The Wonder Podcast for Curious Kids

S5, Ep6 The Secrets of Stonehenge

It is one of the most famous, and mysterious, stone circles in the world but who built it, and why?

Was it an ancient calendar? A place of worship, or pilgrimage? Or a burial ground? Or, as some people have even suggested, a landing pad for alien spaceships?

Today we can only guess at Stonehenge’s original purpose. But what remains of this 5,000-year-old monument – which sits within a sacred landscape on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England – offers extraordinary clues. 

Narrated by Camilla Akers-Douglas

Script by Camilla Akers-Douglas

Produced by Henrietta McMicking 

Sound editing by Lou Sawdy 

Theme music by James Burrell Music

 
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S5, Ep5 Ada Lovelace: the Countess of Coding

 

Have you ever heard of Ada Lovelace? Or Augusta Ada Byron? Or the Countess of Lovelace, as she became?

Ada is credited with writing the first-ever computer program 100 years before the computer was even invented. She was also a brilliant mathematician and an aristocratic Victorian. 

We tell the remarkable true story of the daughter of the poet Lord Byron, a digital pioneer and the celebrated creator of the first computer algorithm.

And every time we play a computer game, or listen to a podcast, we are a part of her legacy. 

Narrated by Henrietta McMicking 

Script by Henrietta McMicking 

Produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas

Sound editing by Lou Sawdy 

Theme music by James Burrell Music

 
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S5, Ep4 Taking the piss: pee, wee and piddle

Have you ever thought about the importance of wee? Urine, to give it its proper name, has flowed through human history. 

The Romans used it to whiten their togas as well as their teeth. Children in the Middle Ages worked as piss collectors because it was such a valued product in the leather and wool industries.

In times of war wee has come into its own. Stale pee was used in the manufacture of gun powder. In the absence of clean water, it was used to disinfect wounds. And soldiers in the First World War placed urine-socked socks over their mouths to protect themselves from chlorine gas (when there weren't enough gas masks to go round). 

There is so much more to wee than the waste liquid we flush down the toilet each day.  

 

Narrated by Laura Howarth 

Script by Henrietta McMicking 

Produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas

Sound editing by Lou Sawdy 

Theme music by James Burrell Music

 
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S5, Ep3 Play to win: board games, card games, and other games

Have you ever wondered why we love playing games – board games, card games, computer games, even playground games like It and Kick the Can?

There are many wonderful, crazy games – card games like Pokemon and Whist, Exploding Kittens and Uno; games of dice like Perudo; pattern games with tiles like Rummicub; and board games such as Cluedo. 

Some are based around exciting stories: explorers settling a new land – Catan; an army at war – the game of chess; exploring, building and surviving in an imaginary wold – Minecraft.

Games let us experiment and take risks in a safe, fun way. Many games involve luck – like the throw of the dice, the draw of the cards – but they also involve maths. And, sometimes, using maths can help you win…

Narrated by Camilla Akers-Douglas

Script by Camilla Akers-Douglas

Produced by Henrietta McMicking 

Sound editing by Lou Sawdy 

Theme music by James Burrell Music

 
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S5, Ep2 The Lost City of Machu Picchu

What would it be like to discover a whole city hiding in the cloud forest? 

This podcast – for parents and their children – tells the thrilling story of the rediscovery of Machu Picchu, the Andean citadel built by the Incas in 1400. 

For hundreds of years, it was covered in undergrowth and known only to local people in a small corner of Peru. Then the American adventurer, Hiram Bingham, found it in 1911. The extraordinary mountaintop city has now been designated one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. 

Narrated by Jamie Chetwood 

Script by Henrietta McMicking  

Produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas

Sound editing by Lou Sawdy 

Theme music by James Burrell Music

 

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S5, Ep1 Pirates: not so jolly rogers

Are pirates daring adventurers of the high seas or simply ruthless thieves who plunder ships, attack innocent passengers and send shivers down the spines of ordinary sailors?

This podcast – for parents and their children – reminds us that pirates can be dastardly and daring in equal measure, brave yet fuse-burningly terrifying, and not nearly so  jolly as one might like to think.

Narrated by Oliver Akers-Douglas

Script by Camilla Akers-Douglas

Produced by Henrietta McMicking 

Sound editing by Lou Sawdy 

Theme music by James Burrell Music

 
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S4, Ep8 Thinking Differently about dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD and autism

Did you know that people with dyslexia can make very good spies? And people with autism are likely to have been the driving force of human creativity for the last 100,000 years?

Dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD and autism are often misunderstood as negative conditions, when really they indicate strengths as well as struggles.

This episode is narrated by the comedian Rory Bremner who has ADHD. He encourages children – parents and teachers too – to think differently about neurodiversity, reminding us that like a fingerprint we all have a brain that is individual to us. People think differently and process information differently because their brain is wired differently. And, in the right circumstances, that's a strength. 
 

Narrated by Rory Bremner

Script by Camilla Akers-Douglas

Produced by Henrietta McMicking 

Sound editing by Max Watson 

Theme music by James Burrell Music

 
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S4, Ep7 Horsepower: how horses changed the world

Have you ever wondered why humans chose to ride horses? It was a moment in history which changed the future of both species forever. 

This relationship has endured for over five thousand years, and the horse has been described as one of the greatest technologies that man has ever harnessed. 

Horses are prized for their speed, strength and adaptability, and revolutionised transport, war, farming and more. But it hasn't always been a happy partnership.  

Listen and enjoy

Narrated by Alexandra Tolstoy 

Sound editing by Max Watson 

Script by Henrietta McMicking 

Produced by Henrietta McMicking and Camilla Akers-Douglas 

Theme music by James Burrell Music 

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To contact us email camilla@wonderaudio.couk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk 

 

 

 

S4, Ep6 Thomas Edison: seeing the light

Have you ever wondered who had the bright idea of inventing the light bulb? 

Well, it’s credited to a rather unusual man, Thomas Edison. An man who had a gift  – not so much for inventing as for taking an existing idea, and finding ways to make it better, or cheaper, or both.

During his lifetime Thomas Edison invented a truly extraordinary range of things – ideas that define our modern world – but he is best known for inventing the electric light bulb. And guess what? He didn’t even invent it. People had been making wires glow with heat since 1761. But he worked out that by using a carbonised bamboo filament a bulb could last over 1,200 hours. 

His whole life is an extraordinary true story. We hope you enjoy listening.

Narrated by Sophia Milburn

Sound editing by Max Watson

Script by Camilla Akers-Douglas

Produced by Camilla Akers-Douglas and Henrietta McMicking

Theme music by James Burrell Music

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To contact us, email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk 

S4, Ep5 The White Helmets: into the danger zone ⚠️

There’s a group of almost 4,000 volunteers known as the White Helmets. They have become famous for their bravery in the Syrian civil war. They are famous too for the white hardhats they wear. Most of the volunteers are men but there are also around 200 women.

Their proper name is the Syria Civil Defence. They have been trained to protect and help people during war and disasters. They are unarmed and neutral which means they have promised to help anyone no matter their religion, background, or which side they are on. This is a true story about ordinary people who become heroes in war.

Narrated by Harriet Dunlop 

Sound editing by Max Watson

Script by Henrietta McMicking 

Produced by Camila Akers-Douglas and Henrietta McMicking 

Theme music by James Burrell Music 

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To contact us email camilla@wonderaudio.co.uk or henrietta@wonderaudio.co.uk