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This year's Grammy-nominated Best Children's Albums are all from artists who are white, but young ears can and should hear a rainbow of identities represented in the music that is made specifically for them. Black and brown children deserve access to music that welcomes, reflects, and celebrates them. In this special episode of Ear Snacks, we're thrilled to share songs by 10 excellent artists making exciting family music today. Three of these artists -- SaulPaul, Pierce Freelon, and Shawana Kemp -- introduce themselves and share the work of Family Music Forward, a grassroots organization dedicated to equity and racial justice in children's music founded by Devin Walker, Lolita Walker, Aaron Nigel Smith, SaulPaul, Pierce Freelon, Tommy Shepherd, Ann Torralba, Christina Sanabria, Andrés Salguero, Kaitlin McGaw, Karen Kalafatas, Amelia Robinson, and Alastair Moock. So turn it up for these great family tunes by some amazing artists : Brilliant New Idea by Elena Moon Park Be Outside by Jazzy Ash Dad You're Not a Teacher by The Pop Ups Rainbow by SaulPaul feat. Lucy Kalantari My Body by Pierce Freelon feat. Rissi Palmer Glad You're Here by Justin Roberts RBG by Joanie Leeds These Shoes by Shine and the Moonbeams If you enjoyed these songs, we hope you’ll find more music from these artists, follow their work, and share what you love. And if one of these tunes becomes part of your family vocabulary, let them know!

It’s been a while, but as we said in our last episode -- we’re still here. We miss you all. As parents and people in this world, we are thinking a lot about the Black Lives Matter movement and racial injustice. As makers of some of the sounds and ideas that go into your kids’ ears, we feel a special connection to your family and a responsibility to address this topic -- anti-racism --  thoughtfully with you and your children on Ear Snacks. Kaitlin McGaw and Tommy Shepherd of Alphabet Rockers generously offered to have a conversation with us about anti-racism, anti-racist parenting, making progressive media for kids and their ongoing Grammy-nominated musical work about identity, race, gender and so much more including their anti-racism course for families: We Got Work to Do. We hope this episode designed for parents (though not inappropriate for kids, we'll release a separate episode intended for young listeners) can help open or enhance conversations that you're having to further the dismantling of racism in our homes, our media, and our communities. There's lots of work to do, and it isn't easy -- but you are not alone. We plan to follow this conversation up with episodes design for children - and we would love your involvement! If you or your children participated in a Black Lives Matter protest, conversation about race, or other form of activism this summer, we would love to have you on the show.  Please let us know if your family would like to get involved with these kinds of episodes and we’ll reach out to you as soon as we can. Know someone doing work in this area who we should talk to? Please introduce us! We believe the most impactful way we (Andrew Barkan and Polly Hall, the humans) can affect change is to empower children to think deeply, in an age-appropriate way, about what is happening in society at this moment. We are thankful to connect with parents like you - parents who are raising thoughtful, open, and brave kids. We can be the change we want to see in this world.

You know what we did at our house this week? We had a dance party. We turned on some of our favorite music and we jumped around our house, all together. And we smiled. So this week on Ear Snacks we want to play some moments and music from the show that might bring a smile to your face. Today is different than yesterday. And tomorrow is going to be different than today. But we wanted to let you know that we're here today, and we know you are too.

Dissenters everywhere! Join us in wishing Ruth Bader Ginsburg a very happy 87th birthday! Andrew & Polly find some exceptionally aware kids to go on at length about the Supreme Court and it’s most Notorious justice, along with a new single from the Joanie Leeds joint All the Ladies entitled (you guessed it) “RBG” Thanks to Darius, Lucy, and young podcast mogul Nate (who also made an episode about the supreme court with NPR’s Nina Totenberg) for joining the celebration and sharing what they know about our justice system. Thanks to the ineffable Lucy Kalantari, producer of the RBG song, and songwriter/performer Joanie Leeds for creating an ode to such a swell lady. The two children’s books mentioned in this episode are pictured below. To find out more or to be on the show, visit www.earsnacks.org

WHAT IS PIE? What about pi? Can I have 3.1415 pieces, please? Andrew & Polly get granular and investigate the ingredients in both with Palmer, Sadie, William, Izzy, and Molly Birnbaum from America’s Test Kitchen Kids! Molly does all kinds of fascinating kitchen experiments and games on her new kids podcast, Mystery Recipe. Pre-heat your International Pi Day festivities right here! We hope your family will check out the Mystery Recipe podcast for more food science deliciousness! ATK Kids has lots of interactive experiences set up for families to try and home, and here]s some Pi Day Art Activities wee found — we hope this weekend and beyond can be filled with fun and learning and good food as we weather social distancing together! To find out more or to be on the show, visit www.earsnacks.org

What's a census? Andrew & Polly dig in with special guests Vicki Glazer from the U.S. Census Bureau and Emily McMillan with the Statistics in Schools program that's hitting classrooms across America next week. Next month, everyone will get a postcard in the mail -- it's your invitation to the party that is the next decade of America...RSVP so they bring enough forks! To help your school support this important civic work, you can find out more at census.gov and here's some handy materials from the NEA. To reach us or be on the show, visit earsnacks.org - and thanks for supporting democracy!

