Welcome to Ping and Echo, a daily newsletter that shares one amazing podcast episode 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 episode is from Short and Curly, an ethics podcast for kids that comes from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. I was skeptical at first when I heard about the premise, but the team behind Short and Curly make big ethics questions super approachable for kids and tackles them in ways that are really relevant to kids' lives. The show does a good job of bringing in kids’ voices and there are pauses built into each episode to let you and your kids discuss the topic. It is really well done. The show has launched many meaningful family debates in our household. This episode focuses on the role of robots in our lives, from Amazon’s Alexa to self driving cars. After you listen to this one we encourage you to explore other episodes of Short and Curly (for Harry Potter fans there is a series on the ethics of various characters in the books).
Podcast: Short and Curly
Episode: Can You Trust a Robot
URL: https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/shortandcurly/short-and-curly-episode-one/7376236
Length: 20 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 host your own ethics debate with the links and activities below:
Ethical Dilemmas Archive - Good Character
Example Ethical Dilemmas - Philosophy for Children
🔎 Explore More
Read up on kids and ethics with these links:
How to Talk about Ethical Issues in the Classroom - Greater Good
How to Cultivate Ethical Courage - Greater Good
5 questions about teaching ethics to kids - Christian Science Monitor
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.