ABC KIDS News Time

ABC KIDS listen

A weekly wrap-up of all the amazing stories happening at home and abroad, made especially for young children to help them understand the world around them. Join Ruby for News Time as she counts down the week’s most interesting news stories for pre-schoolers. Featuring stories about children, animals, special events, the natural world, and outer space, News Time invites little ones to engage with the wider world in a safe space, with a lot of fun along the way.

  • 13 minutes 27 seconds
    Odd horse sounds and basketball rebounds

    Rev your engines News Sleuths, because on today’s episode we’ll take a ride in a classic car fixed by hundreds of hardworking students.

    Plus, we’ll hear about a colossal coral colony before we meet a scientist pulling something very useful out of thin air for our Wow of the Week.

    Quiz Questions

    1. 1.True or false? Coral is a living thing.
    2. 2.What sport are the Indigenous All-Stars heading to the US to play?
    3. 3.After they sell the car, what will the community use the money for?
    4. 4.A whinny is a combination of two sounds… singing and what?
    5. 5.Professor Omar says that the technology to save the environment is already here. What does he say we need next?

    Answers

    1. 1.True
    2. 2.Basketball
    3. 3.To fund a rescue helicopter
    4. 4.Whistling
    5. 5.Courage
    5 March 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 13 minutes
    Seagrass sowing & Nippers clubs growing

    On today’s episode, we’re meeting some marine biologists saving endangered seagrass meadows!

    Plus, we're hearing about a new board game that is helping build people’s confidence…and their dragon knowledge.

    Quiz Questions

    1. Where are they trialling the environmentally friendly mooring? 

    2. How many gigalitres of water does the company want to take each year?

    3. How far is the Canberra Broulee Nippers club from the beach?

    4. What is the new board game called, in story number 2?

    5. How long had it been since a quoll joey had been born in the wild, in NSW?

    Answers

    1.  The Sydney harbour!

    2. 40 gigalitres of water!

    3. 150km!

    4. DOTS or Dragons of the Spectrum

    5. A century! 

    26 February 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 13 minutes
    Sun safe grapes & flood escapes

    On today’s episode, we’re hearing how Australian farmers are keeping their grapes sun safe.

    Plus, we're meeting a man named Bruce who stumbled upon a fossil!

    Quiz Questions

    1. What are grape growers putting on their grapes to protect them from the sun?

    2. What country did the school kids travel to?

    3. What type of dinosaur did the fossilised footprint belong to?

    4. How many animals did Ingrid and her children save from Daly River?

    5. What is the name of the micronation?

    Answers

    1. Sunscreen

    2. Aotearoa or New Zealand

    3. A Sauropodomorph

    4. 10 dogs and 1 cat

    5. Verdis

    19 February 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 13 minutes 32 seconds
    Frogs in spas and winter sports stars

    On today’s episode, we’ll strap our skis on and head to Italy for the Winter Olympics.

    Plus, we’ll bliss out in a spa with some frogs and meet a scientist bringing a little bit of stardust down to planet Earth. 

    Quiz Questions

    1. 1.According to the Chinese zodiac, this year is the year of which animal?
    2. 2.In which country are the winter Olympics being held this year?
    3. 3.How far did Austin swim to get help for his family?
    4. 4.What sort of disease do they hope the frog spas will cure?
    5. 5.Can you name one of the ingredients in the earth-made cosmic dust?

    Answers

    1. 1.It’s the year of the horse
    2. 2.Italy
    3. 3.4km, or the length of 22 football fields
    4. 4.Fungus (Chytrid Fungus to be exact!)
    5. 5.Nitrogen, carbon dioxide or acetylene gas… or 10,000 volts of power!
    12 February 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 14 minutes
    Runaway black holes and movie roles

    Spacesuits on, News Sleuths! On today's episode, Emily is taking you into the belly of a runaway black hole. Plus, we'll meet movie makers, code breakers and magic flowers.

