ABC KIDS News Time

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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.

  • 12 minutes 26 seconds
    Anonymous good and whittling wood

    This episode of News Time is a wholesome one! We’ll hear about a generous donation from a stranger, then travel to a small-town footy field for a community-wide kickaround.  

    We’ll take it slow for a surprising hobby that’s making a comeback, and for our Wow of the Week, we’ll cherish a furry friendship that’s lasted much longer than we realised! 

    Quiz Questions

    1. Who donated all the food to the flooded town? 

    2. What sort of football do the Thargomindah Bulls play? 

    3. What was Dame Sarah’s job before she became the Archbishop of Canterbury? 

    4. What is the word, starting with W, for carving spoons and shapes out of wood? 

    5. How long have humans had dogs around as companions? 

    Answers

    1. We don’t know! They chose to stay anonymous. 

    2. Rugby league 

    3. Nurse 

    4. Whittling 

    5. About 15,000 years

    2 April 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 12 minutes 48 seconds
    Tree lobster and bowling bumper

    It’s a wiggly, squirmy episode of News Time today – we’ll hear about a creative environmentalist using fly larvae, or maggots, to make a positive difference.

    Plus, we’ll go island hopping to spot a special stick insect with a surprising nickname. 

    And I’d say you should pack your sunscreen for our intergalactic Wow of the Week, but where we’re going? That wouldn’t help much… 

    Quiz Questions

    1. 1.What do Shane and Charli feed their fly larvae?
    2. 2.Can you name one of the nicknames for the Lord Howe island stick insect?
    3. 3.What do the dancers with disability say you need to be able to do, to learn and grow?
    4. 4.Which two sports have been combined to create Squalleyball?
    5. 5.What would it smell like on the lava planet?

    Answers

    1. 1.Food waste from local businesses. 
    2. 2.They’re tree lobsters, or walking sausages. 
    3. 3.Fail.
    4. 4.Squash and Volleyball
    5. 5.Rotten eggs!
    26 March 2026, 1:00 pm
  • 12 minutes 53 seconds
    Tuneful honeyeater and footy fever

    I hope you’ve got something orange to wear, because on News Time today we’re celebrating Harmony Day, and multiculturalism in Australia.  

    We’ll welcome people from all over the world in another way, too – the Women’s Asian Cup Football Competition is on! And the best female soccer players from all over Asia are here in Australia for the big tournament.  

    Plus, hear baby birds learning old songs, and take a dive deep underwater to explore a long-lost shipwreck.

    Quiz Questions

    1. 1.What’s the word, starting with m, for lots of different cultures living in harmony? 
    2. 2.Who is the captain of the Matildas? 
    3. 3.How many years of dancing is the company celebrating? 
    4. 4.What species of bird has been re-taught their own long song? 
    5. 5.Which Australian city was the sunken boat named after? 

    Answers

    1. 1.Multiculturalism
    2. 2.Sam Kerr
    3. 3.50 years
    4. 4.Regent Honeyeater
    5. 5.The City of Hobart
    19 March 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 13 minutes 16 seconds
    Racing fast and a brand new class

    Today’s episode has a little bit of everything. You’ll hear about some sportspeople taking on the best in the world at the Paralympic Winter Games, then meet a sporty, speedy teen travelling the world to follow her dream.

    After that, we’ll get a little bit sticky learning something new about sweet, runny honey before grabbing a turtle and a toothbrush for the Wow of the Week!

    Quiz Questions

    1. 1.Aussie flag bearer and Paralympian Ben Tudhope has already won a medal at the games… was it a gold, silver or bronze medal?
    2. 2.What bee behaviour made the honey even stronger at fighting germs?
    3. 3.What country is Joanne going to for her racing career?
    4. 4.What is it called when someone is both Deaf and blind?
    5. 5.What part of the turtle did Josh fix with the dental supplies?

    Answers

    1. 1.A silver medal. 
    2. 2.The bees visited lots of different kinds of flowers. 
    3. 3.Japan. 
    4. 4.Deafblind. 
    5. 5.It’s shell. 
    12 March 2026, 8:00 pm
  • 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
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