Short & Curly

Molly, Carl and Matt become lost at sea, they've run out of food and they lack basic survival skills. So, would it be okay for them to eat each other if they get really really really hungry? Maybe don't listen to this episode while you're eating!

This season we go on a little adventure in our minds. Join Molly, Carl and Matt as we imagine what the world might be like without things like schools and sadness and punishment. Would everything be better without them?

Imagine if something private you told a friend could be shouted out for the whole world to hear? Or if an embarrassing bodily function was shared with everyone? Some people say privacy is only necessary if you have something to hide, but are there other reasons to keep certain things just for yourself?Brains Trust: Plenty Parklands Primary School in Mill Park, Melbourne: Ibrahim, Kiara, Victoria, Vinugo and Sienna.

We often feel sadness and heartbreak when something bad happens, like when a much-loved pet dies or someone at school doesn't want to be friends anymore. Or even when your sports team loses the grand final after you've trained really hard for it. Would life be better if you could magically make that sadness disappear?Brains Trust: Plenty Parklands Primary School in Mill Park, Melbourne: Ibrahim, Kiara, Victoria, Vinugo and Sienna.

What's the point of school anyway? That's a question lots of you have written to us to ask. Nearly every day of the week for years and years and years, you have to get up, put your uniform on and go to a big building full of other children, just so you can learn stuff. And then once you're in the school building, grownups get to decide when you're allowed to eat your lunch and when you're allowed to play. It's tiring and sometimes boring. So should we just get rid of schools?Brains Trust: Plenty Parklands Primary School in Mill Park, Melbourne: Ibrahim, Kiara, Victoria, Vinugo and Sienna.

What if there was no fine for letting your dog poo on the footpath? No consequences for hitting your brother or sister? And teachers never gave detention for breaking a school rule? If we lived in a world without punishment, would we all start just doing whatever we wanted? Or are there better ways to deal with people doing the wrong thing? Brains Trust: Plenty Parklands Primary School in Mill Park, Melbourne: Mara, Roni, Alana, Isaac and Adele.

Would you still want to play sport if there was no one keeping score, there were no winners or losers, and no trophies at the end of the season? What would be the point? On the other hand, can competition actually ruin sport? Come and spend the afternoon with Molly and Carl as they kick the ball around in a park.Brains Trust: Plenty Parklands Primary School in Mill Park, Melbourne: Mara, Roni, Alana, Isaac and Adele.

If you find a $20 note on the street, can you keep it? Does it make it okay if it's just $5?Money is complicated, especially because everyone has a different relationship with it. So, when it comes to money, things can get curly really quickly.A big thank you to Isla for this tip-top question!

Do you have a favourite game? Maybe it's 'tip' or 'snap'? There are rules everywhere: from playing a game, watching TV, and even how to ask a question in class. But where there are rules, there are often loopholes.Are loopholes always bad? What if you're not hurting anyone?Thank you to Eloise for this loopy question

The word ‘independent’ often sits with other words – like independent learning, independent thinking, independent adult, and lots more. So, what is independence and at what age should we get it? Thank you to Leela for this thoughtful question!

Getting comfortable can feel warm, nice, and sometimes even soothing. So, when we're happily floating along in life, a sudden tide change can really rock the boat.How do you deal with change? Should you be scared?Thank you to Kira for today's amazing question!

Beliefs can shape the way someone speaks, acts, and even dreams. Everyone believes different things, but sometimes those things aren’t true. If your friend’s belief isn’t quite right, should you tell them? Does it really matter if it’s true or not? Thank you to India for this curious question!

