Hop aboard the magical Culture Train for a brand new adventure, then switch tracks and climb into a real-life 18-wheeler as we hit the highway with our new friend, Mr. Avie 🚚

In this episode, Culture Kids travel across the United States to discover the important role truck drivers play in keeping communities connected. From delivering food and supplies to traveling long distances across the country, we learn how these everyday heroes help make sure families everywhere have what they need.

Along the way, we explore:

What it’s like to drive a semi-truck (and why it has 18 wheels!)

How truck drivers plan long journeys and stay safe on the road

Why truck drivers are essential to communities across the world

Why there are so many Sikh drivers in America

How music—like Punjabi music—helps people stay connected to their culture

What Sikhism is, and how it shapes Mr. Avie’s life and work

How people from many different backgrounds and traditions help keep our world moving

This episode is a beautiful reminder that behind the things we use every day, there are real people, with stories, cultures, and journeys of their own.

The Sikh Coalition is the nation's largest Sikh civil rights organization. For 25 years, they have worked to help Sikhs who face discrimination or mistreatment. You can learn more about them at www.sikhcoalition.org, and see some of the work they've done specifically for Sikh and Punjabi truckers at thesikh.co/truckers.

• Instagram: @sikhcoalition
• Twitter: @sikh_coalition

Roadies

Avie Nagra, a military veteran and experienced trucker, founded Roadies Inc in 2014 and has grown it from one truck to a fleet of over 100 trucks and 150 trailers, building a team committed to excellence in logistics.

https://roadiesinc.com/

Credits:

Executive Producer: Kristen Kim

Producer: Nimarta Kaur

Hosts: Kristen & Asher Kim

Guest Host: Avie Nagra

Audio Engineer: Robin Lai

Academic Consultant: Elisha Li

Nonprofit Consultant: Emil Kang

Sound FX Elements: Envato Elements

All aboard the Culture Train!!!!🚂✨

In this fun and educational episode for kids, we explore the amazing world of bees, pollination, and beehives with our special guest Windy Weatherfoot, a nature adventurer who teaches kids about animals, ecosystems, and the tiny helpers that keep our planet growing.

Perfect for curious kids ages 4–8, families, and classrooms, this episode blends storytelling with real science to help children understand why bees are important and how they help grow the food we eat.

🌼 What Kids Will Learn in This Episode

• What bees are and why they are important
• How pollination works (explained simply for kids)
• How bees help grow fruits, vegetables, and flowers
• What a beehive looks like and how bees live together
• The role of the queen bee and worker bees
• How to safely observe bees and nature

🌱 Explore More with Windy Weatherfoot

Keep the adventure going with Windy Weatherfoot!

🎥 YouTube: Windy Weatherfoot
📸 Instagram: @windyweatherfoot

Windy creates fun, educational content for kids about nature, animals, bees, flowers, and ecosystems, perfect for families who love outdoor learning and exploration.

💛 Support Culture Kids (Nonprofit Podcast)

Culture Kids is a nonprofit, mom-and-son–created podcast helping children explore the world through culture, nature, and storytelling.

If you enjoyed this episode, you can support us by:

⭐ Leaving a 5-star review
📣 Sharing with a friend, family, or teacher
💛 Supporting our mission to keep episodes free for all families

🌐 Visit: www.culturekidsproductions.org

What if you could step inside your brain and see how it works?

In this special Culture Kids adventure, we travel to an imaginative world called Brain Stations, where each stop helps us understand how our brains notice sounds, feel emotions, and connect with others.

Joined by speech-language pathologist and autism advocate Ms. Andi, we explore how different brains experience the world in different ways and why that matters for friendship, understanding, and everyday life.

Along the way, we’ll:

• Visit Sound Station and discover how people hear and process sounds differently
• Learn what it feels like when the brain becomes overwhelmed
• Explore ways to feel calm and safe again
• Travel to Connection Station to understand feelings and how we express them
• Learn how to be a thoughtful and supportive friend to someone whose brain works differently

This episode helps children build awareness, empathy, and real-life tools for connecting with others, while reminding them that every brain has its own strengths.

