A Grand Prix: The Science of F1 Racing!

Summary

Podcast Summary: "A Grand Prix: The Science of F1 Racing!"

Podcast: Wow in the World
Date: March 30, 2026
Hosts: Mindy Thomas and Guy Raz
Episode Theme: Exploring the science behind Formula 1 (F1) racing through a fun-filled adventure at the local go-kart derby.

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Episode Overview

This energetic episode of Wow in the World takes listeners on a wild ride with Mindy and Guy Raz as they prepare for—and learn from—the local DIY Homemade Go Kart Derby. Along the way, they unpack the science driving the world's fastest race cars: Formula 1 machines. The thematic heart lies in uncovering the three major engineering and physics principles that make F1 cars so powerful: aerodynamics, engine design, and lightweight materials. True to the show's playful spirit, the episode blends goofy antics with “wow-worthy” science.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Why is Mindy’s Living Room Full of Racecar Parts?

• Mindy has built a Formula 1 car for the local go-kart derby (04:00), inspired by dreams of entering the Austin Grand Prix.
• Guy Raz is baffled by the highly sophisticated car and queries the reason for bringing it to a humble local event.

Mindy, on racing science: "A race car race is basically just one big science fair." (05:10)

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2. The Science of Speed: What Makes an F1 Car Fast?

a) Aerodynamics

Mindy and Guy dig into how air movement affects race cars (05:39).

• Drag: Slows cars down (06:04).
  • Guy Raz: “Drag is the force that slows things down as they move through the air.” (06:10)
• Downforce: Pushes the car onto the track to improve cornering (06:20).
  • Mindy: “It’s what these little fins at the back of the car are doing... helping it stick to the track as it races around the corners.” (06:33)
• Lift: The opposite of downforce; cars want to avoid this (06:48).

Key Point: Balancing and managing drag, downforce, and lift is essential to competitive F1 design (07:30).

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b) Engine Power: Small but Mighty

• Despite being small (only 1.6 liters), an F1 engine is a powerhouse—outputting about 1,000 horsepower (09:45).
  • Mindy: “Pedaling your bike only generates about 0.25 horsepower... We’re talking 1,000 horsepower here.” (10:16)
• The small engine size makes it even more impressive compared to lawnmowers (5 horsepower) and average cars (200 horsepower) (10:33).

Science Connection: Technological innovation makes it possible to get more speed with less engine bulk, boosting efficiency and performance (10:51).

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c) Lightweight Materials

• The lighter the car, the easier it is for the engine to propel it to high speeds (12:13).
  • Mindy demonstrates by pushing the car with ease. (12:25)

Material Science: Modern F1 teams devote significant resources to inventing materials that are “super light, but super strong too” (13:09), utilizing advances like carbon fiber.

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3. The Go-Kart Derby Antics

• After wrangling a team of “sleigh cats” (cat-powered car power: fictitious and silly!) to tow their car to the starting line (08:03), Mindy and Guy are informed that animals are not allowed (11:14).
• Notable Character: Grandma G Force, the seasoned race driver, who agrees to drive their scientific marvel (13:54).
  • Grandma G Force, inspecting the car: “Well, let me see. Oh, yeah, she’s as light as a feather, all right.” (14:34)

Comic Relief: Mindy’s ongoing insistence that combining “homemade” go-karts and F1 technology is fair play, and the “weight” test with Reggie the pigeon underline the show’s whimsical tone.

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4. Voices from Kids: The Wow Machine

After the main segment, listener call-ins share their own “wow in the world” science facts, from octopuses without stomachs to horses sleeping while standing and ancient Egyptian toothpaste recipes (19:07–22:06).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On science and design:
  • Mindy: “You want to reduce the amount of drag because it slows you down, and you want to increase the downforce and decrease the lift.” (07:25)
• On engine power:
  • Guy Raz (amazed): “This car generates 1,000? Yeah. Wow. So despite being smaller than a lot of car engines, this race car engine is able to generate five times as much power.” (10:38)
• On material science:
  • Mindy: “These race car teams spend millions... developing and designing materials that are not only super light, but super strong too.” (13:09)
• Meet Grandma G Force:
  • Grandma G Force: “How many cat power she got?” (14:17, joke callback)
  • Mindy: “No cat power. But it does have the three things that make up an F1 car: Aerodynamics, a small but powerful engine, and it’s light as a feather.” (14:26)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [04:00–05:15] — Mindy unveils the F1 car; “race is a science fair”
• [05:39–07:38] — Aerodynamics explained: drag, downforce, lift
• [09:45–10:51] — Small but mighty F1 engine; horsepower comparisons
• [12:13–13:09] — Lightweight car design; importance of material science
• [13:54–14:34] — Introduction of Grandma G Force, the race driver
• [19:07–22:06] — Kids share science “wows” (listener call-in segment)

