← Who Smarted? - Educational Podcast for Kids
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Hey parents Trusty here. You know what I hear constantly from homeschool parents in the whosmarted community? Thank you for introducing us to ixl. I get it. My cousin homeschools her kids and raves about how much IXL helps. We're heading into that stretch where families are finishing the year strong and then summer hits with travel camps and shifting routines and that's where IXL shines. IXL is an award winning online learning platform that fits seamlessly into homeschooling with interactive practice across math, language arts, science and social studies from Pre K through 12th grade. Everything's organized by grade and subject, so you quickly find what each kid needs. Kids get instant explanations and parents, you get clear Progress reports. Over 15 million students use IXL and it's proven to improve achievement in all 50 states. So make an impact on your child's learning. Who Smarted Listeners get an exclusive 20% off when they sign up today at www.ixl.com smartid. That's ixl.com smarted. Hey there smarty pants. It's time once again for Smarty Q, the show where I, the trusty narrator, answer questions from you. The Smarty Pants Today we've got some super fun questions about cats, candy, shark teeth crying, and the speedy blue video game legend Sonic the Hedgehog. I can't wait to get smarted. Here we go. Our first question comes from smarty fan Mia in Minneapolis, Minnesota, who asks, why do cats have whiskers? Great question, Mia. Those whiskers on a cat's face aren't just fancy decorations. They're actually super important tools that help them. You see, a cat's whiskers are actually very sensitive hairs connected to special nerve endings under the skin. This means a cat's whiskers can detect tiny changes in the air around them. For example, when a kitty walks towards a narrow space, its whiskers can brush against the sides and tell it whether it can fit through the opening or not. In fact, a cat's whiskers are usually about as wide as its body. Whiskers also help cats hunt. They can sense small movements in the air caused by nearby animals, which helps the cat locate prey even in the dark. So while they may look cute and twitchy, whiskers are actually one of a cat's most powerful sensory tools. Okay, our next question comes from a smartypants who was inspired by some Sour Patch Kids candy she got on Halloween. My smarty friend Arlie asks, can something be so sour that it can hurt you? Another excellent question. Sour foods taste sour because they contain acids. For example, lemons contain citric acid and many sour candies contain special food safe acids that give them their super sour punch. Normally, these acids are mild and perfectly safe to eat in small amounts. But if something is extremely sour, or if you eat a lot of it very quickly, the acids can irritate your mouth. That's why sour candy can sometimes make your tongue feel tingly, sensitive, or even a little sore afterward. It's because the acids are temporarily irritating the surface of your tongue. Very strong acids, like the kinds used in cleaning products or laboratories, could definitely hurt you, but those are never meant to be eaten. So the next time your face scrunches up from something sour, just know that's your taste buds reacting to the acids, alright? Our third question comes from Henry and his dad Kevin, who wants to know how big is a shark's tooth? The answer depends on the kind of shark. Some small sharks have teeth that are only about the size of a grain of rice. For example, sharks like the spiny dogfish or the smooth dogfish have very small teeth because they mostly eat smaller fish and crustaceans. Other sharks have much bigger teeth designed for cutting and tearing. For example, tiger sharks have wide, serrated teeth that are usually about 1 to 2 inches long. These teeth are great for slicing through tough prey like sea turtles. Bull sharks have thick, triangular teeth that are usually about an inch long, perfect for gripping and tearing fish and other animals. Hammerhead sharks have slightly curved teeth that are around one to one and a half inches long, helping them grab slippery prey like stingrays. And then there's the famous fearsome predator, the great white shark, which has rows of teeth that grow about 2 to 3 inches long. But the biggest shark teeth ever discovered come from an ancient shark called the Megalodon. This massive predator lived millions of years ago and was one of the largest sharks ever to swim in the oceans. Megalodon teeth could grow to over 7 inches long, about the size of an adult human hand. Scientists believe the Megalodon itself may have measured up to around 