 About Our Guest: Andi Putt

Andi Putt is a speech-language pathologist and autistic educator who helps families better understand communication, regulation, and connection in a strengths-based, supportive way.

 Website: www.mrsspeechiep.com
 Instagram & Facebook: @mrsspeechiep

 Special Announcement:
In this episode, we explored the “downstairs brain,” which can take over when kids feel dysregulated. Andi has a new resource called The Regulation Routine, designed to help children become and stay regulated, available starting April 20th on her website:  ⁠www.mrsspeechiep.com

Credits:

Host & Producer: Kristen Kim

Co Host: Asher Kim

Co Producer: Andi Putt

Sound Design & Edit: Kristen Kim

Sound Design Elements: Envato Elements

Academic Consultant: Elisha Li

Audio Engineer: Robin Lai

Nonprofit Consultant: Jesseca Ryan, Emil Kang

This episode was made possible by the Arthur M Blank Family Foundation.

We’re so grateful for their support in helping us create meaningful, story driven experiences for families everywhere. Partnerships like this make it possible for us to keep these adventures accessible to all.

Support Culture Kids:

We’re honored to share that Culture Kids has been nominated for not just one, but TWO Webby Awards.

If you’ve enjoyed listening and would like to support what we’re building, we would be so grateful for your vote. It takes just a moment and makes a meaningful difference in helping more families discover Culture Kids, thank you so much!

Best Kids & Family
https://lnkd.in/gsNQSycY

Best Kids & Family – Individual Episode
https://lnkd.in/ghmshkci

As a nonprofit, Culture Kids is supported by listeners like you. If you’d like to help us continue creating these stories and keep them accessible for families everywhere, you can also support us through a donation on our website.

Please consider making a donation here:

https://www.culturekidsmedia.com/support/

Thank you!

Hellooo Culture Kids! Grab your imaginary passports because today we’re heading into a cozy home to celebrate Nowruz, a springtime New Year that has been celebrated for over 3,000 years.

In this episode, we visit our friends Hannah and her mom, Ms. Sadaf, to experience how their family prepares for this special holiday. Through storytelling, sound, and imagination, we step inside their home, smell delicious foods, see beautiful traditions, and learn what this celebration means to families around the world.

What You’ll Discover

• What Nowruz is and why it marks the first day of spring
• How families celebrate across Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, and beyond
• The meaning behind Khaneh-Tekani (spring cleaning)
• The beautiful Haft-Seen table and what each item represents
• How to say “Happy New Year” in Farsi: Sal-e No Mobarak

Nowruz is more than a celebration; it’s a reminder that new beginnings, hope, and connection are shared across cultures in different and beautiful ways.

Through this adventure, children are invited to see the world as a place full of traditions, stories, and families who may do things differently, but share many of the same hopes for joy, renewal, and togetherness.

A heartfelt thank you to Hannah and Ms. Sadaf for welcoming us into their home and sharing their traditions with our Culture Kids families.

To our Culture Kids families celebrating, Sal-e No Mobarak!
We wish you light, peace, and a beautiful new beginning.

PLEASE KEEP OUR CULTURE TRAIN RUNNING!!!

If you loved this episode, please take a moment to leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
You can also support our work with a donation on our website. Every bit helps us continue creating meaningful stories for children everywhere.

http://culturekidsproductions.org

Follow us on IG: @culturekidsproductions

Leave a comment on Spotify and we will get right back to you!

Hello Culture Kids explorers! Grab your imaginary passports and climb aboard the Culture Train because today we’re heading high into the sky for a magical hot air balloon adventure.

In this episode, Mom, Asher, and Arden learn how hot air balloons work and discover the science that helps them float. Along the way, we travel back in time to France in 1783 when the first hot air balloon flight with people on board took place. Before humans went up, inventors tested their balloon with a sheep, a duck, and a rooster to make sure living creatures could breathe safely in the sky.

Once we understand the science of warm air, buoyancy, and balloon envelopes, our journey begins. With the help of a friendly balloon pilot, we gently lift off and drift above some of the most breathtaking landscapes on Earth.

