Podcast · Kids & Family

Ear Snacks Podcast for Kids

by Andrew & Polly · English · Kids & Family

Explore the absurdity and wonder of every day when kids talk about music, art, science and culture - one topic at a time. Packed with earworms and made with heart. - New York Times - One of the best podcasts for kids. - Common Sense Media

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 22 min
Latest: 11 Dec 2025
Language: English

Latest episode

11 Dec 2025 · 20 min

Lights! (Explaining Hanukkah & How Candles Work)

Andrew & Polly think about winter festivals with kids around the world, interview PJ Library about Hanukkah, and sing a holiday song!

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S5 · E16 · 12 Nov 2025 · 20 min

The Neuroscience of Bad Guys & Superheroes!

Andrew & Polly's Bad Guy game continues! When they can't figure out WHY they are having fun scaring fish and serving them their least favorite foods, they call up a "Bad Doctor" to find out! Dr. Emiliana R. Simon-Thomas from UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center tells us about what brains have to do with Bad Guys & Superheroes. We're looking for more friends to share what they know! To find out more or be on the show, visit earsnacks.org - and thanks for listening!
S5 · E15 · 4 Nov 2025 · 17 min

Playing Bad Guys!

What's a "bad guy?" Is it fun to pretend to be one? (When is it not fun?) Andrew & Polly model conflict in play, learn how to talk like a villain from voice actor Morla Gorrondona, and ask kids what they know about "bad guys!" To learn more or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org - and thanks for listening!
S5 · E14 · 8 Oct 2025 · 32 min

Disguises! (Halloween!)

What's a disguises? (How is it different from a costume?) Andrew & Polly solve a mystery for forlorn giraffes Kevin & Lousie, learn how to disguise their voices with voice actor Greg Chun, and explore the link between evolution and animal disguises (crypsis & camouflage) with CalAcademy's Rebecca Johnson! And as always, we ask our friends what they know about...DISGUISES! To learn more or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org - thanks for listening!
S5 · E14 · 24 Sep 2025 · 6 min

What's a Muppet? (Happy Birthday, Jim Henson!)

We got a whole lot of chickens. Andrew & Polly celebrate the birthday of one of their heroes by asking their friends one of life's eternal questions: what's a muppet? To learn more or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org - and thanks for listening!
S5 · E13 · 18 Sep 2025 · 19 min

Pirates! (Talk Like a Pirate Day!)

Ahoy, matey! How cold are yer timbers? Andrew & Polly ask some friends about the steps to talking like a pirate, sprinkled in with some historical pirate factoids and Andrew's dad shares buccaneer tales from Post Office Bay in the Galapagos Islands. To learn more or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org - and thanks for listening!
S5 · E12 · 27 Aug 2025 · 27 min

Treats!

What's the best treat of all-time? From the food science of sugar rushes to the bellies of hungry musicians, Andrew & Polly ask their friends what makes a good treat. Sensory scientist Dr. Sara Yang explains how people evolved to think about food, why we like what we like, and how we make our decisions. Then Koo Koo's Brian and Neil expound on the virtues of sheet cake, old-fashioned donuts and ice cold lemonade. Thanks to our friends Elias, Bodin, Madelyn and Monk for sharing what they know about treats! To learn more or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org - and thanks for listening!
S5 · E11 · 20 Aug 2025 · 22 min

Keys!

What do la clave, the difference between public and private, and two giraffes have in common? In this sneaky episode of Ear Snacks, Andrew & Polly learn about the rhythms of Cuban music with Martina Castro (producer of The Vivo Songbook), and then explore the ideas behind artist Paul Ramirez Jonas' project Key to the City (involving 24,000 keys!) Oh - and Kevin & Louise try to crack Andrew & Polly's gate code to leave them some peppermint. To learn more about Ear Snacks or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org - thanks for listening!
S5 · E9 · 6 Aug 2025 · 22 min

Cartoons!

Meep meep! What's a cartoon? New Yorker cartoonist Tom Toro (Home Free, Back to School Backpack) talks cartoons of all shapes and sizes on this episode of Ear Snacks! Andrew & Polly avoid anvils, consider political cartoons, think about how it feels to STOP watching your favorite stories, and sing a brand new song by Eilis Cahill. Thanks for listening! A big thank you to Leo, Solomon, Hannah, Seamus, Leon, Waylan and Izzy — and their parents — for sharing what they know about cartoons. To learn more or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org
S5 · E8 · 23 Jul 2025 · 19 min

Soap & Thought Bubbles!

Make some soap! Make some thought bubbles! Think thoughts about making soap! Andrew & Polly bubble up some summery crafts & imagination activities in this episode of Ear Snacks.
S5 · E7 · 16 Jul 2025 · 28 min

Bells & Blindness!

Ding dong! For Disability Pride Month, Andrew & Polly wax poetic about bells and blindness with Country of the Blind author Andrew Leland and visit an enormous percussion warehouse with LAPR’s Abby Savell.
S5 · E6 · 9 Jul 2025 · 24 min

Happy Birthday, Ear Snacks!