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Tone & Style

The episode sparkles with Wow in the World’s trademark blend of kid-friendly humor (“cat-powered vehicles”), sound effects, and genuine excitement for all things scientific. Mindy’s bold antics are counterbalanced by Guy Raz’s cautious questioning, ensuring that even complex physics is made accessible and memorable to young listeners.

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Final Takeaway

This episode is an inventive and educational look under the hood of F1 racing, showing kids and families how scientific principles fuel the excitement of motorsport. By connecting concepts like aerodynamics, engine performance, and materials science to relatable and playful adventures, Mindy and Guy Raz turn complex engineering into a laugh-out-loud, memorable ride.

“Aerodynamics, a small but powerful engine, and it’s light as a feather!”—The winning formula for both race cars and curious minds.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, Wowzer fams. Mindy and Guy Razzie here. And before we start the show, we have a little announcement for you.

[B]

We just got a brand new item in stock at our shop.

[A]

Introducing the state of the art, never before seen, heard or wanted jar of farts.

[B]

What?

[A]

Do you or a loved one enjoy the smell of a fresh toot?

[C]

No.

[A]

Well, then you're not gonna like this.

[D]

Each wow in the World J. Zara

[A]

Farts features the latest vacuum sealing technology to preserve the tooth's original odor so your nose will be so full of sulfur the second your sniffer gets a whiff of it.

[B]

Mindy, this is gross. No one's gonna wanna buy this.

[A]

That's exactly what market research said. But I think.

[B]

Wait a minute. What's Today's date? It's April 1, isn't it April Fools.

[D]

Guy Razzie.

[B]

So we're not selling jars? Of course.

[A]

Of course not. But we do have some stem toys that toot.

[D]

Toot.

[B]

Mindy.

[A]

Like our wow in the World High Flying air rocket. It's got a toot nozzle for when you wanna let her rip. And our wow in the World Amazing Human body Kit comes with a toot whistle, too. And not to toot our own horn here, but we've got lots of stem toys that will wow the kids in

[D]

your life who love science and the

[A]

ones who don't yet grownups.

[B]

Visit Tinkercast.com to shop the wow. Now that's Tinkercast.com shop. Now back to the show.

[A]

Proceeded 3, 2, 1 mission.

[C]

Get ready for an adventure of magnificent proportion I don't know what you've been told we're in a golden age so many sk. Jumping off the page While in the world While in the world While in the world wow.

[A]

Houston.

[B]

Watering my tomatoes Watering my tomatoes so they grow nice and strong. What in the world? It sounds like it's coming from Mindy's house. Weird. Watering my t. Water me. Mindy. Don't worry, little tomato plants. I'll be right back. What in the.

[E]

Mindy?

[D]

Guy Razzie?

[E]

Bendy.

[B]

What is happening in there? I can barely hear myself think.

[C]

What?

[B]

I said, I can barely hear myself think.

[D]

Sorry, Guy Raz, you're gonna have to talk louder. I can't hear you over all the noise. Mindy, hold on a sec. Hey, Reggie, can you turn the volume down on those power tools in there?

[A]

Okay, that's better. Now, what were you saying?

[D]

Guy Raz?

[B]

I was asking what's going on in here. Mindy, it looks like a mechanics Workshop tires, power tools. And is that a race car?

[A]

Oh, yeah, actually it is a race car, Guy Raz. But not just any old race car. What you are looking at is a state of the art formula one racing car.

[B]

Uh huh. And why exactly do you have a Formula one race car in your living room, Mindy?

[A]

Oh, because of this. Here, read it.