Our first stop takes us over Cappadocia, Turkey, one of the most famous hot air balloon destinations in the world. From the sky we see ancient volcanic rock formations shaped like towering cones and sandcastles. Long ago, people carved homes, churches, and even entire underground cities into these soft rock hills, creating a remarkable landscape filled with history and imagination.

Next, the wind carries us across the sky to the Loire Valley in France, where we float above a peaceful river, patchwork fields, and hundreds of beautiful châteaux. These grand stone homes were once places where French kings and queens came to relax in the countryside. Today, the Loire Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its history, architecture, and stunning scenery.

As we drift gently back toward the ground, we are reminded that seeing the world from a new angle can help us notice beauty, creativity, and wonder in places we may never have imagined.

PLEASE SUPPORT CULTURE KIDS!

Culture Kids is a grassroots nonprofit creating free, accessible cultural and educational audio for children everywhere.
You can support our mission by:
⭐ Leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
📲 Sharing the show with a friend
🌍 Donating through our website

🔗 Website: https://culturekidsproductions.org and click on SUPPORT TAB
📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/culturekidsproductions

All aboard the Culture Train! In this episode, we head back to New York City on a chilly winter morning to ride along on a real garbage truck and discover what happens to our trash after we throw it away.

With our friend Amelia from the New York Hall of Science, we explore the hidden systems that keep a city running. We learn why sanitation workers start their day before sunrise, how trash is collected from busy sidewalks, and why NYC sanitation workers are known as the “strongest” for lifting heavy bags by hand.

• Why different neighborhoods have different trash pickup schedules • What “coned” trash cans are and how kids can help when bins are full • The difference between household trash and recycling • Why batteries, electronics, and glass should never go in regular trash bags • What a transfer station is and where trash goes next

Then we hop on the Culture Train to visit a recycling sorting center, where we watch conveyor belts, giant machines, and real workers separate paper, cans, glass, and food scraps so they can be turned into something new.

• Paper can become pizza boxes • Food scraps can become soil • Soda cans can become new cans • Glass can be crushed and reused in new materials

This episode helps kids understand that everything has a system, a place, and a story, and that even small everyday choices, like using the right bin or holding onto trash until you find one, can help the people who keep our communities clean.

About the New York Hall of Science

This episode was created in collaboration with the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI), a hands-on science and technology museum located in Queens, New York, in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

🌐 Website: https://nysci.org
📍 Location: Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, Queens, New York

Follow NYSCI for hands-on science activities, family programs, and exhibit updates:

📸 Instagram: @nysci
📘 Facebook: New York Hall of Science

In this Culture Kids adventure, we travel to Bird Island, South Africa with our friend Lisa Faith from SANCCOB to meet African penguins in their natural habitat. Surrounded by ocean waves, rocky shores, and thousands of seabirds, we learn what makes this island a safe nesting home for penguins and other coastal birds.

We discover:

• What baby penguins look like before they get their waterproof feathers

• Why penguins huddle together in family groups

• What moulting is and why penguins cannot swim for several weeks

• The challenges African penguins face, including not having enough fish, pollution, oil spills, and habitat loss

• How SANCCOB rescues, rehabilitates, and releases seabirds back into the wild

We also learn ways kids can help, like using less plastic, sharing what they learn, and supporting organizations that protect wildlife.

Thank you to Lisa Faith and the entire SANCCOB team for the incredible work they do to care for African penguins and coastal seabirds.

🎧 Be sure to listen to our previous SANCCOB episode to learn more about penguin rescue and rehabilitation.

PLEASE SUPPORT CULTURE KIDS!

Culture Kids is a grassroots nonprofit creating free, accessible cultural and educational audio for children everywhere.
You can support our mission by:
⭐ Leaving a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
📲 Sharing the show with a friend
🌍 Making a donation through our website

🔗 Website: https://culturekidsproductions.org and click on SUPPORT TAB
📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/culturekidsproductions

The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) rescues, rehabilitates, and releases seabirds, including critically endangered African penguins.