Lots of adults think children should never swear. Many Short & Curly listeners tell us they secretly swear behind their parent’s backs. So what’s wrong with swearing anyway? Aren't they just harmless words? Brains Trust – Anula Primary School, Darwin: Mariah, Megan, Dylan, Aeldrich, Lily

Have you ever wanted to give someone a taste of their own medicine? They might have hurt you or been mean to you or taken something that's yours. But is it okay to do the same thing back to them?Brains Trust – Anula Primary School, Darwin: Maggie, Feranmi, Leo, Oli, Esha, Marjorie

Short & Curly listener Luca often gets stared at when he is in his wheelchair. His parents think the people who look too long are just being curious but Luca thinks it's just plain rude. So when does curiosity become rudeness? And how can we be curious about someone's difference without hurting their feelings?Brain Trust — Casuarina Street Primary School, Katherine: Bruno, Leilani, Eloise Lawson, Lexi, Kodah

There are about 10 quintillion insects in the world. Yes, that's a real number. And it's a lot! They're very small and very different from us humans. We might not stop to think about it before we poison a cockroach, squish an ant with our shoe, or kill a mosquito, but is it ethical to kill an insect?Brain Trust — Casuarina Street Primary School, Katherine: Riley, Mahlia, Milo, Clay, Angus, Ava

War, environmental destruction, inequality. We humans can do some pretty bad stuff. Lots of listeners have asked us if humans are more good than they are bad. Maybe it's time for you to be the judge.Brains Trust – Anula Primary School, Darwin: Mariah, Megan, Dylan, Aeldrich, LilyExtra:Brain Trust — Casuarina Street Primary School, Katherine: Bruno, Leilani, Eloise Lawson, Lexi, KodahBrains Trust – Anula Primary School, Darwin: Maggie, Feranmi, Leo, Oli, Esha, Marjorie

If you love watching cartoons where the good guys battle the bad, it probably has fighting, explosions, and maybe guns too.Is it okay to watch violence if it's in a cartoon? Can we laugh and find it funny?Thank you to Linus for this exciting question!

Friends are like flowers. There are lots of different ones out there, but you pick a couple to be your favourites.But what about your teacher? Can you be friends with them? And if they're a friend, can they still be a good teacher?Thank you to Orli for this great question!Pssst, we love your favourite episode too! 'Are parents hypocrites?' was a goodie.

What if your friend asks if their shirt looks cool and you don't think it does? Or your dad asks if you like his gift, but you actually don't?The truth can be so hard to say – especially to the people we love the most.Should we tell the truth even when it hurts someone?Thank you to Charlotte and Nima for this curly question!

Bullying is being mean to someone over and over again. It can happen at home, school, online, on the bus… and it's not always physical.When you're bullied, you can feel hurt, angry, and sad, all at once.So, if a bully hurts you, can you hurt them back? Can you call it justice?Thank you to Athena for this great question!

Sacrifice is a big word, and it's often said in a big situation.How much should a family sacrifice for one person's happiness? What if you're the only one sacrificing?Thank you to Eli for this curly question – hope you listen to this one on a car ride too!

It's one of the most requested topics ever – homework! Nobody loves doing it, but is it something we should do or not? Molly and Carl find out whether teachers should be allowed to give you work to do outside of school time.Brain Trust — Casuarina Street Primary School, Katherine: Bruno, Leilani, Eloise Lawson, Lexi, Kodah

Molly has a confession to make. In her youth, she was a famous cat burglar, who stole precious jewellery and never got caught! But now as an elderly woman, justice has caught up with her. But if her crimes were a long time ago and she's changed a lot since then, should she still be punished?Brains Trust – Anula Primary School, Darwin: Maggie, Feranmi, Leo, Oli, Esha, Marjorie

Short & Curly listener Tabitha thought it would be great to get some backyard chickens. Delicious, fresh eggs every morning and cute birds to name and look after. But in reality, it wasn't so easy. Like, what happens when the chickens get older and stop laying eggs? Is it okay to kill them and replace them with younger chicks who will lay eggs?Brains Trust – Anula Primary School, Darwin: Maggie, Feranmi, Leo, Oli, Esha, Marjorie

Have you ever found yourself being rude to a smart speaker because it doesn’t understand you? As robots get better and smarter and more human-like, how should we treat them? Does it matter if we act badly towards something that isn’t even human? Brain Trust - Casuarina Street Primary School, Katherine: Riley, Mahlia, Milo, Clay, Angus, Ava