[B]

The 25th annual DIY Homemade Go Kart Derby.

[A]

That's right. I got my car, I got my pit crew, and most importantly, I have a driver. She's waiting for us down at the starting line.

[B]

And why are you bringing a high powered, technologically advanced race car to a local homemade go kart derby?

[A]

Okay, well, it wasn't my first choice, believe me. I wanted to take it to the Austin Grand Prix this year, but apparently they don't just let random people with cars that they built in their gingerbread mansions enter the race.

[B]

Shocking.

[A]

So we went for the next best thing.

[B]

The local go kart derby.

[A]

The local homemade go kart derby.

[B]

Back up, why did you want to enter an F1 race to begin with, Mindy?

[A]

Well, because a race car race is basically just one big science fair.

[B]

It is?

[A]

Oh, yeah. These crews have entire teams of scientists behind them trying to make the fastest cars on the planet. And this bad boy can get up to 230 miles per hour.

[E]

Whoa.

[B]

That's like 375 kilometers an hour.

[A]

Yeah, and you gotta master, like, three different things to make a car that will run that fast.

[B]

Three different things. What are they?

[A]

Okay, well, the first is aerodynamics.

[B]

Oh, of course. Aerodynamics of how air moves around things and how those things move through the air.

[A]

Exactly. And how these cars move through the air as they race around the track affects how fast they go.

[B]

How?

[A]

Well, aerodynamics affects the car in three different. Drag, downforce, and lift.

[B]

Well, I know what drag is. Drag is the force that slows things down as they move through the air.

[A]

Yeah, like when you ride a bike real fast and the wind turns your T shirt into a little parachute that holds you back. That is drag.

[B]

Got it. So what's downforce?

[A]

Well, it's exactly what it sounds like. It's the force that pushes down on something as it moves through the air.

[B]

Like when you put your hand out of a car window and tilt it slightly and the wind pushes it down.

[A]

You got it. That's downforce. It's what these little fins at the back of the car are doing. They're angled slightly down and they push the car down into the road, helping it stick to the track as it races around the corners.

[B]

Huh. And lift is the opposite of downforce.

[A]

Exactly. Lift is what airplanes use to fly. Basically, their wings are angled slightly upwards, and this creates lift that can help them launch into the air.

[B]

But in a race car, you certainly don't want to go flying.

[A]

Nope. When you're in a race car, you want to be stuck to the race track.

[D]

Oh, hey, Red, can you get that?

[B]

So, in terms of aerodynamics, you want to reduce the amount of drag on

[A]

the car because it slows you down,

[B]

and you want to increase the downforce and decrease the lift.

[A]

Yes. In order to keep the race car stuck to the track. And there you have it. The aerodynamic principles of race car design.

[B]

Wow. So what are the other two things you need to make a race car other than aerodynamics?

[A]

Oh, hold that thought. Guy Raz. What is it, Reg? What did he want?

[D]

What are we waiting for? Come on, let's get going.

[B]

What is it, Mindy?

[A]

That was the race organizer. He said that if we're not at the starting line in the next 10

[D]

minutes, they're gonna start without us.

[B]

Well, then we should get a move on, Mindy.

[D]

All right, Reg, open the door.

[A]

It's time to wrangle the cats.

[B]

The cats?

[D]

Here, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty.

[B]

Huh?

[C]

Oh. Ow.

[E]

No scratching.

[B]

Mindy, what in the world are we doing? Wrangling cats.

[A]

Ow. How else are we supp to get the car to the starting line, Guy Raz?

[B]

Uh, by driving it ourselves.

[A]

No time, Guy Raz, help me get these sleigh cats into their harnesses.

[C]

Ow.

[D]

E. No, back.

[A]

Okay, one more.

[D]

Gotcha.

[A]

All right, that should hold him.

[B]

So why exactly.

[A]

One second. Guy Raz,

[B]

did you just strap all the sleigh cats to the front of the race car?

[A]

Well, yeah, I wasn't gonna strap them to the back. Come on, Guy Raz, you got a race to get to.

[D]

You too, Reg.

[A]

All right, hold on tight.

[B]

Mindy, is this really safe?

[D]

Yes, of course it's not safe, Guy Raz.

