This year's Grammy-nominees for Best Children's Album are all artists who are white, but young ears can and should hear a rainbow of identities represented in music. Black and brown children deserve access to music that welcomes, reflects, and celebrates them. In this special episode of Ear Snacks, Andrew & Polly celebrate diverse voices in family music and highlight the work of Family Music Forward, an organization dedicated to equity and racial justice in children's music.

How can we practice anti-racism as a family? We feel a special responsibility to address this topic thoughtfully with you and your children beginning with this episode of Ear Snacks for Parents. In conversation with Kaitlin McGaw and Tommy Shepherd of Alphabet Rockers, we think aloud about advocacy, parenting, and so much more - including their anti-racist course for families: We Got Work to Do. Please check out their amazing work at alphabetrockers.com and thanks for listening!

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. Ear Snacks is a free interactive experience centered around children’s voices & ideas. To support the work we’re doing for your kids (and all kids), become a supporter on Patreon or through Apple Podcasts Premium Subscription feature. Thanks for listening! Need more snacks? Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or TikTok!

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” To find out more or to be on the show, visit www.earsnacks.org Ear Snacks is a free interactive experience centered around children’s voices & ideas. To support the work we’re doing for your kids (and all kids), become a supporter on Patreon or through Apple Podcasts Premium Subscription feature. Thanks for listening! Need more snacks? Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or TikTok!

WHAT IS PIE? What about pi? Can I have 3.1415 pieces, please? Pre-heat your International Pi Day festivities! Andrew & Polly get granular with Molly Birnbaum from America’s Test Kitchen Kids who does all kinds of fascinating kitchen experiments and games on her new kids podcast, Mystery Recipe. Find more at ATKkids.com/mysteryrecipe and earsnacks.org — we hope family time can be filled with fun and learning and good food as we weather social distancing together!

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! Visit https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/sis.html to help your school support democracy!

Alphabet Rockers make music to make change. Their 2nd Grammy-nominated album "The Love" addresses issues of identity, world news, and politics — the conversation and music you’re about to hear will include those topics. Thanks to Alphabet Rockers for sharing their music and ideas with your family. You can find more about their podcast So Get Me, The Butterfly Effect at alphabetrockers.com

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!

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” Find more at www.okeedokee.org and www.earsnacks.org

The 62nd Grammy (TM) Awards are almost here! 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, working with Kacey Musgraves, and share some lovely songs off his Grammy-nominated album “I Love Rainy Days” You can find more about Daniel and his music at www.bigyellowdogmusic.com - share music, support musicians!

The 62nd Grammy (TM) Awards are almost here! Andrew & Polly attend a deliciously eclectic picnic hosted by 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

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!

Our brand new album, “Go for the Moon” is here!!! Listen 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! Head over to earsnacks.org to find out more

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 music from us, Lucy Kalantari, Vered, Renee & Friends, Ants Ants Ants, Alina Celeste, Lucky Diaz , Dan Sacks of Noodleloaf and Elizabeth Mitchell & Suni Paz.

We're back to share some of our favorite music this summer in an all-new road-trip mixtape. Featuring songs from Walter Martin, Steven Steven, The Pop Ups, Mista Cookie Jar, Little Miss Ann, Michael Hearst, Saskia Lane, Alphabet Rockers, Story Pirates, Mike Phirman, Howie D - and two new tunes from us of our upcoming album, "Go for the Moon."

Happy President's Day! School's out and our friend Lucy came by the studio to talk about stuff she knows - mostly Hamilton.

Andrew & Polly are thrilled to be joined by all five fabulous artists nominated for Best Children's Album in the 61st GRAMMY Awards.

We are delighted to share an episode of WBUR's Circle Round called "The Lion's Whisker" about overcoming frustration and impatience with courage, understanding, and a little magic. Andrew & Polly and Cory the Crocodile encounter some frustration of their own. Blackish stars Marsai Martin, Miles Brown, and NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton voice this enchanting tale narrated by Rebecca Scheer produced by our Kids Listen colleague Jessica Alpert. To find out more, visit wbur.org/circleround or earsnacks.org

Happy Birthday, Jim Henson! Our pals Zoey, Luke, Gavin & Izzy talk to us about the muppets. Why? Just because we like 'em.

