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Kid Pan Alley is an organization that empowers kids around the United States to write their own songs. We’re joined this time on The Children’s Hour by Paul and Cheryl Reisler who have written more than 2,500 songs with more than 70,000 children over the last 30 years.



Paul and Cheryl Reisler spend the hour with our Kids Crew sharing songs, and giving us a mini demonstration of how they work inside schools. We learn about rhythm and exploration of our ideas.



We hear dozens of examples of Kid Pan Alley songs from a handful of the many schools the organization has worked with over their many decades.



This episode was produced by Executive Producer Katie Stone with help from Senior Producer Christina Stella and Education Director Lorraine Archibald. Recorded in 2022 at the Sunspot Solar Studio in Albuquerque, New Mexico.



© 2024 The Children’s Hour Inc, All Rights Reserved

Get out of this world this week with The Children's Hour! We're going to The Moon with Commander Reid Wiseman from NASA’s Artemis 2 mission. The Bad Astronomer, Dr. Phil Plait teaches us how the moon was formed, and we learn what happens to the lunar rocks back on Earth from Dr. Chip Sharer. Comes with a learning guide - and mixed with great music.

It's Earth Day on The Children's Hour, and we meet Congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM) who explains how National Parks and National Wilderness areas are created. Kids can play a big part! Then, Evan tells us about the Junior Ranger program. Biologists and authors Lily and Barbara Kingsolver share about their new book, Coyote's Wild Home. Learn with us!

What’s wild about your backyard? This time on The Children’s Hour we explore creating a backyard or balcony to attract wildlife, in a visit with a “more than human geographer” Laurel Ladwig. She’s part of a movement of reconciliation ecologists who are encouraging people to increase habitats around our homes to help critters who need more nectar, pollen, shade and food to survive in our artificial urban environments.



As we increase the native plants in our yards, or even on our urban balconies in containers, you may see beautiful birds and bugs in need of nectar.



Some wildlife are animals we would rather not encourage, like the rattlesnakes our Kids Crew member Cade sees in his moutain backyard. Other critters look scary but are harmless to humans, and essential members of the food chain to keep the delicate balance of nature in harmony. One such bug is the vinegaroon, which looks like a scorpion but is actually a gentle giant.



We learn about why it's so important to seek out plants which are native to where we live.We learn about why it's so important to seek out plants which are native to where we live.



Here's an online site where you can learn more about what species can thrive around you



As we plant our habitats, we want to help tend our plants to survive the effects of climate change.



The kids also meet Jim Battaglia from Wildlife Rescue of New Mexico, to learn what to do when we find injured wild animals in our yards, parks and playgrounds.



This show is mixed with excellent music to encourage everyone to get outside, and plant something.



Don't forget the City Nature Challenge happening worldwide April 29 - May 2, 2022. Find out more!

This time on The Children’s Hour, New Mexico Poet Laureate Lauren Camp inspires us to find our poet within, putting our feelings, thoughts, stories and ideas into words to create our own poetry. Featuring poems read by Bob Odenkirk, Joy Harjo, and others, we celebrate poetry and explore our own poet within each one of us.



Find this episode post with all the links at https://childrenshour.org/the-poet-within



What makes a poem, and how do we find the poet within? New Mexico Poet Laureate, Lauren Camp walks us through how poetry comes to life from our thoughts, sensations, and to describe the world around us. Hear how her poem Forest Man makes us feel like we are inside the trees with us.  



New Mexico Poet Laureate Lauren Camp has written more than 10 books of poetry, and has contributed to a coloring book showcasing how amazing New Mexico is, with line art drawings from many talented New Mexican artists. Produced by the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, the coloring book is free and you can download and print it no matter where you live!



We hear poetry from former United States Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. She was the 23rd United States Poet Laureate, and the first Native American to hold the honor. Joy Harjo is from the Mvskoke Nation. She is only the sec­ond poet to be appoint­ed a third term as U.S. Poet Laureate.  The Current United States Poet Laureate is Ada Limón. We also hear from Shel Silverstein, Bob Odenkirk, and others.



Write your own poem answering the prompt provided by our guest Lauren Camp: What does zero feel like?  Submit your poem to us in your own voice or using our contact form. We would love to hear from you. Hear what our Kids Crew came up with as we were interviewing Lauren Camp.



This episode of The Children’s Hour was produced by Executive Producer, Katie Stone, with help from Senior Producer Christina Stella. Our Education Director, Lorraine Archibald also contributed.



© 2024 The Children’s Hour Inc. All Rights Reserved 

This time on The Children's Hour we learn about the concept of querencia: the feeling of "home" in a place, and with our communities. Using poetry, imagery, history, music and sharing, we explore the elements of home.