Culture Kids

Hop aboard the Culture Train with Kristen and Asher as they head to the world famous San Diego Zoo to meet wildlife specialist Marco Wendt. Twelve thousand animals, more than 650 species, and a whole lot of heart await on this stop in sunny San Diego, California. In this episode, families will discover: Why San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance is a nonprofit conservation organization, not just a zoo, and how their work has helped reintroduce more than 44 endangered species back into the wild The incredible true story of Tatqiq, a polar bear rescued as an orphaned cub in Alaska, who now helps scientists understand how polar bears hear, move, and survive a warming Arctic How Karen the orangutan became the first great ape in history to undergo open heart surgery, and how she's thriving today with her orangutan and siamang family The journey of giant pandas from Endangered to Vulnerable, and just how much bamboo it takes to keep Yun Chuan and Xin Bao happy (hint: it's a lot~!) About our guest: Marco Wendt has worked as a wildlife specialist at the San Diego Zoo for almost thirty years, caring for everything from cranes and cassowaries to red river hogs and giant pandas. A huge thank you to San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance for believing in our work and partnering with us on this episode and for the incredible work they do protecting wildlife for future generations. About San Diego Zoo The San Diego Zoo is located at 2920 Zoo Drive in Balboa Park, San Diego, CA 92101, and is operated by the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, an international nonprofit committed to creating a world where all life thrives. The Zoo is 100 acres and home to more than 12,000 animals representing over 650 species and subspecies! Website: zoo.sandiegozoo.orgWildlife Alliance site: sandiegozoowildlifealliance.orgInstagram: @sandiegozooFacebook: facebook.com/SanDiegoZooTikTok: @sandiegozooX: @sandiegozoo SUPPORT CULTURE KIDS If you enjoyed today's adventure, please subscribe, leave a review, and share Culture Kids with a family you love. Every share helps more children discover new places, meet new people, and grow curious about the world around them. Culture Kids is a nonprofit organization creating free educational adventures for families around the world. Join our newsletter:https://culturekidsmedia.com Support our mission:https://culturekidsproductions.org Follow Culture Kids: Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/culturekidsproductions Credits: Host & Producer: Kristen Kim Co Host & Co Producer: Asher Kim Guest & Collaborator: Marco Wendt Sponsored By: San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Script Review/Academic Consultant: Elisha Li Audio Engineering: Robin Lai Music & Sound FX: Envato Elements

This episode is lovingly dedicated to our forever family dog, Sammy. The pawprints you left on our hearts will stay with us always. As a beautiful white Jindo, brave, loyal, and full of curious energy , you always found your way back home to us. We love you Sammy. Today, the Culture Train travels to Jindo Island in South Korea, the enchanting home of Korea’s national treasure, the extraordinary Jindo dog. With Mom and Asher leading the way, we explore a peaceful island filled with pine trees, fishing villages, ocean breezes, and deep connections between people, land, and animals. Along the shore, we meet a friendly white Jindo dog named Miso and begin to discover what makes this breed so special. In this episode, we learn how Jindo dogs have lived alongside families on Jindo Island for hundreds of years, helping guard homes, move through forests and mountains, and build strong bonds with the people they love. We discover why Jindos are known for their loyalty, why they rarely bark unless there is a reason, how they groom themselves like cats, and how the island itself helped shape their courage, intelligence, and calm nature. Through sights, sounds, and stories from the island, this adventure reminds us that just like dog breeds, cultures and communities are shaped by the places they grow from and the people who care for them. Jindo Island shows us how land and living beings can shape each other over time. This episode invites Culture Kids and families to reflect on their own communities, the places that feel like home, and the experiences that help shape who they are becoming. As always, we end with a reminder that here at Culture Kids, you and your family are welcomed, included, and celebrated for exactly who you are. CREDITS Host and Produced By: Kristen Kim Co-Hosts: Asher Kim Post Production & Audio Engineer: Robin Lai Academic Consultant: Elisha Li Nonprofit Consultant: Ami Awad & Emil Kang STAY CONNECTED WITH US! Instagram: @culturekidsproductions Website: http://culturekidsproductions.com Email / Voicemail: available through our site, we love hearing from you! Sources: https://www.thekkf.or.kr/new_home/en/koreanbreeds.php https://www.royalkennelclub.com/search/breeds-a-to-z/breeds/utility/korean-jindo-imp/ https://english.visitkorea.or.kr/svc/contents/contentsView.do?vcontsId=93802 http://www.jindos.org/breed-info.htm https://korelimited.com

