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 a bit of a change of pace - but it was too good not to share. This episode comes from one of our family’s favorite kid podcasts: The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian. The podcast is a serialized show about a group of kids exploring space, robots who get their personalities from books, and the amazing aliens they meet along the way. But this stand alone episode is separate from that larger story. We are including it here because it is such a perfect fit for our mix of listening, activities and adventure. The host, Jonathan Messinger, only recorded half the episode and is asking kids to help finish the story.
Podcast: The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian
Episode: Robo Solo
URL: http://www.finncaspian.com/finn-caspian-writing-prompts-robo-solo/
Length: 20 min
🧐 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 finish the story and learn more about Finn Caspian with the links and activities below. If you try any of these, remember to share your art and adventures with us at pingandecho@gmail.com:
Write your own ending to the episode with these questions from one of the robots in the show. You can send in your ideas for what happens next to earth@finncaspian.com.
One of the robots in the Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian eats art. Draw a picture from this story and send it to earth@finncaspian.com and he may eat it on a future episode.
Try writing your own science fiction story with Scholastic’s story starter.
Or try one of these 58 Science Fiction Writing Prompts
🔎 Explore More
Read up on kids and space with these links:
A science fiction and fantasy reading list for teen creativity - TED
5 science fiction stories that are perfect for children - BookTrust UK
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 me your ears and your inbox.