Learnnnnn ye how to talk like a pirate from arrrrrrr friends! Thanks to Heidi, Kieran, Lilah, Frankie, Liliana, Bodhin, Izzy & Nano and their parents for this thorrrrrough extra!

We're at McCabe's Guitar Shop with our band The Gabes at 10:30a this Sunday! Hope to sing with you soon! And if you have two ears and a heart, you should probably check out "Hold Tight, Shine Bright" - a 27-track compilation album of family songs to benefit families separated at the border. All proceeds from "Hold Tight, Shine Bright" go to RAICES Texas, an organization seeking to #reuniteeverychild www.earsnacks.org

01 Trail of Hearts by Underbirds 02 Lighten Your Load by The Okee Dokee Brothers 03 Sunshine Family by Mista Cookie Jar and Aaron Nigel Smith 04 Camp Songs by KB Whirly 05 Mr. Spaceman by Randy Kaplan 06 Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band (and us!) 07 In Your Biz by Mike Phirman 08 City of Hills by Frances England 09 Hey, Hat by Andrew & Polly Find out more at www.earsnacks.org

Summer's heating up, and so is Ear Snacks! We're cooking up a bunch of new episodes that pick back up this week and will take you through your summer adventures, whether they are home or away! In this bonus, we (finally) reveal Polly's superhero name (hint: it involves lasers) and share your birthday wishes! Thank you to Sady, Betula, Sammy & JJ, Riley, Ainsley, Lucy, Savannah, Adeline, Bela & Izzy. If your child would like to send us something or be on an episode, visit earsnacks.org.

Psssst....it's Polly's birthday! What should her birthday wish be? She'd love to hear your ideas via voice memo or see your ideas in a drawing! Let her know at http://bit.ly/earsnacks-pollysbirthdaywish !

When we last left our heroes, Super George was saving the feet fish from Lima Bean Lunch with Super Polly, ahem, Super-Hero-Waiting-for-a-Name! Thank you so much to Ainsley, Lucy, Savannah, Adeline, Bela & Izzy for their suggestions for Polly's superhero name. So... what should Polly's super-hero name be? Let us know at http://earsnacks.org

We know playing “Bad Guys” is an integral part of early childhood development — but, as some older kids who are more exposed to the media know, real people can do bad things, too. Last year, But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids released “How Do You Talk to Kids About Violence in the News?” We asked Jane Lindholm about creating this episode and about her own experience as a parent of two young children. For more information on this episode, visit: http://bit.ly/badguysforparents

Happy Chinese New Year! It's the Year of the Dog and Andrew's thinking about the word "metamorphosis" - what a perfect time to sing some dog songs and take a closer look at caterpillars with our friends at Valle de Ninos in San Francisco!

It's a song valentine from Andrew & Polly! Polly plays a funny trick on Andrew in this special secret bonus episode and she shares their brand new song - a cover of Pete Townshend's "Let My Love Open the Door." We hope you like the new tune - if you do, we hope you'll share it with a pal! You can get it on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube & Google Play.

Happy Valentine's Day! Next week, we'll be celebrating by releasing a new song - but this week you can hear some of our favorite Ear Snacks segments about all kinds of love. So... what do you love? Let us know! Connect with us on earsnacks.org and social media. This episode is a part of Kids Listen sweeps. Kids Listen is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together the community of people creating and enjoying podcasts for kids. Check out more great podcasts for kids at kidslisten.org

All five of this year’s Grammy-nominated kids artists dropped by Ear Snacks to share their awesome music with you. NYC friends - catch all five acts live at Symphony Space this Saturday 1/27 at 11am or right here on Ear Snacks! Check out more from these artists - links in the show-notes. Lisa Loeb, Feel What U Feel Gustafer Yellowgold, Brighter Side Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Songs of Peace and Love for Kids and Families Around the World Justin Roberts, Lemonade Alphabet Rockers, Rise, Shine, #Woke

May your days be merry and bright! Happy Holidays from Andrew & Polly - and pizza, too!

Did you make an instrument out of glass? We did - and here are some songs we played with the glass instruments we made! Happy Holidays - from Andrew & Polly

Andrew & Polly talk a little bit about toenails. Like, do we need a reason? But here it is... we have been thinking about toenails a lot since Dr. Earthquakes (Elizabeth Cochran) shared a super-fun fact with us: the San Andreas Fault moves about 2-inches per year, which is the same rate as your nails grow. WHA!?!? For more information about Ear Snacks or to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org.