Please note this episode was originally produced last year and has been thoughtfully recreated this year with updated storytelling and sound design. Grab your imaginary passports and hop aboard the Culture Train, because today we are traveling to the Sahara Desert in Morocco, located in North Africa, where golden sand dunes stretch as far as the eye can see. On this immersive adventure, Kristen and Asher meet Mohammed, a local Amazigh (Berber) tour guide who grew up in the Sahara Desert and speaks seven languages. With Mohammed as our guide, we learn what daily life is like in the desert and what it means to grow up in a nomadic community. What the word “Sahara” means in Arabic Where Morocco is located and why it’s known for colorful cities and vast deserts Who the Amazigh (Berber) people are and why they are the Indigenous people of North Africa The languages spoken in Morocco, including Arabic, Amazigh, French, and more Moroccan mint tea traditions, including why bubbles matter Riding dromedary camels and learning why they have one hump How desert homes are built using mud, clay, and hay to stay cool and warm Why soccer is loved by kids all over the world Desert adventures like sandboarding and watching the sunset over the dunes Through gentle conversation, sound-rich storytelling, and lots of imagination, this episode helps kids picture life in the Sahara while learning how environment, culture, and history shape the way people live. This episode features Mohammed, a local Amazigh guide who grew up in the Sahara Desert and now shares Moroccan culture, language, and desert life with families from around the world. If your family is planning a trip to Morocco and would like to experience the Sahara Desert with a local guide, you can learn more through: Positively Morocco Tours (ask for Mohammed from Culture Kids) https://positivelymoroccotours.com/ https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293732-d16734409-Reviews-Positively_Morocco_Tours-Casablanca_Casablanca_Settat.html CREDITS Host and Produced By: Kristen Kim Co-Hosts: Asher & Arden Kim Guest: Mohammed from Positively Tours Morocco Post Production & Audio Engineer: Robin Lai Academic Consultant: Elisha Li Nonprofit Consultant: Ami Awad, Emil Kang STAY CONNECTED WITH US! Instagram: @culturekidsproductions Website: http://culturekidsproductions.com Email / Voicemail: available through our site, we love hearing from you!

Here's a rewritten version optimized for SEO while keeping the warmth and voice intact: Grab your imaginary passports! Today, we're fluttering into a magical world of glowing flowers, shimmering wings, and butterflies from every corner of the globe. This enchanted episode was inspired by Eleanor, age 5. Thank you, Eleanor, for the most beautiful suggestion! 🌼 What Kids Will Experience In this immersive kids' podcast adventure, children and families explore an enchanted meadow where flowers shift colors, mango trees appear out of nowhere, and butterflies reveal their most astonishing secrets. Through rich storytelling, imaginative play, and playful discovery, kids uncover surprising butterfly facts and discover how butterflies appear in cultures around the world, from the Amazon rainforest to Mexican Día de Muertos traditions. 🦋 Butterfly Facts Kids Will Learn Why butterflies taste with their feet How butterflies see colors invisible to the human eye How some butterfly species survive freezing winters What a proboscis is and how butterflies use it to eat Why Monarch butterflies migrate up to 3,000 miles The cultural significance of Monarch butterflies during Día de Muertos Why Blue Morpho butterflies appear blue even though they technically aren't How butterflies support healthy forests and ecosystems How Indigenous communities in the Amazon honor and connect with brightly colored butterflies This adventure invites children to slow down, look closely, and appreciate the small wonders hiding in plain sight. Butterflies remind us that even the most delicate creatures can be extraordinary, and that our world is full of magic waiting to be discovered. 🎙️ About Culture Kids Podcast Culture Kids is an award-winning, grassroots 501(c)(3) nonprofit children's podcast creating free, world-class cultural education for kids ages 4 to 8. Every episode is powered by families and volunteers who believe every child deserves a window into the wider world. We cover global cultures, animal conservation, social-emotional learning, and the beauty of belonging, one adventure at a time. Help us keep the Culture Train going: Donate: culturekidsmedia.com/support Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts, it helps new families find us! 🎧 Episode Credits Host & Executive Producer: Kristen Kim Co-Host: Asher Kim Post Production & Audio Engineer: Robin Lai Academic Consultant: Elisha Li Nonprofit Consultant: Ami Awad 📲 Stay Connected Instagram: @culturekidsproductionsWebsite: culturekidsproductions.comEmail & Voicemail: Available through our site. We love hearing from you!