Come in, come in! We’re playing around with the speed of music! In the fourth episode about clocks, we give our metronomes a workout — this episode is designed for kids to experiment with the playback speed function on most podcast players, inviting them to adjust the speed of the our music & conversation from 1x to 2x to 1/2x. We introduce the basics of musical tempo, figure out how to tap along to Parry Gripp’s pleasantly danceable 136 bpm tune Pancake Robot, and wonder why super-slow-moving things always find themselves in a molasses analogy. Thanks to Parry Gripp for contributing Pancake Robot to our family’s dance playlist, to regulator clock expert Johnny Flower for chiming in about the speed of clocks, to Izzy for not being bored very often, and to all you parents and siblings out there willing to let a small human mess with the speed of this podcast. We’re putting out a final call to kids who want to share their thoughts about The Future. To find out more or to be on the show, visit www.earsnacks.org

Do you want 5 more minutes? In our third episode about clocks, Andrew & Polly ask kids how rushing and waiting feel different, challenge Jason Rabinowitz of The Pop Ups to a clock scavenger hunt around Brooklyn, and spin some yarns with Story Pirates co-founder Lee Overtree about how time feels when you're in a story. Thanks to Gimlet Media & The Story Pirates for sharing some time with us. You can find their podcast, Cement Dude and other ridiculous tunes on their album Backstroke Raptor, and you can submit stories you've written at www.storypirates.com Thanks to Team Rabinowitz for taking minutes out of their busy morning commute to scavenge the streets of Brooklyn for clocks! You can find Time and other dance-y science-y songs at www.thepopups.com To find out more or to be on the show, visit www.earsnacks.org

Kaitlin, Tommy, and an incredible team of young artist/activists invite us to a live session in New York City to relate how the Alphabet Rockers make music to make change, as is crystal clear in their second Grammy-nominated album “The Love” Thanks to Kaitlin McGaw, Tommy Soulati Shepherd, Kali de Jesus,Lillian Ellis, Maya Fleming, Tommy T3Po Shepherd, and Malik a.k.a. Mahawam for joining us and sharing their music and ideas with your family. If you’re in the LA area for Grammy weekend, check out their free showcase concert (reservations recommended) at 2p on Saturday, January 25th.  You can find more about the music of Alphabet Rockers, their podcast So Get Me, their art movement The Butterfly Effect, and more at alphabetrockers.com - share music, support musicians! Quick disclaimer: Alphabet Rockers’ music addresses issues of identity, world news, and politics — the conversation and music you’re about to hear will include those topics.

In this special episode designed for parents (though PG for kids), Andrew & Polly discuss Jon Samson’s music therapy practice, the therapeutic benefits of musical improvisation, and how we as parents can approach creating a supportive mental health environment for our kids. Thanks to Jon for sharing his intricately crafted and emotive music with us. You can find more about his music therapy practice and more of his music at cocreativemusic.com or on his YouTube channel - share music, support musicians! This interview and exploration of the work #behindthealbum is one of five Ear Snacks mini-episodes featuring each of the 5 Grammy-nominated artists for Best Children’s Album in the 62nd Grammy Awards.

The 62nd Grammy (TM) Awards are almost here! We’re delighted to share this series of 5 Ear Snacks mini-episodes featuring each of the 5 Grammy-nominated artists for Best Children’s Album. Brrrr! Andrew & Polly brave the frigid Santa Monica winter to hear from Joe Mallander of family folk duo The OKee Dokee Brothers about the art of coziness and their fourth Grammy-nominated album “Winterland” Thanks to Joe and Justin for sharing their heart-warming music with your family. You can find more about The Okee Dokee Brothers and their nature adventure albums at okeedokee.org - share music, support musicians! And hey - since you obviously like podcasts, help us out by taking the Kids Listen Parent Survey at www.kidslisten.org - thanks!