[B]

Huh?

[D]

Sorry.

[B]

Where even is this race anyway?

[A]

Same place it is every year. Right down Main street, starting at the Knuckle Hut.

[B]

Isn't that in the other direction?

[D]

Whoops.

[A]

Yep, you're right.

[F]

Perfect.

[D]

All right, everyone, turn it around.

[F]

Oh, no.

[A]

Sorry, everyone.

[B]

I still don't understand why we couldn't have driven there, Mindy.

[A]

Well, Guy Raz, the engine on this car is super duper small. We gotta conserve it for the big race.

[B]

Wait a minute, Mindy. This race car goes 230 miles an hour, but it has a small Engine?

[A]

Yeah, that's the second thing that makes a race car a race car. A small but mighty engine. In fact, the engine in this car is only 1.6 liters.

[B]

1.6 liters? That's the sort of engine you'd find in a teeny tiny car you'd take to the supermarket and back.

[A]

Yeah, but this teeny tiny engine is supercharged.

[B]

What do you mean?

[A]

Well, despite being so small, it can output 1,000 horsepower.

[B]

And that's good?

[A]

Oh, yeah, it's better than good Guy, Raz. I mean, just think about your bike, huh? Pedaling your bike only generates about 0.25 horsepower. We're talking 1,000 horsepower here.

[B]

Uh huh.

[A]

And a lawnmower only around 5 horsepower.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

And a regular old car, that's only gonna get you about 200 horsepower.

[B]

And this car generates 1,000? Yeah. Wow. So despite being smaller than a lot of car engines, this race car engine is able to generate five times as much power.

[A]

Exactly. What'd I say? Small but mighty.

[D]

Oh, sorry about that.

[A]

Looks like we're here.

[F]

Hello there. Can I help you?

[G]

What the.

[C]

Ms. Dixon, stop that.

[H]

What the.

[C]

Sorry.

[A]

Sorry about that. We're here for the race.

[F]

Yeah, I suppose you are. The 25th annual DIY Homemade Go Kart Derby.

[C]

Uh huh.

[F]

Well, you know that cat powered vehicles are strictly prohibited, right?

[A]

Oh, don't worry. This vehicle is 100% self sufficient. No cats necessary.

[F]

And it is homemade and diy.

[E]

Yep.

[F]

Okay, well, you can't bring the cats in with you either. Two of the drivers are very allergic.

[A]

Fine, I'll send them home. Okay.

[D]

Come here, cats.

[C]

Ow.

[D]

Stop it.

[A]

I'm trying to help you here.

[D]

All right, everyone go get.

[A]

Get out of here.

[F]

Thank you. All right, your race is up next. You'll be starting in third position, and I believe your driver is already waiting for you. Good luck.

[D]

Thank you.

[B]

Hey, you. Is that a cat?

[D]

Hey, she's already here.

[B]

Wait, you have a driver?

[A]

Oh, yeah, she's the best. You're gonna love her. Come on, help me push this car to the start line.

[B]

Push the car? How are we supposed to do that? It's got a thousand horsepower engine and the. We only have two people and a pigeon.

[A]

Well, that's the third thing you need to make a race car guy, Raz. It's gotta be light as a feather.

[B]

Really?

[D]

Yeah.

[A]

Watch me push this thing.

[D]

Ah.

[A]

Pretty cool, huh?

[B]

Wow, that looked super easy, Mindy.

[A]

What did I tell ya? Light as a feather.

[B]

It really is, Mindy. Let me have a try.

[A]

Huh?

[B]

Wow. I bet Reggie could push this thing all by himself if he really wanted to. How is this car so light?

[A]

Well, this is what a lot of teams spend their time developing in the lab. Lighter materials to make their cars out of.

[B]

Ah, you mean they have a lot of material? Scientists, People who study what things are made of and why they behave the way they do.

[A]

Yeah, and these race car teams spend millions of dollars trying to develop and design materials that are not only super light, but. But super strong too.

[B]

And the lighter the car is, the less the engine has to work to push it around the track and the faster it'll go.

[A]

Exact oritos. Oh, hey, look, there's the starting line. Now what spot were we again?

[D]

Oh, three.