    Quiz Questions

    1. 1.What’s the name of the movie that the children helped shape?
    2. 2.What’s the word, starting with M, for the little things on trees that are eating the harmful gasses?
    3. 3.What is a runaway black hole?
    4. 4.What’s the thing, starting with the letter C, that Neth is helping teach people to do?
    5. 5.What colour are these mostly magic flowers?

    Answers

    1. 1.Imagine
    2. 2.Microbes
    3. 3.A blackhole that travels through space
    4. 4.Coding
    5. 5.Red
    5 February 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 13 minutes 32 seconds
    Ocean saviour and an albino alligator

    Emily has got you covered with five fantastic stories in this week's episode. Hear the quiz questions at the end of the episode, or read them here. 

    Quiz Questions

    1. 1.What’s the name of the condition that made the alligator a light white colour?
    2. 2.What is the first name of the young artist? hint! It’s the same as the name of the alligator!
    3. 3.How many countries have ratified the agreement?
    4. 4.What town is wind surfer Sarah Kenyon from?
    5. 5.What did Veronika the cow use to scratch herself?

    Answers

    1. 1.Albinism
    2. 2.Claude
    3. 3.83
    4. 4.Geraldton
    5. 5.A brush
    29 January 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 14 minutes 12 seconds
    Racquet strings and lost things

    On this week's News Time we'll head to the Australian Open to meet some people making a racquet!

    We’ll also meet an endangered parrot that’s in a total flap, and in our Wow of the Week, we’ll visit a supermarket that’s been quite wild and woolly lately!

    If you'd like to be a News Time Listener Legend, all the details are here.

    Quiz Questions

    1. What was one of the most-borrowed books in Brisbane last year?

    2. What is the name of Australia's grand slam?

    3. Finish this sentence: The kākāpō is the world’s only flightless WHAT?

    4. Where does all the money go that’s raised through auctioning lost luggage?

    5. In which country was there a herd of sheep in a supermarket?

    Bonus Tricky Question

    The male kākāpō makes a booming noise that sounds like what?

    Answers

    1. WeirDo, Wings of Fire, or Cat Kid Comic Club

    2. Australian Open

    3. Parrot

    4. Charity

    5. Germany

    Bonus Tricky Answer

    A cello string being plucked.

    22 January 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 12 minutes 38 seconds
    Basketball praise and robot cafés

    It's your new host Emily's first News Time and she's lined up a rich menu of tasty news morsels for you!

    We’ll meet some basketball players who are about to live out their hoop dreams, and we’ll meet a rare butterfly that survives thanks to some helpful ants. Then, we’ll head to the bottom of the ocean to discover some unusual treasure in our Wow of the Week.

    Quiz Questions

    1. What’s something you’d find in a heat haven?

    2. Which country will the First Nations basketball team be visiting?

    3. We found out people work in Japan as robot pilots… but what do the robots do?

    4. What insect works to look after the caterpillars of the purple copper butterfly?

    5. What was locked in the safe on the ocean floor?

    Bonus Tricky Question

    What is the name of Wiradjuri basketball player we met?

    Answers

    1. Air conditioning, movies, music, colouring in and even volunteers!

    2. The USA

    3. Serve food and drinks, or give people tours of Tokyo.

    4. Ants

    5. A packet of beef jerky!

    Bonus Tricky Answer

    Hugo

    15 January 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 6 minutes 13 seconds
    Breaking News Time news!

    In this special episode, our intrepid News Time host Ruby Cornish has some breaking news to share.

    13 January 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 12 minutes 1 second
    Summer Replay: Amazing animals special

    While we warm up the News Time machine for 2026, we've been looking back at some favourite stories from 2025. This News Time episode is all about amazing animals.

    You’ll hear about a groovy seal, some helpful hounds, and a law-breaking duck!

    Plus, keep an eye on your News Time feed for a very special episode next week! You won't want to miss it.

    8 January 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 11 minutes 16 seconds
    Ruby's Favourites

    As we begin a brand new year, our intrepid host Ruby takes a look back at her favourite stories of 2025.

    1 January 2026, 8:00 pm
  • More Episodes? Get the App