50 to 60ft or 15 to 18 meters long. Okay, three questions down, three questions to go. Coming up, the story of how Sonic the Hedgehog was created. But first, a quick break for some ads from our sponsors. Attention, smarty parents. Do you run your family off sticky notes, random texts, and crossed fingers? Then you need the Skylight Calendar. It's a digital calendar that syncs with Google, Apple, Outlook and more, becoming the central information hub for your family. Now, I love using the Tasks feature on who smarted it means no more. Wait, what am I supposed to be doing? And for smarty pants, checking off their tasks makes it fun and rewarding to do chores like brushing teeth and homework. Skylight also simplifies grocery lists, meal planning, and never ending pickups and drop offs. Skylight is so confident you'll love their calendar that they offer 100% money back, no questions asked, for four full months. Families are better when they're working together. Right now, Skylight is offering our listeners $30 off their 15 inch calendars by going to myskylight.com smarted go to myskylight.com smartED for $30 off your 15 inch calendar. That is my S K-Y-L-I G-H-T.com smarted. You know what I love? TaskRabbit when we moved our whosmarted office, how did we find our mover? TaskRabbit When I've got errands p0 time to run them. TaskRabbit IKEA furniture assembly that's about to drive me mental. I Call me a Tasker. I've been blown away by how helpful and awesome they are every single time. TaskRabbit connects you with skilled taskers in your area for moving furniture, assembly, home repairs, mounting a tv, yard work, you name it. You can search based on cost, skill set, availability and past client reviews and these taskers have put in the reps. Over 3.4 million pieces of furniture assembled, 700,000 home repairs. One and a half million moves and counting. I love TaskRabbit Smartypants and you will too. When life happens, your to do list grows. Get ahead of it now and get $15 off your first task@taskrabbit.com or on the TaskRabbit app. Using promo code Smarted. Taskers book up fast, especially for same day tasks. So book trusted home help today. 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who's that walking through the woods? Wyatt's Yoshi. Here to explore a world of curious creatures with you. Discovered a creature you haven't seen before? Why don't you get Yoshi to see what it tast soapy. No wonder this creature blows giant bubbles so big they can carry you. You can even jump from one bubble to another and reach new areas. There are plenty more surprises to discover too. Bowser Jr. What are you doing out here? You can jump into adventure with Yoshi and the mysterious book. May 21 only on Nintendo Switch 2 game rated E for everyone.
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And now back to Smarty Q. Our next question comes from Maya and Brandon, who ask, why are pounds labeled lbs and not pds? What a fantastic observation. The reason pounds are written as elbs actually goes all the way back to ancient Rome. The Romans used a unit of weight called the libra. A libra was a measurement used to weigh things like food, metals, and coins over time. The word libra was shortened when people wrote it down and the abbreviation LB stuck around. So even though we say pounds today, the abbreviation comes from that much older Roman word, Fun fact. The zodiac sign Libra also gets its name from the same Latin word which means scales or balance. Our next question comes from super smarty fan Elsie, who asks why and how does being sad or angry make you cry? Aww. Crying is actually something your body does for several different reasons. Sometimes tears help keep your eyes healthy by cleaning out dust and keeping the surface of your eyes moist. But emotional crying is different. When you feel very strong emotions like sadness, anger, frustration, or even extreme happiness, your brain sends signals to the tear glands near your eyes. These glands release tears as part of your body's emotional response. Scientists think emotional crying might help your body calm down after intense feelings. It can also signal to other people that you need comfort or support. So crying isn't a weakness at all. It's actually one of the ways your brain and body deals with big emotions. All right, smarty pants, we've reached our final question. And if you're a video game fan, you're definitely going to want to hear this one. We'll find out when, where, why, and how Sonic the Hedgehog was created right after this quick break and some ads from our sponsors. Attention all non mouth breathers. This is a code red. I repeat, this is a code red. So listen very carefully. What I'm about to say will turn your