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours. And watch out for those WILD TURKEYS!!!

People keep asking us, what is Ear Snacks? If you don't already know, this should help. Get excited! Thanks to Lucy & her mom, Frankie & her dad and Alex & his dad for reminding us why we do what we do. Thanks to all the Ear Snacks kids and guests who have participated so far... If you want to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org to find out how. Ear Snacks is a radical podcast for kids making car rides more awesome one episode at a time.

Eliza Gregory interviews Andrew & Polly about how and why they make Ear Snacks, a radical podcast for kids. We discuss media from our childhood, how our parenting style plays a role in the design of the show and our plans for season 2. For more information or to find out how to be on the show, visit earsnacks.org Eliza Gregory is an artist and educator. For more about Eliza, visit:  www.elizagregory.org || For more awesome podcasts for kids, check out the Kids Listen app: http://apple.co/2w

Herein lies an audio time capsule! Andrew & Polly asked their friends to collect audio of their expectations for, experience of, and reflections on The Great American Eclipse of August 21, 2017. If you listen to Ear Snacks, please take our quick survey: bit.ly/earsnacks-survey We heard from three kids who were in the Path of Totality (Morgan in Oregon, Anika in Wyoming, and Elion in Nebraska) as well as kids in Southern California (Alex, Izzy, Lilah, Griffin and Gertie)who saw about 62% and Virginia (Elsa) who saw 80%. And longtime Ear Snacks veteran Gavin interviewed his mom Theana about a total solar eclipse she saw growing up on the big island of Hawaii. Thanks so much to all the adventurous parents (Mike, Bryce, Jon, Kimmy, Tristan, and Inga) that made this happen. Aloha Eclipse, see you in 2045!

Hey! What do you think of Ear Snacks? We need to know! We're gearing up for Season 2 and want to make our episodes even better. Let us know - how are you listening? Why are you listening? When are you listening? Where are you listening? How many grapes have you eaten today? If you have a few minutes to answer some questions for us, we would GRAPELY appreciate it. The survey is here: http://bit.ly/earsnacks-survey Thank you! Andrew & Polly

Are you ready? Are you excited? Because we TOTALLY ARE. The Great American Eclipse is almost here, and we’ve been thinking about it for a whole year…but some people have known about it MUCH LONGER. Mat Kaplan from the Planetary Society told us about it last year, Molly Bloom from Brains On tells us about total eclipse science, and Mick Sullivan from The Past & The Curious talks total eclipse history through the ages. Oh, and our friend Kimmy? She tells us about her eclipse viewing plans. That she made 20 years ago. In Eclipse! (Part II) we’ll be sharing an audio time capsule recorded on August 21, 2017. If your family will be in the Path of Totality, email us at earsnacks@andrewandpolly.com and we’ll let you know how you can participate and share this once-in-a-lifetime experience!

Oye my friends! Can you hear the sound of the weekend? Andrew & Polly discuss ice cream, paletas, and "Paletero Man" - a song they wrote with Lucky Diaz featured on his new record, "Made in L.A." Billboard magazine says "Lucky Diaz's Bilingual Summer Song 'Paletero Man' Is an Immigrant Anthem For Kids" so, that's cool! Lyric video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbPfQSwvcxg

Music for staring out windows. Andrew & Polly have spent the past two years writing original underscores for their interviews with scientists, artists, and kids. We thought removing the interviews and just leaving the instrumentals would leave a lot to the imagination. We find the window panes of planes, trains, and automobiles to merit their own soundtrack, so here it is.