🔗 Website: https://sanccob.co.za
📸 Instagram: https://instagram.com/sanccob
📘 Facebook: https://facebook.com/SANCCOB
🐧 Adopt a penguin: https://sanccob.co.za/adopt

In this episode, Culture Kids travels to New York City to explore City Works, a hands-on family exhibit at the New York Hall of Science.

Together with Amelia- the Director of Exhibit Design and Development, Asher and Mom discover the incredible systems and the people behind them that keep cities running every single day. From buses and ferries to water pipes and wastewater treatment, this episode helps kids understand that cities are much more than buildings. They’re living systems powered by teamwork, science, and care.

• How transportation systems like buses, subways, and ferries help people move around a city

• Where clean drinking water comes from and what happens after we flush the toilet

• How sanitation and wastewater systems protect neighborhoods, rivers, and oceans

• Why scientists, engineers, and city workers are so important to everyday life

• How cities around the world may look different—but all work to care for their communities

Kids will love pretending to drive a city bus through Times Square, learning about rainwater and drains, and discovering the famous “4 Ps” of what’s safe to flush: pee, poop, puke, and paper!

About CityWorks

City Works is a large-scale, interactive exhibit designed especially for children and families. Through hands-on play, kids can explore real city systems like transportation, water, sanitation, and energy—and see how these systems are connected and supported by people working behind the scenes.

The exhibit encourages curiosity, problem-solving, and empathy by helping children understand how cities function and how their everyday choices matter.

• Museum: New York Hall of Science

• Location: Queens, New York

• Website: https://nysci.org

• Exhibit Info: https://nysci.org/exhibitions/city-works

The New York Hall of Science is a family-favorite destination with hundreds of interactive exhibits that make science fun, accessible, and engaging for kids of all ages.

🎧 Credits

Host & Producer: Kristen Kim & Asher Kim

Guest & Collaborator: Amelia, Director of Exhibit Design and Development

Sound Design/Music/Edit: Culture Kids Productions

Music: Envato Elements

Audio Engineer: Robin Lai

Academic Consultant: Elisha Li

In this immersive Culture Kids adventure, Kristen and Asher hop aboard the Culture Train and travel to the lush island of Kauai in Hawaii to visit Aunty Christy at the Kauai Animal Education Farm. Along the way, families learn where Kauai is located, why it is known as the “Garden Isle,” and how its rainforests, rivers, waterfalls, and dramatic coastline were shaped over millions of years. Once at the farm, listeners are welcomed into a peaceful, storybook-like setting where rescued animals roam freely and live in environments designed to help them feel safe, calm, and at home. Asher meets gentle tortoise Sherman, playful sheep Twinkletoes, and energetic rabbits doing joyful binkies, while Aunty Christy explains how animals come to the farm, how they are cared for, and how spending time with them can help people slow down, feel grounded, and connect more deeply with the world around them.

This episode invites children and grown-ups alike to explore what it means to care for animals, learn their stories, and discover how humans and animals can support one another. Through hands-on moments, cultural connections, and thoughtful conversations, Culture Kids highlights how learning about animals where you live can be a meaningful way to help them, even from afar. Families will leave this episode feeling relaxed, curious, and inspired by the idea that every living being has a story worth listening to. As always, Culture Kids reminds listeners that they belong, that their curiosity matters, and that every adventure begins with an open heart and a willingness to learn.

About Kauai Education Farm

Website
https://www.kauaianimaleducationfarm.org

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/kauaianimaleducationfarm (@kauaianimaleducationfarm)

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/kauaianimaleducationfarm

Visiting the Farm
Visits are typically by appointment or through scheduled programs and events. Families, schools, and community groups are encouraged to reach out through the website to learn about current offerings, educational experiences, and opportunities to visit.

Supporting the Farm
Kauai Animal Education Farm is supported by community care, donations, and shared stewardship of the land and animals. Information about how to support the farm, stay connected, or learn more about the animals can be found on their website and social channels.

Please support Culture Kids!

Culture Kids is a volunteer supported nonprofit creating immersive, screen free stories that help children and families explore the world together through curiosity, respect, and imagination.