world upside down. I'm transmitting to you from Hawkins, Indiana to deliver this urgent message. Something survived in the winter of 85. So get ready for an all new animated adventure from the creators of Stranger Things. Bundle up and join 11 Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, Max, and all your most beloved characters as they uncover new mysteries, new monsters, and their greatest adventure yet. You've seen them fight Demogorgon, you've seen them fight Vecna. But you've never seen anything like this. Return to Hawkins for a whole new dimension of the Stranger Things universe in this epic animated series. Friends don't lie, so believe the hype. Stranger things tales from 85 only on netflix. Over and out. Hey smarty pants. Quick shout out to our awesome sponsor, melscience. Helping kids turn curiosity into real experiments. Melscience is a subscription that delivers monthly science boxes right to your door. Each box is packed with hands on experiments, so you're not just learning about science, you're doing it. And honestly, that's what WhoSmarted is all about. Here's what I love Mel Science is on a mission to prove that science isn't boring, difficult, or just for certain people. Science is really about asking questions, experimenting and discovering which, let's be honest, smarty pants are already amazing at. Each kit comes with fun experiments, detailed explanations, and immersive tech to explore even deeper. It's like turning your kitchen table into a mini science lab. I think smartie families will love this because it takes that spark that kids already have from listening to WhoSmarted and puts it right in their hands. Choose an annual plan and get a full year of science for just $22.45 a month. But hurry. This deal is only good through May 15th. Go to melscience.com and use code smarted to get started. That's melscience.com codesmarted. But hurry. This deal does expire on May 15th. Hey there smarty pants, smarty parents and smarty families. I've got some exciting news to and best of all, it's all because of you. Thanks to all of you listening, laughing and smarting with us, WhoSmarted is now over 1 million downloads a month. If that sounds like a lot, that's because it is. I couldn't be happier to share this news with you, our smarty fans. But that's not all. I want to celebrate this moment with you by offering 50% off a WhoSmarted plus subscription for the next week. A yearly subscription to WhoSmarted plus is half off the regular price. You'll get a year of bonus smarting and ad free listening for only $19.99. Doing some quick math? That's only $1.66 a month. Look, I can't even get a slice of decent pizza for that. To help support who Smarted and get weekly subscriber only episodes and ad free listening for 50% off, go to WhoSmarted. Do click subscribe to WhoSmarted plus, choose the annual plan and enter promo code SMART20. That's WhoSmarted.com Click subscribe to WhoSmarted Plus, choose the annual plan and enter promo code Smart20. Thank you so much for being part of our smarty family and smarting with us once again. That's WhoSmarted.com, subscribe to WhoSmarted. Plus choose the annual plan and use promo code SMART20 for 50% off. But hurry, this offer expires soon. And now we're back with our final Smarty Q My smarty friend Christopher wants to know when, where, why and how was Sonic the Hedgehog made and who made it? Well, Sonic the Hedgehog was created in the early 1990s by a Japanese video game company called Sega. At the time, Sega wanted a brand new character who could compete with another very famous video game character, Mario from Nintendo. A team of game designers at Sega worked together to invent a character who was fast, cool and exciting to play. One of the key creators was a designer named Naoto Oshima, and the game itself was programmed by a team led by Yuji Naka. They decided Sonic would be a bright blue hedgehog who could run incredibly fast. The speed of the character helped show off what Sega's game system could do better than many others at the time. The first Sonic the Hedgehog game was released in 1991 and it quickly became a huge hit. Players loved racing through colorful levels, collecting golden rings, and battling the villain Dr. Robotnik. Since then, Sonic has appeared in dozens of video games, TV shows, movies and comics, becoming one of the most famous video game characters in the world. And that brings us to the end of another episode of Smarty Q. If you're a smarty pants and you've got a question for me, the trusty narrator, just have a grown up help you. Email me@whosmartedosmarted.com and I'll happily add it to my list of smarty cues. Until next time. Keep the questions and the smarting coming, smarty pants.