STEM with Dr. Owl

Orbital Owl

Big questions. Curious kids. Science adventures!

Join curious explorer Emma, her wise feathered mentor Dr. Owl 🦉, and their goofy robot sidekick Ziggy 🤖 as they explore the amazing world of STEM—Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

Each bite-sized episode starts with a question kids actually wonder about: How do birds fly? Why do we dream? What makes volcanoes erupt? Why do some people get carsick? Then Emma, Dr. Owl, and Ziggy turn the answer into a fun, easy-to-follow adventure filled with surprising facts, silly moments, and plenty of “Whoa!”

Along the way, we answer questions sent in by young listeners from around the world—including special Ziggy’s Mailbag episodes inspired by their curiosity.

Our goal is simple: help kids keep asking why, how, and what if? Because STEM isn’t just something you learn in school. It’s hiding everywhere—from your backyard and your breakfast to your body, the weather, and the stars above. 🌎🔬🚀

For curious kids ages 5–9 — and anyone who loves asking questions.

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49 episodes
a few times a week
Avg 11 min
English

Episodes 49

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#274
Friday · 12 min
[Ziggy's Mailbag] What's Hiding in Your Blood? & More Spooky Body Science!
Discover the fascinating science of human anatomy as we explore the functions of blood cells, tooth enamel, bone healing, and the nervous system. Ziggy the Robot transforms the lab into a silly haunted house to answer your spookiest body mysteries. Join Dr. Owl and Emma to find out why we shudder, how broken bones fix themselves, and why our blood is like the ultimate rescue team!
#273
Wednesday · 12 min
What Exactly is Absolute Zero? – Physics & Temperature Science for Kids
Discover the science of temperature, thermal energy, and the lowest possible limit of cold known as absolute zero. Ride along in a wacky Temperature Elevator as we travel past freezing water, extreme Antarctic blizzards, and liquid nitrogen to find out just how chilly the universe can get. See if tiny particles really stop moving forever at the very bottom of the thermometer!
#272
Monday · 13 min
How Can An Excavator Be So Strong? – Hydraulics & Engineering for Kids
Explore the mechanical engineering and physics of hydraulics that give giant excavators their incredible lifting power. Answering fantastic questions from our curious explorers Everett and Kaiyi, Dr. Owl and Emma head to a muddy construction site to investigate how pressurized liquid, heavy counterweights, and wide tracks work together to move mountains of dirt. Plus, find out what happens when Ziggy tries to upgrade his own mechanical strength using a belly full of apple juice!
#271
October 2 · 15 min
[Ziggy's Mailbag] All About the Moon! – Astronomy & Lunar Science for Kids
Learn how the Moon formed, why it changes shape, and what astronauts left behind in this special listener Q&A edition. Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy dive into Ziggy's Mailbag to answer curious questions from real young explorers about lunar dust, gravity, and Apollo rocket missions. A fun, fact-filled lunar adventure explaining Earth's closest neighbor in space.
#270
September 30 · 12 min
How Do Birds Fly, and Why Can’t We? - Animal Science & Flight for Kids
How do birds fly, how do bugs stay up, and why can’t people flap their arms and take off? Emma follows a bird from takeoff to landing while Ziggy tests his cardboard wings. Discover lift, gliding, the tiny wing moves of insects, and the machines that let humans fly.
#269
September 28 · 10 min
How Do Tornadoes Form? – Weather Science & Meteorology for Kids
Discover the science of extreme weather as we explain updrafts, wind shear, and how mesocyclones create tornadoes. Join Dr. Owl, Curious Emma, and a very dizzy Ziggy the Robot in the weather lab to solve the mystery of why only some thunderstorms spin. Find out exactly what ingredients it takes to build a twisting funnel cloud and learn important tornado safety tips along the way!
#268
September 25 · 13 min
[Ziggy's Mailbag] Why Do Trees Grow Curvy and More! - Plant Science & Biology for Kids
Discover the incredible science of plant biology, including how flowers use turgor pressure to bloom, why leaves change color in autumn, and how evergreen trees survive the freezing winter. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they open the mailbag to answer explorer questions and learn the secret superpower plants use to bend and reach the sunlight!
#267
September 23 · 12 min
Why Do We Dream? – REM Sleep & Brain Science for Kids
Discover the science behind REM sleep and why our brains create wild stories while we snooze. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they explore the three main ingredients of dreams and answer if scientists can actually watch what you are dreaming during a sleep study. From floating marshmallows to memory filing cabinets, find out what really happens inside your head when you close your eyes!
#266
September 21 · 11 min
Why Do We Get Car Sick? – Biology & The Human Body for Kids
