Welcome to Ping and Echo, a daily newsletter that links to one amazing podcast episode that is guaranteed to be a great listen for kids and their families. Each newsletter includes links to articles, videos, and activities related to the podcast so you can turn every episode into an adventure.
Today’s podcast episode is from Overheard, a podcast from National Geographic which is based on the premise of listening in on the amazing conversations happening between the scientists and explorers who work at National Geographic. Honestly, they describe the setting for this particular episode better than we can: “Half a mile below the surface of the earth, in a cave too hot to explore without an ice-packed suit, NASA scientist and Nat Geo explorer Penny Boston clambers around glassy crystals that are taller than telephone poles and wider than dinner tables.” (Can you spot the human in the picture above?) The thing is, Boston doesn’t really care about the enormous crystals, she is curious about the microscopic organism that might be living inside them and what they could tell us about life on other planets. Take a listen to learn more.
Podcast: Overheard
Episode: The Alien Underground
URL: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/podcasts/overheard/season-2/episode-2-alien-underground/
Length: 25 minutes
🧐 You Should Know
I’ll always give you a heads up if there is anything in the podcast that might surprise or worry kids. Nothing to worry about here.
💡 Try This
After you listen to the episode you can explore crystals and caves like Penny Boston with the links and activities below:
Learn More about Microorganisms (Video)
🔎 Explore More
Read up on the Crystal Cave with these links:
Mexico’s Cave of Crystals Is Straight Out of Science Fiction - Travel and Leisure
Giant Crystal Cave's Mystery Solved - National Geographic
The name Ping and Echo comes from sonar technology which relies on sending out “pings” and receiving back “echos” to discover the world around you. You can send us pictures of the art and activities created by your kids. Email them to pingandecho@gmail.com and we’ll post all your echos on our Instagram and our Twitter page.
Thanks for lending us your ears and your inbox.
Ruby, Toby, and Josh