[A]

Thanks, Reg. All right, everyone, ready?

[G]

And pull.

[B]

Look at all these other go karts, Mindy.

[A]

Yeah, they look very DIY and homemade.

[B]

I'll say. They're all made out of plywood and cardboard with tiny little engines. And we've got a 1000 horsepower F1 race car.

[A]

Yeah, I'd say we got this one in the bag.

[B]

It just seems a little unfair.

[A]

You think that's unfair? Wait til you meet our driver. Oh, look, there she is.

[D]

Hey, over here. Grandma G Force.

[B]

Grandma G Force?

[A]

Yeah, she used to race back in the day. Would have won too, if they allowed cat powered vehicles.

[B]

What in the.

[I]

Well, well, well, if it ain't Mindy in garage. Oh, hello, pigeon.

[D]

Grandma G Force. We've got your race car.

[A]

Ta da.

[I]

Nice. Now how many cat power she got?

[A]

Oh, no cat power. But it does have the three things that make up an F1 car.

[G]

Oh, yeah?

[I]

What's that?

[B]

Aerodynamics.

[A]

A small but powerful engine.

[B]

And it's light as a feather.

[I]

Light as a feather. Feather, you say? Well, let me see. Oh, yeah, she's as light as a feather, all right.

[J]

All spectators, please step off the racetrack. All non drivers please leave the racetrack immediately. The race is about to begin.

[B]

Well, that sounds like our cue to leave.

[A]

Guess we'll see you on the other side. Reggie says good luck.

[D]

Whoa.

[A]

Made it. All right, Guy, Raz, let's get off the track and into the stands.

[B]

Right behind you, Mindy. Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk, walk.

[A]

Through the gate. All right, does everyone have a good view of the track? Yep. Okay, here we go.

[J]

Drivers, start your engines. On your marks, get set.

[K]

Go.

[D]

Villag.

[E]

Wow in the world. We'll be right back, grown ups. This message is for you.

[C]

Whoa.

[H]

You're listening to Bongo in the big two in the morning on kwow.

[K]

Hey, Bongo, guess what time it is.

[H]

Looks to be about 7:40am

[K]

no, it's time for Big Teeth's big favorite.

[C]

Big favorite?

[H]

Oh yeah, yeah. The part of the show when you big toot hit us with your favorite new song. What you got for us today?

[K]

Alright, today's big favorite is a song from a new artist called wow in the World.

[H]

Well, what's the song?

[K]

It's called the scientifically most danceable song in the whole wide world. Wow, that's a big title. Yeah. Let me spin you up a clip.

[C]

A Wide World, the scientifically most danceable danceable song.

[H]

Whoa, that was totally rockin'.

[K]

Where can we listen to the rest of the song? Anywhere you get your tunes, Bongo. They're out on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you like to spin your tracks.

[H]

Well, thanks for tuning in to Big 2's big favorite here on Bongo in the Big 2 in the morning on Kwow. Bye bye now.

[A]

Hey, Wowzer fams. Mindy here. And before we start the show. Oh, sorry about that. I forgot to put it on silent. Hey, wait a second.

[D]

It's an email from us. Check it out, Reg.

[A]

Let's see here. It says we've got episode recommendations, free STEM activities to try out at home. The latest news about what's happening at Tinkercast. Pretty bonker balls, huh? Here, I'll help you sign up. So you and the grown ups will just go to tinkercast.comemail and put in your first and last names and email address.

[D]

Wait, Reggie, I just realized I don't know your last name. Really?

[A]

Is that with a silent G or a silent Q?

[D]

Huh, who knew?

[A]

Let's see here. Oh, and you're not a robot, right? Sorry, just had to double check. Okay, you are all signed up grown ups. You can sign up for our Tinkercast newsletter too. It's full of ideas on how to get some extra wow to your family's life. Visit tinkercast.comemail to sign up today. That's tinkercast.comemail. that's it. And now. Now let's get on with the show.

[E]

That's it. Back to the show.

[C]

Wow in the World.

[A]

Hi, thanks for calling wow in the World. After the beep, get ready to record.

[G]

Hi, my name is Charlotte. I am from Monterey, California. And my wow in the world is that my pusses do not have stomachs. Isn't that crazy? Say hi to Thomas Fingerling.