Happy 10th Birthday, Ear Snacks! To celebrate, should we release Song from the Podcast Vol. 2??? In this musical mixtape, Andrew & Polly share some unreleased songs written for the podcast over the decade.
S5 · E5 · 2 Jul 2025 · 19 min

Fruit!

Happy Birthday, Ear Snacks! 10 years ago this July, we started this bonkers idea. Our music had started reaching kids all over the world , but with our growing family, we didn't get to sing with them very often...but what if we could make a show *with* them? This is that show. So today on Ear Snacks, we want to share our very first episode "Fruit!" - it's still one of the grapes ! Whether you've been listening from the beginning or are hearing this for the very first time, we hope you find it delicious.
S5 · E4 · 25 Jun 2025 · 22 min

Aquairums!

Otters! Nudibranchs! Seahorses! Oh my! Andrew & Polly celebrate Aquarium Appreciation Month with kids, scientists and enthusiasts alike.
S5 · E3 · 18 Jun 2025 · 34 min

Juneteenth!

Celebrate Juneteenth with GRAMMY-nominated family music from All One Tribe!
S5 · E2 · 11 Jun 2025 · 22 min

Fiddle Around!

Polly goes to Fiddle Camp, violinist Katie Buckbee and her son Archer expound on their love of bluegrass, and our pal Eddie Berman introduce us to his 5-string banjo. A bit of ear training on Ear Snacks! (And we use "fiddling" as a model for ways of learning by doing.) We're getting ready for the 10th year of Ear Snacks, and we can't make this show without you! Parents around the world have shared their children's voices & ideas with us, and we love building inspirational, educational, fun shows centered around them. To find out more or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org - and thanks for…
S5 · E1 · 4 Jun 2025 · 20 min

What's a Mustache?

Mustaches! Gender! Silliness! Andrew & Polly, young children, and director of ”Mama Has a Mustache” Sally Rubin wonder about the funny hairs that can grow out of faces.
S4 · E29 · 27 Dec 2024 · 28 min

Comfort & Joy Playlist! (Winter Break remix)

(Hello! We're excited to make more music and podcasts for & with you in 2025! Meanwhile, enjoy these holiday-themed episode remixes -- and thanks for listening!) Happy Happy Holidays! Let these completely original family-music tunes light up your holidays, road trips and home days! Thanks to these incredibly talented and generous musicians who fill our ears and hearts all year long - a great way to support their work is by sharing their music, adding their songs to your playlists and following them on social media! Happy Happy Holidays by Aaron Nigel Smith All I Want for Christmas is Used by…
S4 · E28 · 26 Dec 2024 · 19 min

Boxing Day! (Winter Break remix)

(Hello! We're excited to make more music and podcasts for & with you in 2025! Meanwhile, enjoy these holiday-themed episode remixes -- and thanks for listening!) Andrew & Polly talk about BOXES in a special interview with Antoinette Portis, author of Not a Box. This episode also highlights The Box Project with Eliza Gregory - and, of course, thanks to our kid experts: Ruslan, Gavin, Manny, Charlie, Penny, Ainsley, Liliana, Lane, Guy, Grey, Sadie & William. Oh - and this episode was the first time we released our modern holiday-adjacent classic, Thank You for the Box! Ear Snacks is a free…
S4 · E27 · 25 Dec 2024 · 21 min

Hanukkah & How Candles Work (Winter Break remix)

(Hello! We're excited to make more music and podcasts for & with you in 2025! Meanwhile, enjoy these holiday-themed episode remixes -- and thanks for listening!) Sundown, lights up! Andrew & Polly ask their friends about sources of illumination, human-made and natural. Lori Hoch Stiefel from PJ Library shares her Hanukkah story and we begin to wonder...why do candlelight and winter celebrations go hand-in-hand? Thanks to Arlo, Molly, Poppy, Opal, Sam, and Thiri (and their parents) for sharing what they know about lights and how their families use lights to celebrate. To be on the show or to…
S4 · E26 · 24 Dec 2024 · 24 min

Bioluminescence! (Winter Break remix)

(Hello! We're excited to make more music and podcasts for & with you in 2025! Meanwhile, enjoy these holiday-themed episode remixes -- and thanks for listening!) Celebrate the winter solstice by exploring the darkest depths of the ocean with marine biologist and self-proclaimed Mermaid Danni Washington! Check out her amazing book, Bold Women in Science, and her podcast for kids, Genius Generation. Thanks again to our friends Arlo, Molly, Poppy, Opal, Sam, and Thiri (and their parents) for sharing what they know about lights! And thank you to all our listeners for shining your beautiful inner…
S4 · E25 · 23 Dec 2024 · 25 min

Homemade Instruments for the Holidays! (Winter Break mixtape)

(Hello! We're excited to make more music and podcasts for & with you in 2025! Meanwhile, enjoy these holiday-themed episode remixes -- and thanks for listening!) Andrew & Polly think about how to stay warm in the winter with some of our favorite family holiday tunes. For more great episodes on the holidays, check out these episodes about Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, our most favoritest family holiday music playlist and lights in the ocean! Thanks to Sara Louise Callaway from The Music Box and the one and only Mista Cookie Jar. Thanks to Arlo, Molly, Poppy, Opal, Sam, and Thiri (and their parents) for…
S4 · E24 · 2 Oct 2024 · 2 min

Sing with Andrew & Polly at Austin City Limits!