Hit the Road! An awesome playlist of songs (from our friends!) about traveling around town, around the world, or around the solar system in your imagination. Buckle up, tune in, rock and roll! "Trail of Hearts" by Underbirds (Gustafer Yellowgold & Todd McHatton) ; "Lighten Your Load" by The Okee Dokee Brothers ; "Sunshine Family" by Mista Cookie Jar & Aaron Nigel Smith ; "Camp Songs" by KB Whirly ; "Mr. Spaceman" by Randy Kaplan ; "City of Hills" by Frances England ; and "Hey Hat" by us, Andrew & Polly. Thanks so much to our amazing musician friends for sharing these eclectic tunes with hungry ears everywhere! Find more awesome family podcasts to #hittheroad with at app.kidslisten.org

June is Aquarium Appreciation Month! Do YOU appreciate aquariums? We do! Andrew & Polly talk biodiversity with 7-year-old Nate from The Show About Science, marine camouflage with nudibranch aficionado Rebecca Johnson from Cal Academy, and seahorses with Jenn (who just likes them a lot.) We appreciate The Monterey Bay Aquarium, The Shedd, Aquarium of the Bay and The California Academy of Science, and so many more. Plus aquarium joke.

We have dads. And they know some stuff. So we asked them about it! Andrew & Polly celebrate Father's Day by asking their dads to dadsplain two of their favorite topics: hats and The Galapagos. (Plus why it's an extra special Father's Day for Andrew!)

Fact: Steve Burns (Blues Clues) and Steven Drozd (The Flaming Lips) formed a kids band called STEVENSTEVEN. Fact: Andrew & Polly interviewed Steven Drozd. About facts. Opinion: It was awesome. Discussion topics include: his socks, Brian Eno, the six wives of Henry VIII, naming bands, other Stevens, infinite beats, the speed of light, and snacks. For more about Ear Snacks: andrewandpolly.com

To celebrate Earth Day, we're talking about TREES with a TREE FAMILY!!! Thanks to Betula, Phoebe, Jacob & Grandpa John for being part of this Ear Snacks Extra. This episode is part of the Kids Listen Family Tree Sweeps! For more information about Kids Listen and the other great kids podcasts out there check out kidslisten.org -- Sparkle Stories, The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian, The Past and The Curious, Book Club for Kids, Book Power for Kids, Tumble and Brains On all did Family Tree episodes too!

How much pie can YOU eat? 3.14159 slices?

Are they a football team? No, they're a SONG TEAM! (Happy Birthday, George Harrison!) Thanks to Ainsley, Ella, Westley, Devin, Grey, Georgia, Emi and Izzy (and their parents) for explaining who The Beatles are (Andrew & Polly have no idea) and wishing George a Happy Birthday!

Some songs for love day! Sing-a-long to catchy and whimsical Little Bitta You and Please Be Mine, from our 2015 album "Odds & Ends." Plus, a few of our friends talking about their very special friends,

It's National Love Your Robot Day! What's YOUR favorite robot? Ever built a robot? Ever seen a robot make toast? Ever heard a robot SING? ROBOTS! Andrew & Polly ask their friends Beebop and Jonathan from The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian (finncaspian.com) and Kurt from the Thacher School (thacher.org) what they love about robots, as well as revisiting robots from Ear Snacks past (Disguises, Beeps, Boxes) and we threw in a computer-MC-ed Fur Elise just for kicks. Beep boop!

In this Ear Snacks Extra: Brady, Frances, Joe, Jack, and Skidoo share some of their Grammy-nominated tunes with our listeners. We are so so so excited that all of the Grammy-nominated Children's Music Albums this year are by independent artists. If you dig the tunes you hear in this episode, please support their work and spread the word! (And if you're looking for more information about our music or how to be on the show, visit andrewandpolly.com) “Chain Reaction” from PRESS PLAY by Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could (http://www.bradyrymer.com/) “City Don’t Sleep” from EXPLORER OF THE WORLD by Frances England (http://www.francesengland.com/) “Saddle Up” from SADDLE UP by the Okee Dokee Brothers (https://www.okeedokee.org/) “Piggyback” from NOVELTIES by Recess Monkey (http://www.recessmonkeytown.com/) “Glimmer” from INFINITY PLUS ONE by Secret Agent 23 Skidoo (http://secretagent23skidoo.com/)

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Andrew & Polly kick off the Year of the Rooster by learning all about caterpillars. Go figure! Last fall, we got to sing at a lovely school in San Francisco called Valle de Niños, and our friends Ainsley, Dominic, Ada and Teacher Zoe gave us a private tour of their temporary pet caterpillars! We also learned some songs in Spanish, and our friends Aoife and Sajan wish us Happy New Year in Mandarin and Cantonese.

