Thanks to radio personalities Guy Raz and Mindy Thomas, there’s now a weekly podcast for kids at NPR called “Wow in the World.” It’s NPR’s first podcast ever for kids, made in conjunction with Tinkercast. Both Thomas and Raz felt that in a time of political violence and strife, they wanted to create something positive for the world–especially since both of them are also parents.
Raz hosts two news podcasts for NPR already, covering top news stories like the death of Osama Bin Laden and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Meanwhile, Thomas hosts “The Absolutely Mindy Show” on Sirius XM radio. So you know, they kind of know what they’re doing.
Raz’s kids are 8 and 6, while Thomas’ are 9 and 7–at the exact moment when they’re becoming more and more aware of the world around them–and what it all means. Raz told TODAY :
“It’s not just a violent world, but it’s a world with messages that conflict with our values. Messages of hate and division, messages of war and violence … But as someone who loves NPR and loves the news, it’s always really troubled me that I couldn’t really expose my kids to what’s happening in the world.
It’s really a chance for me and Mindy to recognize that kids need agency in the world. They’re going to inherit the world, and we felt like there should be a space for them to experience the world and the things happening around the world in a way that really contextualizes it for them.”
Thomas also talked about how they get about 150 phone calls from kids around the world, and listen to each one:
“We truly listen to every single call. You get kids from India or Scotland or the Midwest and you realize kids are all the same everywhere — they’re all curious and creative and funny.”
What an amazing resource for parents and kids everywhere.
