Has a three-year-old ever repeatedly asked you <\/span>\u201cBut why?\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how she doesn\u2019t get tired of asking that question,\u201d <\/span><\/i>a dad once confided in me in utter amazement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The producers of <\/span>But Why: A Podcast For Curious Kids<\/span><\/i> understand that children have an insatiable appetite for figuring out the world around them. And they want their parents and other adults to help them explore everything that fascinates them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jane Lindholm and Melody Bodette have joined forces to satisfy kids\u2019 curiosity by providing answers to the vast array of questions they ask.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jane is the host and Executive Producer of <\/span>But Why<\/span><\/i> as well as the Special Projects Executive Producer for Vermont Public Radio.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

\u00a0\u201c<\/span>I was looking for a new creative outlet, in addition to the news show I was hosting,\u201d <\/span><\/i>Jane explained. <\/span>\u201cI had a friend whose small child innocently piped up from the backseat to ask, <\/span><\/i>\u2018What\u2019s a Colombian prostitute?\u2019<\/span> The term had been mentioned in a news item on the radio. That got me thinking about the possibility of having an NPR show for kids, so parents don\u2019t pull out their hair and kids have something to listen to that\u2019s educational and informative, in the same way that adults like to listen to public radio. That\u2019s how <\/span><\/i>But Why<\/span> was born, and right from the start, Melody said, <\/span><\/i>\u2018I want in. I\u2019ll produce it.\u2019<\/span>\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Melody outlined the reason for her immediate interest. <\/span>\u201cI had experienced the same kids-in-the-car news problem for so long. I used to wonder <\/span><\/i>\u2018What can we listen to?<\/span>\u2019 At the time, my daughter was six years old, and it felt like a good time to jump in and ensure there would be a show I could share with my kids and others in their age group.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Jane added, <\/span>\u201cMaybe because kids\u2019 podcasting was really unsaturated at the time, kids and families found it right away, and it grew organically really fast.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

They have faced only two challenges. For starters, they were trying to produce an exceptionally good show with serious time and resource limitations.<\/span><\/p>\n

The good news is that Jane and Melody have now moved into working practically full-time on the podcast, allowing them to have a singular focus.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Jane reflected on their journey with <\/span>But Why<\/span><\/i>: <\/span>“When our station said \u2018yes\u2019 to us doing the show, we didn’t know it would blow up into something this big. Now, we can devote more time and resources to it and build a better website.”\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cWorking mostly full-time on the podcast will help to make the show tighter and better, and we\u2019ll be able to do more timely topics, if kids want us to,\u201d<\/span><\/i> she added. <\/span>\u201cIt’s been amazing. I thought we would plateau, but we haven’t. We still see a lot of growth, which is really great.\u201d <\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Jane described the other challenge: <\/span>\u201cLearning the right balance of how to talk to kids in a way that keeps them engaged and interested is not always easy. We never want to talk down to them, so it\u2019s a matter of gauging the right way to approach the vocabulary.\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think we distinguish ourselves from the rest of the field by having high production quality, but we don\u2019t have a lot of bells and whistles. Some kids really like the high-energy podcasts, and some don\u2019t. The ones who like to be talked to in a calm way will probably gravitate toward our show,\u201d<\/span><\/i> Jane observed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Melody noted that kids have sent them questions from 60 countries, even from as far afield as Iran.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The <\/span>But Why<\/span><\/i> podcast is directed by whatever children want to know. Parents are encouraged to record their kids\u2019 questions, and Jane and Melody typically enlist the help of experts to find the answers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jane said, <\/span>\u201cWe are so grateful to the families that trust us to talk to their kids. One of the main goals for the show is that we want to be a trusted voice. We also want kids to know that they can freely ask questions about things that confuse or worry them. They do send us some really challenging ones, and it\u2019s been very gratifying for us to feel like we can help them grow up feeling supported and encouraged.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

On the website, parents and teachers will now find downloadable episode transcripts and <\/span>But Why<\/span><\/i> Learning Guides, which complement the newest episodes.\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Proving that learning can be fun, the <\/span>But Why<\/span><\/i> team even asked Vermont artists to illustrate some of their favorite episodes and create printable coloring pages, so children can color along while listening to the show.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And the fun doesn\u2019t end there! Fans can subscribe to the <\/span>But Why<\/span><\/i> newsletter and follow the podcast on Facebook for news and a look behind the scenes.<\/span><\/p>\n

A major publishing house has also reached out to this enterprising duo. Jane brought us up to speed: <\/span>\u201cWe are launching a book series this year, and the first books, on farm animals and oceans, are expected to be released in the fall.\u201d<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As the podcast description says, <\/span>\u201cIt\u2019s a big, interesting world out there.\u201d<\/span><\/i> When you tune into <\/span>But Why<\/span><\/i>, who knows what you\u2019ll learn about. You may stumble upon an out-of-this-world topic like the rover robot\u2019s mission to Mars, as explained by a NASA program scientist. On the other hand, the topic of an episode may be a sweet one, like how chocolate is made. The possibilities are endless because, after all, kids ask <\/span>\u201cBut why?\u201d<\/span><\/i> about any and everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

Take a listen with your kids. You\u2019ll be amazed at how much you\u2019ll both learn.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

April 2021 Issue<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Has a three-year-old ever repeatedly asked you \u201cBut why?\u201d\u00a0 \u201cI don\u2019t know how she doesn\u2019t get tired of asking that question,\u201d a dad once confided in me in utter amazement.\u00a0 The producers of But Why: A Podcast For Curious Kids understand that children have an insatiable appetite for figuring out the world around them. And they want their parents and other adults to help them explore everything that fascinates them. Jane Lindholm and Melody Bodette have joined forces to satisfy kids\u2019 curiosity by providing answers to the vast array of questions they ask. Jane is the host and Executive Producer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":10792,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[1404,1402,1399,1014,1400,1013,1401,1403],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n