[L]

Sup Grandma?

[M]

G Force.

[L]

Dennis.

[G]

Hi there Reggie.

[L]

And Colonel Toots. Thunder Paws.

[G]

Hi, I'm Elena. And I'm Colin.

[M]

We're From Charleston, South Carolina.

[G]

And our wild fact is that if you went in space, the sun would be white. Make sure.

[M]

Say hi to Reggie and baby Dennis for us.

[D]

Bye.

[M]

My name is Logan and I'm from British Columbia, Canada and I'm 13 years old. My wow in the world is that horses and cows can sleep while standing up straight. Isn't that naptastic? Say hi, Ted, Reggie, Grandma G Force and Thomas Fingerling.

[K]

Cool, dude.

[G]

Oh, yay.

[L]

Hi.

[G]

Hi. My name's Nora and I'm from Canada and this is my wow. Did you know that ancient Egypt made some of the first toothpaste ever and they used crushed eggshell and ashes to do it. Hi, I'm Oliver from Sacramento, California. And my wow is that there are over 4,000 types of ladybugs. I want to say hi to grandma G Force. The sleigh cats, Dennis, Baby Dennis and Thomas Fingerling.

[A]

Oh, snipe.

[C]

Huzzah.

[G]

I'm Indian Garage. My name is Santa and I live in Easttam, Connecticut. My wow in the world is that apples are in the rose family. Say hi to Reggie, Thomas Fingerling and grandma G Force for me, please. Oh, yeah. Bye. Hi, Mini Guy Ross. My name is Theo and Kevra and we live in Del Nadia, Nova Scotia.

[L]

And our wow is that everybody feet stinks because of bacteria. Bacteria live on your feet and eat dead skin cells and oils that come out of your skin. When your feet get hot and sweaty, more bacteria grow to get rid of their waste. They put out an acid and that acid stinks. So the next time someone tells you your feet stink, you can tell them it isn't you. It's bacteria.

[G]

Say hi to Dennis, Colonel Toot, Thunderpaws, Steve and Reggie.

[H]

Ahoy there.

[G]

Bye.

[A]

End of messages. Thanks for listening to this episode of wow in the World. If you're a kid with a big wow to share with us, call our WOW hotline at 1-888-7-WOW WOW for a chance to be featured at the end of the show.

[B]

And while you're at it, head over to Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Leave us five stars and tell us what wows you about our show by leaving a review. Or send us a comment on Spotify. You just might hear your reviewsy read by Dennis on WeWow.

[A]

On the weekend, visit [e-mail] and become a member of the world organization of Wowzers. With that you'll get year round mail in your mailbox, weekly activities, birthday cards

[B]

and more on Tinkercast.com, you can also shop our WOW shop, get tickets for upcoming live events, find our books, toys and science kits, and learn all about the other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast.

[A]

Once again, that's Tinkercast.com wow in the

[B]

world is written by Mindy Thomas and Tom Van Kalken with contributions from Me Guy Raz.

[A]

Original sound design and music editing is done by Tyler Thol with help from our senior Production Director Jed Anderson and Audio Producer Henry Moskal. You can also hear Jed Anderson in the voices of Dennis, Thomas, Fingerling, Reggie and many of the other silly characters you hear on our show.

[B]

Jessica Bode keeps our facts straight as our fact checker, Steph Sosa keeps our heads on straight as our Executive producer and Meredith Halpern Ranzer powers the wow at Tinkercast.

[A]

Our theme song was composed and performed by three time Grammy nominees the Pop Ups. Find them at thepopups.com Special thanks to

[B]

our team including Kristin Yang, Thuy Mac, Ali Paksima, Linda Rothenberg and Anna Zagorski and all of the other tinkerers at Tinkercast hq.

[A]

Grown Ups. You can follow wow in the World on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter owintheworld and our email address is helloinkercast.com thanks for listening.

[B]

Find episode of wow in the World every Monday to what's in the wow? Every Friday right here and on YouTube.

[A]

And don't forget we WOW on the weekends with Dennis every Saturday and Sunday right here in the wow in the World podcast feed.

[B]

Until then, keep on wowing.

[E]

Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast.