← Who Smarted? - Educational Podcast for Kids
Who Smarted? - Educational Podcast for Kids
SMARTY Q: Why are clouds dark when it's stormy???
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Foreign hey, smarty pants. Welcome back to Smarty Q, where smarty pants like you ask the questions and trusty narrators like me answer them. Today, we're tackling living rooms, storm clouds, peaches, ancient languages, and more. So let's get smarting. Our first question comes from Asher, along with brother Ainsley and dad Jeremiah, who asks, why do they call it the living room when you actually live in the entire house? That's a very clever question. The answer actually has a little bit of history behind it. Long ago, many homes had a room called a parlor. Parlors were often used only for special occasions, guests, or formal events. People didn't spend much everyday time in them. In the early 1900s, people started using the term living room instead. The idea was that this was a room where the family actually lived their daily lives, talking, reading, playing games, relaxing, and spending time together. So the room wasn't called a living room because you literally live inside that one room. It's called a living room because it's where much of your family's everyday living happens. And for me, it's the kitchen. Moving on, our next question comes from smartypants Olivia from Sydney, Australia, who asks, why do you get stitches when you run? Why is it called stitches? And how long does it take to get a stitch? In case you don't know? A stitch is that sudden, sharp pain that some people feel on their side while running or exercising. Scientists aren't completely sure what causes stitches, but they think it may happen when the muscles around your abdomen and diaphragm, the muscle that helps you breathe, get irritated or strained during exercise. Interestingly, the word stitch in this case doesn't have anything to do with sewing. The term has been used for hundreds of years to describe a sudden, sharp pain that feels like something is poking or stitching you from the inside. As for how long it takes to get one, it varies from person to person. Some runners get a stitch after just a few minutes of running, others, while others may never get one at all. The good news is that stitches usually go away if you slow down, take deep breaths, and give your body a chance to recover. Next, we've got a question from Owen and Brody from Kauai, Hawaii, who ask, why are clouds dark when it's stormy? Ooh. Clouds look dark and spooky during storms because they become very thick and full of water droplets. Normally, sunlight passes through clouds and bounces around inside them, making them look white and fluffy. But storm clouds can grow incredibly large, sometimes several miles tall. When clouds get that thick, less sunlight can pass through them. The bottom of the cloud ends up in shadow, making it appear gray or even dark black from the ground. So storm clouds aren't actually a different color, they're just so thick that they block much more sunlight. Okay, three questions asked, three questions answered. But we've got plenty more cool questions which we'll get into right after this quick ad break and a word from our sponsors. And now back to Smarty Q. Our next question comes from fruit loving smarty fan Alex, who asks, what's the difference between peaches and nectarines? Fun question. And here's the funny thing. Peaches and nectarines are almost the same fruit. In fact, nectarines are basically a type of peach. The biggest difference is on the outside, peaches have fuzzy skin and nectarines have smooth skin. That difference comes from a tiny genetic variation, kind of like how some people have blue eyes and some have brown inside. Both fruits have similar sweet flesh and a large pit in the center. They can even grow on very similar trees. You can think of peaches and nectarines more like cousins than completely different fruits. Our next question comes from Sahayu in Fremont, California, who asks, what is cuneiform and how did it evolve into the first language ever? Fantastic questions. First off, cuneiform is one of the earliest systems of writing ever created. It was developed over 5,000 years ago by the Sumerians in a place called Mesopotamia. Instead of letters like we use today, cuneiform used symbols pressed into soft clay by a wedge shaped tool. That's actually where the name comes from. Cuneiform means wedge shaped. At first, these symbols were simple pictures used to keep track of things like food, trade and supplies. But over time, the symbols became more abstract and started to represent sounds and words instead of just objects. Now here's an important point. Cuneiform didn't create language itself. People were already speaking languages long before writing existed. What cuneiform did was give humans a way to record language, which was a huge step forward for communication, history and storytelling. Okay, we've got one final question left and it concerns something I know. Many smarty pants can't sleep without their favorite stuffed animal. We'll get to that question right after this quick ad break. And a word from our sponsors. Now back to Smarty Q. Our final question comes from Johannes Sister on Spotify who asks, what is the difference between a stuffy and a plushie? Aw, what an adorable question. The answer is not much. Both words usually refer to soft stuffed toys made from fabric and filled with fluffy stuffing. Stuffy is often used by younger children and families as a nickname for a favorite stuffed animal. Plushie comes from the word plush, which describes the soft, fuzzy fabric that many stuffed toys are made from. Some people use plushie more often when talking about stuffed characters from video games, cartoons, or movies, but there isn't an official rule. A teddy bear can be a stuffy, a stuffed dinosaur can be a plushie, and your favorite stuffed penguin can be both. So whether you call it a stuffy, a plushie, a stuffed animal, or your bedtime best friend, they're all part of the same cuddly family. And that brings us to the end of another episode of Smarty. Q. If you've got a question you'd love for me to answer on the show, just have your grown up help you. Email me@whosmartedhoosmarted.com and I'll happily add it to my list of SmartYQs. Until next time, Keep on smarting, Smarty pants.