Culture Kids

Culture Kids heads to the bottom of the world this episode, Antarctica! Join Mom and Asher as they explore towering icebergs, meet emperor penguins and a very sleepy Weddell seal, then dive nearly two miles beneath the frozen Weddell Sea to uncover one of the greatest shipwreck discoveries in modern history: Ernest Shackleton's Endurance, lost for over 100 years and found perfectly preserved on the ocean floor in 2022. Along the way, we learn why Antarctica is technically a desert, how emperor penguins huddle for warmth, why the Weddell Sea is one of the only places on Earth where a hundred-year-old wooden ship can still look brand new, and the incredible true story of how all 28 members of Shackleton's crew made it home safely. A Note from Culture Kids: Grown-ups, if you haven't already, please consider making a small donation to our nonprofit, Culture Kids. We're a small team with a big dream, raising a generation of kids who are curious, globally minded, and ready to make friendships across every border, all while keeping our show ad-free. Every dollar helps us create more adventures and reach more families. You'll find the donation link below. Links: Donate: https://www.culturekidsmedia.com/support/ Website: culturekidsproductions.org Instagram: @culturekidsproductions YouTube: youtube.com/@culturekidspodcast Thanks for joining us today! Stay tuned in two weeks as we sail off to Hawaii to learn about Polynesian voyaging, and don't miss our Halloween specials coming up as we return to the Culture Kids Spooky Forest.

Asher and Mom visit family friend Miral Sattar, whose roots stretch from Pakistan to Burma to Persia, for a hands-on lesson in how food becomes a love language across cultures. Kids will learn about Rooh Afza rose milk, crispy beef samosas, Burmese khow suey noodles, the tradition of chai hospitality, and creamy pistachio kulfi, all while discovering why sharing a meal is one of the most universal ways people show they care. About Miral Sattar: 🎧 Miral Sattar is the creator and host of Bearily Bear Reimagined Fairy Tales, an award-winning kids podcast with more than 3 million listeners that reimagines classic fairy tales with brave heroines, diverse cultures, and stories from around the world. She's also a mom of three and a children's media advocate passionate about raising curious, empathetic kids through stories. Bearily Bear Reimagined Fairy Tales: wherever you get your podcasts! Miral on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/miralreads⁠ About The Saami Family 🎶 A special thank you to The Saami Family for allowing us to use their beautiful Khayal music, a centuries-old South Asian classical vocal tradition, in this episode. Listen to The Saami Family website: ⁠https://voiceofsaamis.com/⁠ The Saami Brothers on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thesaamibrothersofficial/⁠ 💛 Please consider supporting our nonprofit, Culture Kids Productions and help us stay ad-free and help us keep our show accessible for every family: Culture Kids is a small team with a big dream: raising a generation of kids who are curious, globally minded, and ready to build friendships across every border, all while keeping our show completely free and ad-free for families everywhere. If our adventures have brought a little wonder into your home, we'd be so grateful for your support. Every donation, big or small, helps us create new episodes, partner with cultural experts and organizations, and reach even more curious young explorers around the world. DONATE HERE: https://www.culturekidsmedia.com/support/ Thank you. Credits: Hosts: Kristen and Asher Kim Guest Collaborator: Miral Sittar Produced By: Culture Kids Productions Executive Producer: Kristen Kim Sound Design: Kristen Kim Audio Engineer: Robin Lai Nonprofit Consultant: Emil Kang, Jesseca Ryan Academic Consultant: Elisha Li Sound FX: Envato Elements, The Saami Family

It's a Culture Kids first, an entire episode made by YOU! For this summer special, Kristen and Asher hand the mic over to the Culture Kids community, featuring voicemails sent in from listeners all around the world sharing what they love most about the show, plus a whole lot of jokes to keep things silly. This episode is a celebration of the curious, kind, and adventurous kids who make up the Culture Kids family, and a reminder that every single explorer who tunes in is part of what makes this show special. Hosted by Kristen Kim and Asher, Culture Kids Productions Featuring voicemails from the Culture Kids community