DNA, RNA! Tune in to The Ellen Show this Tuesday to see our pal Nate from The Show About Science! In honor of Nate's big news, we're re-broadcasting our interview with him about the Periodic Table of Elements from Letters! (Part II)

Happy 2017! We share a song about jumping into the New Year after sniffly Andrew mentions some other fantastic Kids Listen podcasts about "Moves!"

Andrew & Polly share a holiday message and finally print a retraction regarding patatas bravas. Thanks to Betula for announcing the show! If you like the music you heard in this Ear Snacks Extra, you can find "A Mapmaker's Song" on our holiday EP - Other Days. Check it out here: http://bit.ly/1NgAkuh

MOO! A cow ghost.

Did we just make the first soundtrack album for a podcast? Um, maybe? "Ear Snacks: Songs from the Podcast" drops TODAY! To celebrate, we threw an album release party on SIRIUS XM Kids Place Live, and we're re-broadcasting that for you right here. Andrew & Polly run late to their release party and call in some special guests to kick things off. They finally arrive at the studio and sing thank you to all 100 people (kids & grownups) who helped with Ear Snacks: Season 1. Thank you for your support! Check out the album on iTunes (http://bit.ly/earsnacks-itunes), Amazon (http://bit.ly/earsnacks-amazon), Google Play (http://bit.ly/earsnacks-googleplay), or Spotify (http://bit.ly/earsnacks-spotify).

Andrew & Polly are excited to announce a streaming concert! Tune in on October 1 at 8:30am PST / 11:30am EST as they perform songs from their new record, talk to some special guests, and even give away some t-shirts. You can find us on Facebook: facebook.com/andrewandpolly

Andrew & Polly make an exciting announcement from the side of a road somewhere in Arkansas... Their new album, Ear Snacks: Songs from the Podcast, releases on September 30th! We hope you'll check it out - or even pre-order it! (On iTunes - http://bit.ly/earsnacks_pre-order - or from our website http://andrewandpolly.com/shop) But until then, you can listen to our new song - "Expo Line" - right here, right now.

We know, it's been a while. But have you heard our new summer song? Get it here: http://bit.ly/dancingpants We'll have an all-new, star-studded episode for you very soon. In the meantime, check out the archives and let us know your favorite episode from this season! For more about Ear Snacks, visit andrewandpolly.com

Ad Astra: To the Stars! If you love thinking about space, you'll love this extended interview with Planetary Radio host Mat Kaplan. Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity - what do all those things have in common? They're all hanging out on Mars... with the MARSDIALS! But first - we need your help! We've teamed up with some great other kids podcasts to form Kids Listen. Our first project is a survey for parents of kids who listen to podcasts - please, please, please check it out! Head over to kidslisten.org for more information.

More pairs! A trio of families from North Carolina, Australia, and New Zealand tell us about their special someones & somewheres...do YOU have a pair?

Andrew & Polly talk in pairs of words. If you or your family wants to be on Ear Snacks - or support it - visit andrewandpolly.com.

Dragons, Harbor Seals, and Bears - Oh My! A pair of kids describe some very special friends named Akshagah, Violet, and Rosie.

A little ditty we wrote for Valentine's Day last year - hope you like it, and the ADORABLE video-mashup Polly made on Youtube!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL_ViPWs0wc

Our friend Jenn (who LOVES sea horses) just got engaged! Here's a little Valentine's Day extra, her extended interview with even more fun facts about the amazing underwater world of sea horses.

"Ponderosa Pine", a story about critters and homes by our friend percussionist Cory Hills!

Happy Halloween! Andrew & Polly get very specific about skeletons. Subscribe to Ear Snacks here: https://goo.gl/qI2mu9

If a ball had a song, what would it sound like?

Check out this music video for Ballphabet https://youtu.be/Hsv1o1ZD8y4 and then try it out yourself in Ballphabet Karaoke! Can you remember all the words? And Andrew tries to remember an important announcement...

A little ditty about the balls in our solar system...and Polly challenges Andrew to a duel...

It's time for the voicemail bag! Andrew & Polly make a couple of announcements and Lil' J calls in from Burlingame with some hilarious hat jokes.

Know any books about #HATS? We do! And we made a little soundtrack for one of our favorites, "I Want My Hat Back" by Jon Klassen. Read along, and let us know your favorite books about hats!

Wherein Amos ("Pops") ponders the most famous hats.