Hey Texas! Andrew & Polly are SUPER-excited to finally perform in you! We're taking the stage at Austin City Limits / Austin Kiddie Limits this Friday and Saturday, October 4th & 5th, at 12:30p. Awesome band? GRAMMY-nominated music? Double check. Enough shakers, stickers & bubbles to share? Check, check, check! The good people of ACL are bringing some amazing live acts for all ages along with crafts, activities & snacks to support a full day of rocking and rolling -- so come sing & dance with us? Or tell a friend who can? Thank you for any way you can support family musicians these days, so…
S4 · E23 · 29 May 2024 · 26 min

Songs About Rainbows

Kick off your summer with new bops and classic tunes about translucent spectra! Here’s just a taste of the songs you’ll discover on our Spotify playlist, Songs About Rainbows 🌈: Sing a Rainbow by Peggy Lee Cry a Rainbow by Pierce Freelon & Nnenna Freelon Rainbowland by Miley Cyrus & Dolly Parton Rainbow Seekers by Ants on a Log Rainbow Shoppe by Andrew & Polly feat. Lucy Kalantari Rainbow World by Claudia Robin Gun Over the Rainbow by Dan Zanes Parents - please help support these amazing independent family music artists! To support Pierce Freelon's plant-based space ice cream, visit the…
S4 · E22 · 18 Apr 2024 · 26 min

A World of Bugs! (Earth Week remix)

Metamorphic caterpillars! Fungus farming ants! Digital bees? Oh my! -- how can these all be bugs? In this episode, Avery talks about bugs in computer code and how she built a pollination video game with a Raspberry Pi. Izaiah updates us about the worms in the compost pile on his farm. And our friends at Valle de Niños in San Francisco take us on a tour of the life cycle of caterpillars. (Entomolgist Chris Wheeler also gets some words in edge-wise1)
S5 · E22 · 18 Apr 2024 · 27 min

Critters around the World! (Earth Week remix)

What IS a CRITTER? Andrew & Polly ask some friends around the world about the different critters that live in their neighborhoods. Ear Snacks is a free interactive experience centered around children’s voices & ideas. To support the work we’re doing for your kids (and all kids), become a supporter on Patreon or through Apple Podcasts Premium Subscription feature. Thanks for listening! Need more snacks? Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or TikTok!
S4 · E21 · 16 Apr 2024 · 21 min

Oceans vs. Microplastic vs. Mermaids! (Earth Week remix)

An interview with a mermaid scientist!!! This Earth Week remix episode of Ear Snacks features the bright light of science communicator and mermaid, Danni Washington. Check out her amazing book, Bold Women in Science, and her podcast for kids, Genius Generation. Thanks again to our friends Arlo, Molly, Poppy, Opal, Sam, and Thiri (and their parents) for sharing what they know about lights! And thank you to all our listeners for your beautiful inner lights and for using them to help others see something new. Please consider supporting our work this holiday season at patreon.com/earsnacks (and…
S14 · E20 · 16 Apr 2024 · 10 min

Family of Trees! (Earth Week remix)

Happy Earth Week! What has 3 trillion trees and one kid named after a birch tree? Andrew & Polly's family tree has (at least!) 3 tree experts who give us just the tiniest glimpse into the wonder of all things arboreal. Thanks to Bay Area-based Plant Stars and Oakland Aesthetics for sharing what they love! To learn more or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org - and thanks for listening!
S4 · E19 · 27 Mar 2024 · 18 min

Eclipse!

What do you see during an eclipse? What does it feel like? What does it sound like? In 2017, we asked kids and families living in the path of totality to record their experience of the Great American Eclipse. If you're getting ready for the total solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024 that will stretch from Texas to Maine, check this out! More awesome eclipse- and science-related listening goodness, including… Our episode about Shadows where Mat Kaplan from Planetary Radio explains how eclipses are space shadows! Our first Eclipse episode in 2017 featuring more great science and history stories…
S4 · E18 · 22 Mar 2024 · 34 min

Rainbows & Holi (with Charu Suri)

Why ARE there so many songs about rainbows? Because there's SO MUCH TO SAY about them! Happy Holi! Andrew & Polly act as the prism for some awesome tangential concepts connected to ROY G BIV. Jazz piansit Charu Suri shares the connection between raga (Sanskrit for "color" or "dye") and the aura of music, as well as her love of the mischievously vibrant paint-throwing Festival of Colors, Holi! And Nina Silver takes us on a guided unpacking of flood myths and rainbows as symbols of hope in a sonically rich imagining of Noah's Ark at the Skirball Cultural Center. In this episode, you'll hear:…

About Ear Snacks Podcast for Kids

Ear Snacks Podcast for Kids is a English kids & family podcast from Andrew & Polly. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Andrew & Polly
Language: English
Category: Kids & Family
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 22 min
Latest episode: 11 Dec 2025
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1013225660
Website: earsnacks.podbean.com
Rights: Andrew & Polly

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