Pack your imaginary bags, Culture Kids! In this episode, Kristen, Asher, and our special guest Ms. Zoe, producer of Getty's podcast If Objects Could Talk, take you on a magical adventure to the Getty Villa Museum in Los Angeles. Together, we stroll through sunlit gardens and explore an ancient Roman-style villa. Then, with a whirl of our time machine, we journey back two thousand years to a grand dining room to see how Romans prepared for a spectacular dinner party. Kids will discover how ancient Romans reclined on couches while eating, what dishes and cups looked like in the ancient world, why people often ate with their hands, and how paintings inspired by Egypt became popular decorations inside Roman homes. This episode also includes a special shout-out to Henry for his wonderful five-star review and a reminder to send in your funniest joke for our end-of-year Culture Kids Joke Fest! VISIT THE GETTY VILLA MUSEUM The Getty Villa Museum in Los Angeles is dedicated to the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria. It is housed in a re-created Roman country home, complete with gardens, pools, mosaics, and over a thousand ancient artworks. Website: ⁠https://www.getty.edu/visit/villa/⁠ Follow the Getty: Instagram: ⁠ https://www.instagram.com/gettymuseum⁠ YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/gettymuseum⁠ TikTok: ⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@gettymuseum⁠ Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/gettymuseum⁠ CHECK OUT IF OBJECTS COULD TALK: https://www.getty.edu/podcasts/if-objects-could-talk/⁠ — includes episodes, transcripts, activity guides, coloring sheets, and images Apple Podcasts : ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-objects-could-talk/id1833978909⁠ ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ YouTube : https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLij2XTFgmBSRjG57WlJA2RhkWB4OkGGtG ********************* ABOUT CULTURE KIDS Culture Kids is a grassroots 501(c)(3) nonprofit powered by families and volunteers, creating free, world-class cultural education for children everywhere. We rely on your support to keep the Culture Train chugging along. Here’s how you can help: Donate: https://www.culturekidsmedia.com/support/ Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts — it really helps new families discover our show. CREDITS Host and Produced By: Kristen Kim Co-Hosts: Asher & Arden Kim Guest & Co Producer: Zoe Goldman/ J. Paul Getty Trust Post Production & Audio Engineer: Robin Lai Academic Consultant: Elisha Li Nonprofit Consultant: Ami Awad STAY CONNECTED WITH US! Instagram: @culturekidsproductions Website: http://culturekidsproductions.com Email / Voicemail: available through our site, we love hearing from you!

Helloo Culture Kids! Grab your imaginary passports and bags because today, Mom (Kristen) and Asher hop on our magical train and travel to the beautiful island of the Dominican Republic. 🇩🇴 We meet our friend Ms. D, a Dominican social-media chef, by a riverside feast to cook the national dish: La Bandera Dominicana (the Dominican flag on a plate!). Together we explore the island’s music, languages, food, community spirit, and why this dish means so much. We hope you’re ready for delicious smells, sizzling pans, river fun, and lots of learning. And don’t forget Asher’s reminder: after all that cooking, we might just dip into the river! In this episode, you’ll learn where the Dominican Republic is and what makes it such a musical, vibrant, and culturally rich country. You’ll discover what La Bandera Dominicana is and how its colors, white rice, red beans, stewed chicken, and a green salad, represent the nation’s flag. You’ll also hear how to cook chicken in a caldero, a traditional Dominican pot used over a fire, using sofrito, Dominican oregano, garlic, and black pepper. Ms. D even shows us the clever trick of adding a little brown sugar to create that deep, golden color on the chicken. Connect & Follow Ms D Instagram: @_cookingwitd — “The Dominican Way, bueno my way!” TikTok: (look for “CookingWitD”) Email/Partnerships: cookingwitd1@gmail.com 📣 Please join our journey and help spread the word! Visit culturekidsproductions.org and click on SUPPORT, to learn how you can support our mission, subscribe to episode updates, and help us reach more families. Follow us on Instagram @culturekidsproductions and tag us when you ride the “Culture Train” or explore a new tradition. Leave us a 5★ rating on Apple Podcasts ! Your review amplifies our reach so more children feel they belong and discover new cultures with us. Credits Hosts: Kristen & Asher Kim Guest & Co Producer: Ms. Dahianna (CookingwitD) Edited, Written and Produced by: Kristen Kim Music & Sound FX: Envato Elements Audio Engineer & Post: Robin Lai Academic Consultant: Elisha Li