If you would like to support our mission of creating a more connected world for our children, please consider donating any amount to help keep the Culture Train chugging along!

http://culturekidsproductions.org

Click on "Support"

Check out our instagram and send us a DM! @culturekidsproductions

🎧 Credits

Host & Producer: Kristen Kim & Asher Kim

Guest & Collaborator: Christy at Kauai Education Farm

Sound Design/Music/Edit: Culture Kids Productions

Music: Envato Elements

Audio Engineer: Robin Lai

Academic Consultant: Elisha Li

All aboard the Culture Train. This week, Kristen and Asher travel to sunny South Africa to meet some very special coastal residents, African penguins.

On this adventure, Culture Kids learn that not all penguins live in icy places. African penguins live along warm, sandy beaches and rocky coastlines in southern Africa. We visit SANCCOB, the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds, where we meet Lisa Faith, an education supervisor and real life penguin protector. SANCCOB is like a hospital for seabirds, rescuing injured and orphaned African penguins, helping them heal, and preparing them to return safely to the ocean.

Along the way, Culture Kids discover why African penguins are critically endangered and what that means for their future. We learn how SANCCOB began over 50 years ago when a woman named Althea turned her own bathroom into a penguin wash station after an oil spill, and how today the organization has helped more than 100,000 seabirds. Asher even gets to help feed real African penguins, meeting penguins named Sammy and Batman, and learning how each penguin’s belly spots are as unique as fingerprints.

This episode is full of fun facts and meaningful learning. Culture Kids hear how African penguins eat sardines and anchovies, why they sneeze out extra salt from the ocean, how humans help replace lost nesting spaces, and how people and animals depend on one another. Most of all, this journey shows how care, teamwork, and learning can help protect animals and the planet we all share.

ABOUT SANCCOB:

Visit: www.sanccob.co.za.

You can also follow them on Instagram at @sanccob and on Facebook by searching SANCCOB.

Families can even adopt a penguin to help support their ongoing care and conservation efforts!

Please support Culture Kids!

Culture Kids is a volunteer supported nonprofit creating immersive, screen free stories that help children and families explore the world together through curiosity, respect, and imagination.

If you would like to support our mission of creating a more connected world for our children, please consider making a donation of any amount to help keep the Culture Train chugging along!

http://culturekidsproductions.org

Click on "Support"

Check out our instagram and send us a DM! @culturekidsproductions

🎧 Credits

Host & Producer: Kristen Kim & Asher Kim

Guest & Collaborator: Lisa Faith, Education Supervisor at SANCCOB

Sound Design/Music/Edit: Culture Kids Productions

Music: Envato Elements

Audio Engineer: Robin Lai

Academic Consultant: Elisha Li

Today, the Culture Train rolls back in time to explore the incredible story of Dalmatians, the spotted dogs you might recognize right away but whose history might surprise you.

With Mom, Asher, and special guest Arden, we travel to England in the late 1700s, where Dalmatians worked as carriage dogs, running alongside horses on busy cobblestone streets. We then journey forward to an early 1800s firehouse, where these hardworking dogs became trusted companions to firefighters and the horses that pulled fire wagons through growing cities.

Along the way, we learn what makes Dalmatians unique, how their strong bodies and steady focus were shaped by life on the road, and why they became such an important symbol in firehouse history. We also explore how their role changed as technology evolved and what families should know about Dalmatians as pets today.

This episode reminds us that animals, just like people and places, are shaped by where they come from and what they experience over time. Every journey leaves a story behind.

💙 A Note for Families

Today’s adventure reminds us that everything around us has a story. When we take time to listen and learn, our curiosity grows and we feel more connected to the world around us.

So next time you meet someone new, notice an animal, or discover something unfamiliar, try asking yourself, “What’s their story?”

If you enjoy Culture Kids, a five star rating or review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify helps more families discover the show. Culture Kids is a volunteer run nonprofit, and your support helps keep our Culture Train moving.

Grab your imaginary passport and join us again soon for another adventure around the world.

CREDITS Host and Produced By: Kristen Kim Co-Hosts: Asher & Arden 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!