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 Gravy, a podcast of the Southern Foodways Alliance. The podcast does a wonderful job delving into the cultural and political significance of food and history from communities across the south. In this episode we follow two Apple sleuths who travel all across the south looking for lost and rare varieties of apples. The episode talks about the science of grafting trees, raising fruit and making cider. It is a joy to hear the passion these two adventurers have for a fruit that many kids and adults take for granted.
Podcast: Gravy
Episode: Apple Quest
URL: https://www.southernfoodways.org/gravy/an-apple-quest-gravy-ep-43/
Length: 26 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. The podcast talks a bit about brewing and drinking beer and hard cider.
💡 Try This
After you listen to the episode you can bite into some apple activities with the links and activities below:
Check out these apple science and activities - Scholastic
Try grafting for kids - Kiddle
Make an apple volcano and other apple science experiments - Little Bins, Little Hands
🔎 Explore More
Read up on other people who are chasing down lost apple varieties as well as people who have traveled the world to learn about the history of this fruit:
Video: Pacific Northwest apple ‘detectives’ are hunting for varieties of domesticated apples thought to be extinct in century-old pioneer homestead orchards. - Associated Press
The Fatherland of Apples - Orion Magazine
Video: Learn about the Life Cycle of an Apple - PA Apple Growers
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 Twitter page.
Thanks for lending us your ears and your inbox.
Josh, Toby, and Ruby