Discover the biology behind motion sickness and learn how the inner ear and eyes send mixed signals to the brain. Emma feels a little woozy on a winding road trip, prompting Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy to investigate the body's hidden motion sensors. Tune in to solve the mystery of car sickness, learn how to prevent it, and find out exactly what happens when a robot tries out virtual reality!
#265
September 18 · 12 min
[Ziggy's Mailbag] Why Is Glass Fragile and More! - Atoms & Chemistry for Kids
Kids discover how microscopic atoms connect to create the amazing real-world materials all around us, from the water we drink to the iron hiding inside rocks. Emma and Dr. Owl open Ziggy’s overflowing mailbag to decode the Periodic Table, learn why glass shatters instead of bends, and stop one very hungry robot from eating a wooden desk. It’s a playful question-and-answer science adventure about chemistry and the tiny building blocks of our universe.
#264
September 16 · 12 min
How Are Houses Built? – Architecture & Engineering for Kids
Learn the step-by-step science of architecture and engineering that goes into building a strong, safe house from the ground up. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they discover why you can't start a building with the roof, how concrete foundations keep houses from sinking, and the secret world of pipes and wires hiding inside your walls!
#263
September 14 · 10 min
How Does Water Reach Our House? – Engineering & Earth Science for Kids
Discover the fascinating journey of drinking water from natural lakes and treatment plants through giant underground mains and home plumbing directly to your faucet. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they follow the pipes backward, answer trivia about water meters, and search for silly under-sink water gnomes!
#262
September 11 · 1 min
[Replay Bonus] Dive, Dive, Dive! - Emma’s Submarine Song
🎵 Dive, dive, dive! Emma’s submarine song is back—now in an extended version! Some of our little explorers loved the song from our submarine adventure and wanted to hear more, so here’s the full song for you to sing along and dive beneath the waves! 🌊🚢 Want to know how submarines really dive and rise? Check out our full submarine adventure too! 🦉🤖
#260
September 11 · 11 min
[Replay] How Does a Submarine Dive? – Buoyancy & Physics for Kids Audio episode 11m 32s
Discover the physics of buoyancy, water displacement, and how heavy metal objects can float in this exciting underwater adventure. Join Emma, Dr. Owl, and Ziggy the Robot as they explore the secrets of ballast tanks, neutral buoyancy, and compressed air, plus stick around until the very end for a secret, high-energy hyperpop song about submarines!
#259
September 9 · 9 min
How Do Animals Hide? – Animal Camouflage & Biology for Kids
Discover the science of animal camouflage and biology as we explore how creatures disguise themselves in the wild. Join Emma, Dr. Owl, and Ziggy to find out if stick insects are nocturnal, why tigers need stripes to sneak through the grass, and how the amazing octopus changes its shape in the blink of an eye.
#258
September 7 · 9 min
Where Do Words Come From? – Linguistics & History for Kids
Kids learn the origins of human language, the fundamental science of grammar, and how words get their meaning in this engaging exploration of linguistics. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy the Robot as they answer six-year-old Agnes's brilliant question, play the quiet game, and discover why Ziggy wants to rename bananas into "squiggle-bops"!
#257
September 4 · 12 min
[Ziggy's Mailbag] How Do Everyday Things Work? - Engineering & Physics for Kids
Kids discover how compasses, timers, sunscreen, thermoses, and microwaves use invisible forces and hidden processes to do their jobs. Emma and Dr. Owl follow five clues from Ziggy’s overflowing mailbag, test a timer, solve a thermos mystery, and stop one very sparkly spoon plan. It’s a playful question-and-answer science adventure about everyday engineering.
#256
September 2 · 12 min
How Do Airplanes Fly? - Physics & Engineering for Kids
Kids discover how airplanes fly by exploring thrust, lift, drag, and the surprising power of invisible air. At an airport window, Emma, Dr. Owl, and Ziggy use a paper strip, a runaway balloon, a model wing, and three playful challenges to uncover what engines really do, how wings lift a heavy airplane, and why the wheels do not pull it down to land.
#255
August 31 · 12 min
What Are Atoms Made Of? – Chemistry & Physics for Kids
Children will learn the foundational chemistry concepts of atoms, protons, neutrons, and electrons in this educational episode. Join our heroes as they put on their Shrink-O-Matic goggles to explore a giant stadium-sized atom and find out why the universe is mostly made of empty space!
#254
August 28 · 11 min
[Ziggy's Mailbag] Why Do Skunks Stink & How Do Birds Sing? – Animal Biology & Zoology for Kids
Discover the animal biology behind butterfly flight, skunk defense mechanisms, bird songs, and cephalopod arms in this exciting mailbag episode. Join Dr. Owl, Emma, and Ziggy as they rapidly answer listener questions about why moths fly into lights, how octopuses catch their food, and the amazing ways creatures use their built-in survival tools in the wild.

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