The Children's Hour

Celebrate the year in kids’ radio and music with The Children’s Hour Best of 2025. Hear favorite moments from the Kids Crew’s interviews and shows, along with songs from Grammy-nominated children’s artists. It’s a joyful look back at a year filled with learning, laughter, and discovery.

We celebrate being yourself with author Jane Yolen and cartoonist Craig Yoe as we explore creativity, confidence, and joy in being authentic.

Celebrate the season with Holidays 2025, a joyful Children’s Hour episode filled with winter songs, multicultural traditions, kid-friendly stories, and festive music. Enjoy classic carols, new holiday tracks, and cheerful moments perfect for families, classrooms, and holiday listening.

Discover what makes a healthy breakfast with the Kids Crew and nutritionist Patty Keene, plus explore how kids worldwide start their mornings.

In Composers, we explore how songs are created by people from long ago and today. We meet Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven, and learn how their lives shaped their sounds. We also hear from Sesame Street, and legendary Broadway composer Bill Sherman about writing catchy tunes with meaning. Listeners discover that anyone can start with a small idea and build a powerful piece of music.

The Kids Crew discover the animals living right outside our doors. From prairie dogs, coyotes, and roadrunners in New Mexico to monkeys in Thailand, stray dogs in India, koalas in Australia, and wildlife in Brazil, we learn how animals adapt to city life. With expert guest Cooper Freeman and research from junior producer Thaniel Lentz, we explore the challenges and joys of living alongside wild creatures everywhere.

We explore renewable energy with experts in solar, wind, geothermal, and hydro power. The Kids Crew ask big questions about how renewable energy works, why it’s cleaner than fossil fuels, and what the future of energy could look like. With guests Rebecca “Puck” Stair, Jim DesJardins, and Dr. Sherri Kelly, we learn how kids can be part of building a cleaner, brighter tomorrow.

In this episode of The Children’s Hour, Grammy-winning oud player Rahim AlHaj shares his story of leaving Iraq as a refugee and finding a new home in New Mexico. Listeners will discover the oud, a 5,000-year-old string instrument, and learn about the challenges and strengths that refugees bring to their communities. The Kids Crew also talk about Malala Yousafzai and what it means to welcome strangers with kindness and compassion.

On this episode of The Children’s Hour, junior producer and intern Thaniel Lentz takes us through the incredible history and science of animation. From early tools like the zoetrope and flipbooks to famous characters like Felix the Cat and Mickey Mouse, we learn how still pictures came to life.

On this episode of The Children’s Hour, we travel to Mars with planetary volcanologist Dr. Larry Crumpler. He shares the secrets of the Red Planet — from its rusty surface and giant volcanoes to its two tiny moons and ancient signs of water. We learn how rovers explore, search for life, and even make oxygen, plus what it might take to send humans there. This is a fascinating journey to a world both like and unlike our own.

Just in time for Father’s Day on June 15, 2025, this episode of The Children’s Hour is For Dad. We celebrate with the EGOT winning artist John Legend whose latest musical release is all about fatherhood, kids, and the love of childhood. Dads play a unique and special role in children’s lives, and we honor them through music and poetry. Happy Father's Day from The Children's Hour!

Get ready to celebrate the end of the school year with The Children’s Hour! This week, we honor teachers, cheer for graduates, and dive into hilarious and heartfelt stories about finishing school. Plus, we share songs about summer adventures and new beginnings. Join us for a joyful goodbye to another great year!

Why do animals travel long distances every year? On this episode of The Children’s Hour, we learn all about migration—how it works, why it happens, and which creatures migrate the farthest. From the skies to the seas, we’ll explore the incredible journeys that animals take in search of food, warmth, and safety.

This show is for mom! It’s a celebration of mothers from Children’s Hour listeners and our kids crew. We’ll also learn the history of Mother’s Day, beginning 1872 when Julia Ward Howe made the first Mother’s Day Proclamation. Plus we find out about bird moms, and hear great music honoring motherhood.

In this episode of The Children's Hour, we dig into the world of roots—how they feed plants, connect trees, and even store carbon to help our planet. Artist and educator Jane Westbrook shares her passion for roots, while Robin Wall Kimmerer and Monique Gray Smith introduce us to Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults, a book about Indigenous knowledge, science, and our relationship with nature. Through stories, music, and conversation, we learn how roots keep the Earth strong and how we can care for the plants that sustain us.

Our minds help us understand, learn, and express ourselves. But not everyone thinks the same way! In this episode of The Children's Hour, we explore different kinds of minds, including neurodivergent thinkers, emotional intelligence, and artificial intelligence.

Creativity comes in many forms, and on this episode of The Children's Hour, we celebrate the artists, authors, musicians, and performers who create their own way. We meet Albuquerque street artist Maewyn Padilla, hear from legendary actor William Shatner, and chat with bestselling author Dan Gutman and young actress Celestina Harris about their creative journeys. Plus, we premiere A Balloon’s Breath, a symphony for strings composed by 12-year-old Evan Daitz, inspired by the sound of hot air balloons. Join us as we explore the power of imagination and self-expression!

What is justice, and how do courts make sure laws are fair? In this episode of The Children’s Hour, the Kids Crew talks with Maria Martinez-Sanchez from ACLU New Mexico to learn how the judicial system works, from local courts to the Supreme Court. We also explore tribal justice systems with Chief Justice Rosanna Toya, who explains how Native American nations have their own courts and laws. Join us as we discover how justice is served in different ways across the United States.

Dr. Seuss' stories have delighted readers for generations with their fun rhymes and memorable characters. In this episode, we learn about his life, creative process, and the impact of his books. Tune in to discover the magic behind one of the greatest children's authors of all time!

Why do we spend so much of our lives sleeping? Is anything happening in our brains while we sleep? Do animals sleep the same way we do? On this episode of The Children's Hour, we explore the science of sleep with expert guests and our Kids Crew.