The 62nd Grammy (TM) Awards are almost here! We’re delighted to share this series of 5 Ear Snacks mini-episodes featuring each of the 5 Grammy-nominated artists for Best Children’s Album. Andrew & Polly spend a rainy day getting to know Tigerlily, Tilda, Tinkerbell, and Nashville-based singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Daniel Tashian. Daniel and his daughters wax poetic about pistachio ice cream, how recording with his family compares to working with Kacey Musgraves, and share some lovely songs off his Grammy-nominated album “I Love Rainy Days” Thanks to the whole Tashian crew for joining us and sharing their music with your family. You can find more about Daniel and his music at www.bigyellowdogmusic.com - share music, support musicians! To find out more or how to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org

The 62nd Grammy (TM) Awards are almost here! We’re delighted to share this series of 5 Ear Snacks mini-episodes featuring each of the 5 Grammy-nominated artists for Best Children’s Album. Andrew & Polly attend a deliciously eclectic picnic hosted by prolific, artistic, Seattle-based kindie rock maestro Caspar Babypants! Caspar feeds us millions of peaches, introduces us to some bodacious bugs, and plays some rad tunes off his Grammy-nominated album “Flying High!” Thanks to Chris Ballew for taking the time to goof around with us and let us share his music with your family. You can find Chris’ art on Instagram and more about Caspar at www.babypantsmusic.com - share music, support musicians! To support kids podcasts, take the survey at kidslisten.org! And to learn more about us or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org. Thanks!

Why do some clocks tick and tock? Why doesn’t Polly’s watch sound like Maria’s watch? In our second Clocks episode, three intrepid Ear Snacks foreign correspondents invite us on a journey to jolly old England to find out what makes clocks tick! We learn the story of the word “clock”, how pendulums and other parts move inside a clock, and how the invention of clocks that work on boats changed the world. Our pal Eilis Cahill has tea and steps INTO a clock in John Kendall’s Number Four clock repair shop. Andrew’s parents travel to the English countryside to visit Johnny Flower, a regulator clock expert who lives in a house full of clocks. And our pal Eliza Gregory pokes around the oldest collection of clocks and watches in the world in the Clockmakers’ Museum inside of London’s Science Museum. Please take a minute to fill out the Kids Listen Listener Survey! For more information or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org

What is a clock? How long is a minute? Are all clocks and all minutes the same? In the first episode of our epic exploration of timekeeping, Andrew & Polly examine Reggio Emilia-educator Maria/Julita’s oddly shaped Salvador Dali-designed watch. Why are most clocks round? Why would someone make a watch that is not round? Thanks to Matteo, Malcolm, Cadence, Adelyn, Keira, and Izzy (and their parents!) for taking the time to tell us what they know about time, the insides of clocks, ways to tell time, and how different amounts of time can feel. In the near future, we’ll be joined by these same friends along with a wide range of other “experts” to think about where we keep time, how we keep time, what has happened - and what might.  

Our special coverage of Pajamas continues! We ask our friends Gavin, Zoey, Luke, Lucy, Alexander, Sara Chana, Temima, Miriam, and Yitzy Zev about getting good rest for your mind and body, bedtime routines and we sing a song about our favorite pajamas. Special guest Mindy Thomas from NPR's "Wow in the World" and SiriusXM Kids Place Live shares about sleepovers, her invention "The Incredible Edible Bread Bed," and how important it is to share your dreams.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!! Andrew & Polly receive an urgent voice message from their friends Kevin & Louise. We learned A LOT about disguises from marine biologist Rebecca Johnson from the California Academy of Sciences and voice actor and composer Greg Chun. Thanks to our pals Sadie A, Sadie E, Grey, Georgia, Zoey, Gavin, Gavin, Devorah, Elliot, Ainsley, Tanner, Luke & Ace for making Ear Snacks so delicious!

It’s today!!! Our brand new album, “Go for the Moon” is here!!! Hear it on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, our shop & CDBaby - all the places! You can even listen to some of it in a special episode of Ear Snacks, hosted by some not-so-random giraffes. We’re super excited about these songs  and we hope you are too. We’re so excited, in fact, that we are giving away some Moon Swag like a geographically accurate Moon Beach Ball and a lovely little Moon Night Light to a few randomly selected friends who review the record!. Enter to win by Friday October 4th. Here’s how! Listen to the music (and/or get your own copy for maximum support :). Post your family’s words about #goforthemoon anywhere other people can see them! (iTunes review, Apple Music, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter... even leaving a review about the record as a review of our podcast works!) Let us know you did it with an e-mail or at earsnacks.org. We’ll be announcing the recipients on our show - thanks so much for listening and sharing the music!

This month on Ear Snacks, we're talking about Pajamas and everything that comes with them. Rest, snuggles and coziness - and lullabies! Our awesome music pals Lucy Kalantari, Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, Christopher Tin, Tatiana DeMaria, Kaitlin McGaw share the sweet, soft and special songs they sing to their loved ones - and yours! This is a great episode for helping little ones in calming their bodies down and getting ready for rest.

There is just too much good music out there right now! We're back with a second installment of this summer's Ear Snacks Roadtrip Mixtape. Featuring: Little Bitta You by Andrew & Polly Una Gran Familia by Lucy Kalantari Little Bit Tough by Vered Where Do the Children Play by Renee & Friends feat. Ziggy Marley Why Why Why by Ants Ants Ants Coquinas by Alina Celeste Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz featuring Andrew & Polly Together by Dan Sacks of Noodleloaf Esta Lucesita by Elizabeth Mitchell & Suni Paz