Grab your imaginary passports, Culture Kids! In this episode, Kristen, Asher, and Arden hop aboard the Culture Train time machine to investigate one of history's most enduring legends: mermaids. Are they pure myth, or did real people really believe they saw one? The adventure begins over 2,300 years ago in the ancient city of Hierapolis, in what is now northern Syria, home to a sacred temple dedicated to the goddess Atargatis, widely considered one of the oldest mermaid-like figures in recorded history. From there, the Culture Train jumps nearly 1,800 years forward to 1493, landing aboard Christopher Columbus's ship in the Caribbean Sea, where Columbus famously recorded seeing three "mermaids" in his own journal. Along the way, kids discover that mermaid-like legends appear across cultures all over the world, from the ningyo of Japan to Mami Wata in West and Central Africa, and learn the real, scientific explanation historians believe is behind Columbus's sighting: the gentle, slow-moving manatee. It's a story about curiosity, the mystery of the ocean, and how humans everywhere have always tried to make sense of the unknown through story. The real historical origins of mermaid mythology, starting with the goddess Atargatis in ancient Hierapolis How Christopher Columbus's 1493 ship log describes a real "mermaid" sighting The scientific explanation behind Columbus's sighting: manatees, and why sailors mistook them for mythical creatures How mermaid-like legends appear independently across cultures, including Japanese ningyo and West/Central African Mami Wata Why humans across history and geography have always turned mysterious sightings into story Families with kids ages 4 to 10 who love ocean adventures, mythology, world history, marine animals, and time-travel storytelling. Hierapolis, ancient Syria — Temple of Atargatis The Caribbean Sea, 1493 — Christopher Columbus's voyage near Hispaniola Cross-cultural mermaid mythology: Japan (ningyo) and West/Central Africa (Mami Wata) Credits: Hosts: Kristen and Asher Kim Producer & Sound Designer: Kristen Kim Sound FX License: Envato Elements & Epidemic Sounds Audio Engineer: Robin Lai Academic Consultant: Elisha Li Nonprofit Consultant: Emil Kang, Jesseca Ryan Priest: Kristen Kim Christopher Columbus: Kristen Kim Sailor: Kristen Kim This episode is a work of fiction created for children's entertainment and educational enrichment purposes only. While inspired by mermaid mythology and folklore from various cultures, the characters, dialogue, and specific story events depicted are fictionalized and should not be relied upon as an accurate, complete, or authoritative account of any culture's traditions, beliefs, or history. Culture Kids Productions has made a good faith effort to represent the cultural and mythological source material respectfully, but listeners seeking factual or academic information about these traditions should consult qualified cultural experts, historians, or primary sources.

Grab your imaginary passports, Culture Kids! In this episode, Kristen and Asher welcome their friend Senna into the kitchen to cook up a Korean side dish called sukju namul (숙주나물), better known in English as seasoned mung bean sprouts. But this isn't just a cooking lesson. Halfway through sautéing sprouts with soy sauce and sesame oil, the Culture Train whisks the kids back to 15th century Hanyang (modern-day Seoul) during the Joseon Dynasty, where they uncover the real reason this humble vegetable carries the name of a royal scholar named Shin Suk-ju. Kids will learn how a political betrayal during a real moment in Korean history became forever linked to a fast-spoiling vegetable, and why Koreans have called mung bean sprouts "sukju namul" for hundreds of years. It's a story about food, memory, loyalty, and how history hides in the meals we eat every day. What mung bean sprouts (sukju namul) are and how they're prepared in Korean cooking The difference between how mung bean sprouts were cooked in the Joseon Dynasty versus how they're cooked today The true story of Korean scholar Shin Suk-ju and the royal succession crisis that changed his legacy How a vegetable came to be named after a real historical figure A hands-on family recipe families can recreate at home Sukju Namul (Korean Seasoned Mung Bean Sprouts) Lightly boiled mung bean sprouts, tossed with sesame oil, garlic, salt, and sesame seeds. Serve as a banchan (Korean side dish) alongside rice. Hosted by Kristen Kim and Asher, Culture Kids Productions Host & Producer: Kristen Kim Co Host & Co Producer: Asher Kim Guest Host: Senna Turin Script Review/Academic Consultant: Elisha Li Nonprofit Consultant: Emil Kang Audio Engineering: Robin Lai Music & Sound FX: Envato Elements This episode is a work of fiction created for children's entertainment and educational enrichment purposes only. The characters, dialogue, and specific story events depicted are fictionalized and should not be relied upon as an accurate, complete, or authoritative account of any culture's traditions, beliefs, or history. Culture Kids Productions has made a good faith effort to represent the cultural and mythological source material respectfully, but listeners seeking factual or academic information about these traditions should consult qualified cultural experts, historians, or primary sources.