Fan Faves: Bad Guys!

Ear Snacks Podcast for Kids

Our friend Monk from Oakland, CA loves when Andrew tries to scare Polly in our episode about Bad Guys! So we’re replaying it here – play along with us!

We explore:

• What are the parts of a story?
• How can you play “bad guys” and keep everyone safe?
• How to sound “like a bad guy” with voice actress Morla Gorondona!
• To Play or Not To Play: Making Agreements!
• Wondering why we don't have any pretend jails in this episode (or our house)? Check out and donate to the non-profit The Sentencing Project. Black Americans are incarcerated in state prisons across the country at nearly five times the rate of whites, and Latinx people are 1.3 times as likely to be incarcerated than non-Latinx whites. We highly discourage play that involves police, jails, and prisons and encourage age-appropriate discourse with young children around those topics instead.
• If you are parent or educator who is worried about bad guy and superhero play, check out this episode for parents: "Pretend gun Play and Actual Bad Guys with Jane Lindholm." For anyone who wants to go even deeper, check out this documentation of "bad guy" play published in Early Childhood Research and Practice.

So - what's your kiddo's favorite episode of Ear Snacks? We'd love them to introduce it - Here are the details of how to participate:

Interview: Your Favorite Ear Snacks Moment!

Please record kids’ answers via voice memo, give them time to answer, skip/expand on these questions as needed, and don’t forget -- have fun! E-mail recordings to [e-mail]

• Say: Hi, Andrew & Polly and Ear Snacks Listeners!
• Who are you?
• (What's your first name? How old are you? Where do you live? For this one, it's especially helpful if they answer in full sentences - "My name is ______ or I am _______.")
• When and where do you listen to Ear Snacks? Who do you listen with?
• What's your favorite episode of Ear Snacks?
• What's your favorite thing that has happened on Ear Snacks?
• Why do you like to listen to that part so much?
• Have you ever been inspired to explore something, make something or have a family joke or something you say to each other because of something on Ear Snacks? What is it?
• Anything else you want to share with Andrew & Polly?
• What do you call kids who listen to Ear Snacks? (Ear Snackers? Ear Snacks friends? Ear Snacks people?)
• Tell us to play your favorite part in your own words, or say one of these:
• - Cue the tape!
• - Will you play it now?
• - Let's listen to it! I love this part!
• - Let's just play it already!
• - Remember that time on Ear Snacks when...
• Say: Bye, Andrew & Polly!

E-mail your voice memo to [e-mail]