wildlife Federation
➡️ Learn more about freshwater ecosystems with Ranger Rick Magazine: https://rangerrick.org/
➡️ Learn more about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: https://www.fws.gov/
➡️ Free Wild Critters USA coloring pages: https://www.cumbrekids.org/color-along
💬 Submit your kids' questions! https://www.cumbrekids.org/questions
💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club: https://www.cumbrekids.org/curious-club
Orbit Family Conversation Starters!
Why do you think freshwater mussels are so important if most people never notice them?
If you were a baby mussel, what do you think it would be like to hitch a ride on a fish?
What are some ways our family can help keep rivers, streams, and lakes clean?
Continue Learning as a Family!
Visit a local stream, pond, or river and look for signs of wildlife that depend on clean water!
Join a community cleanup or challenge your family to pick up one piece of litter each day.
Explore a National Fish Hatchery or wildlife refuge near you: https://www.fws.gov/program/national-fish-hatchery-system
A cool video from PBS showing mussel mimicry and glochidia: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7p_w4zE3s4
🎧 More podcasts by Cumbre Kids in English and Spanish: https://linktr.ee/orbitkids
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: https://www.cumbrekids.org/our-values

Did you know that American alligator moms build nests, guard their eggs, carry their babies to the water, and come running when their little ones call for help? They might just be contenders for Wild Critter Mom of the Year!
This week, we travel to Florida's Everglades National Park with Yvette Cano, director of education at Everglades National Park!
➡️ Part of the Wild Critters USA series, created with PBS Nature and the National Wildlife Federation
➡️ Learn more about Everglades National Park: https://www.nps.gov/ever
➡️ Ranger Rick magazine from the National Wildlife Federation: https://rangerrick.org
🖍️ Free Wild Critters USA coloring pages: https://www.cumbrekids.org/color-along
💬 Submit your kids' questions! https://www.cumbrekids.org/questions
💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club: https://www.cumbrekids.org/curious-club
Orbit Family Conversation Starters!
What's your favorite wetland animal mentioned in today's episode?
Why do you think alligator moms spend so much time protecting their babies?
How can one animal help many other animals survive in an ecosystem?
Continue learning as a family!
Draw your own "gator hole" and imagine what animals might visit it during the dry season.
Look at a map and find the Everglades in Florida. How is it different from where you live?
Compare an alligator and a crocodile. How many differences can you find?

🎧 More podcasts by Cumbre Kids in English and Spanish: https://www.cumbrekids.org
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: https://www.cumbrekids.org/our-values

Did you know that American bison help prevent grasslands from turning into forests by body-slamming young trees? And that they once lived in herds so enormous they stretched all the way to the horizon?
This week, we travel to the grasslands of Montana with Dr. Andy Boyce, a research ecologist at the Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute. Discover why bison live in herds, how they defend themselves from predators, and why scientists call them a keystone species. Along the way, you'll learn how these giant mammals help shape entire grassland ecosystems simply by grazing, digging, dust bathing, and being itchy!
➡️ Part of the Wild Critters USA series, created with PBS Nature and the National Wildlife Federation https://linktr.ee/wildcritters
➡️ Learn more about American bison from the Smithsonian National Zoo: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/american-bison
🖍️ Free Wild Critters USA coloring pages: https://www.cumbrekids.org/color-along
💬 Submit your kids' questions! https://www.cumbrekids.org/questions
💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club: https://www.cumbrekids.org/curious-club
Orbit Family Conversation Starters!
If you could have one bison superpower, which would you choose and why?
Why do you think animals like bison choose to live in groups instead of by themselves?
How can one animal help create homes for many other species?
Continue learning as a family!
Think about a prairie ecosystem compared to a forest ecosystem. What plants and animals might live in each?
What are some examples of predators and prey that live in the wild - similar to grizzly bears and bison!
Visit a local zoo to see bison in person and observe how they move, eat, and interact with one another.
➡️ Explore the Smithsonian's Great Plains Science Program: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/conservation/great-plains-science
➡️ Visit the Smithsonian's "Bison: Standing Strong" exhibit: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/exhibits/bison-standing-strong
➡️ Learn more about American Prairie and bison conservation: https://americanprairie.org/
More from Cumbre Kids
🎧 More podcasts by Cumbre Kids in English and Spanish: https://www.cumbrekids.org
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: https://www.cumbrekids.org/our-values

Did you know a single Mojave Desert tortoise burrow can become a shelter for rattlesnakes, owls, kangaroo rats, and many other desert animals?
This week, we explore the Mojave Desert with wildlife biologist Brianna Fogel from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Learn how desert tortoises survive in one of North America's harshest environments, why they spend so much time underground, and why scientists call them a keystone species that helps support an entire desert community.
➡️ Part of the Wild Critters USA series, created with PBS Nature and the National Wildlife Federation
➡️ Learn more about desert wildlife with Ranger Rick Magazine: https://rangerrick.org/
➡️ Learn more about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: https://www.fws.gov/
➡️ Free Wild Critters USA coloring pages: https://www.cumbrekids.org/color-along
💬 Submit your kids' questions! https://⁠⁠www.cumbrekids.org/questions⁠⁠
💛 Support this podcast by joining The Curious Club: ⁠⁠https://www.cumbrekids.org/curious-club
⁠⁠Orbit Family Conversation Starters!
If you could design the perfect desert burrow, what would it be like and which animals would you invite to share it?
Why do you think some animals can survive in places that seem too hot, too cold, or too dry for people?
What would happen to the Mojave Desert ecosystem if desert tortoises disappeared?
Continue learning as a family!
Draw your own desert tortoise burrow and decide which animals might use it for shelter.
Explore a map and find the Mojave Desert. How is it different from where you live?
Look for other examples of keystone species and the important roles they play in ecosystems.
🎧 More podcasts by Cumbre Kids in English and Spanish: https://www.cumbrekids.org
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A message for parents about our values: https://www.cumbrekids.org/our-values