If you've seen the movie The Lion King, you'll know that envy and jealousy play a big part in the story. Scar's envy of his brother King Mufasa takes him down a very dark and murderous path. But is envy always a bag thing? Is it wrong to really, really want something someone else has?Brain Trust — Casuarina Street Primary School, Katherine: Bruno, Leilani, Eloise Lawson, Lexi, Kodah

Have you ever been trying to convince your parents of something and just ended up crying, yelling or storming off to sulk in your room? Grown-ups might be bigger than you, they might have more power than you, and they might even be wiser than you, but that doesn’t mean you can't beat your parents in a good fair argument. And even if you still don’t win, learning to argue in a way that’s good for everyone is a really handy skill to have. Brains Trust: Lyneham Primary School: Neve, Ashwyn, Alice, Ava, Sammy

Anne Frank was a young Jewish girl who was killed by the Nazi's a long time ago. Before she died she wrote a diary which ended up become a book. It has now been read by millions of people and is often given to school kids to read in English class. But should we really be reading her diary at all?Interview: Stephanie IrvineBrains Trust: Newtown Public School: Kate, Wolfgang, Gabriel, Jesse, Betty, Honey.

People often give certain kinds of toys and games to girls when they are young and other kinds of toys and games to boys. But do the toys and games you are given as a child shape what sort of person you will become in life? And does it matter?Brains Trust: Lyneham Primary School: Oliver, Lanna, Toby, Riley, Elly

If someone does or says something bad to you, but then apologises for it, should you forgive them no matter what? Even if you don't really feel it in your heart?Brains Trust: Lyneham Primary School: Neve, Ashwyn, Alice, Ava, Sammy

There's so much junk flying around in outer space – broken bits of old rockets and thousands of dead satellites. There are even golf balls left on the moon! But who has the responsibility for cleaning up all this rubbish?Brains Trust: Newtown Public School: Oliver, Freya, Maggie, Arun, Heath, Malley

Molly has an update about when new episodes are coming out.

If you make something delicious to eat, do you have to share it evenly with other people? You did all the work, so is it fair to have to share?Today's BITE: If you make a cake is it okay to have a bigger slice than everyone else?

If parents give more attention to one of your siblings does that mean they're playing favourites? Is it okay to give you less attention than you RIGHTLY DESERVE???Today's BITE: Is it okay for your parents to give more attention to your younger sibling?Thanks to Maddie for this excellent question.

People get judged for how they dress, the way they do their hair and what kind of body they have.But what would life be like if we just ignored all our differences completely?Today's BITE: Would the world be a better place if everyone looked the same?

Why are most sports trams girls only and boys only? Even when it's the same type of sport they are playing!Today's BITE: Should we get rid of separate boys and girls' sports teams?Thanks to Charlie for this excellent question.

If someone does something bad, is it just and fair to do that same thing back to them?Today's BITE: Is it wrong to murder a murderer?Thanks to Maddison for this excellent question.

Molly went on a deep dive into the Short & Curly archive to find you one of her fave episodes. It's all about whether you should donate a kidney to a family member or friend if they needed one.

We all know Carl loves cats, but today he has an important feline update, as well as bringing you one of his favourite episodes from the archives. It's all about whether it's okay to take the lives of some animals, like feral cats, and protect others.

Matt has chosen a high drama, life and death episode for you to listen to from our archives. Plus the gang got to dress up as firefighters for this show, so that made it even more fun.In this episode, we ask, if you were a firefighter and had to save people in a burning building, who would you help first?

Have you ever pranked your brother or sister by freezing their bowl of cereal and milk the night before and then serving them a solid, icy breakfast? Or have you replaced salt in the saltshaker with sugar? Or put big, heavy rocks in a friend's school bag when they're not looking? Pranks can be can hilarious and entertaining, but can it sometimes be just plain wrong and mean to prank someone?Brains Trust – Lyneham Primary School: Oliver, Lanna, Toby, Riley, Elly

Have you ever been asked for money by a homeless person? What happened? And do you think we have any responsibility to help strangers when they are in need?

Imagine if you were being watched every second of the day to make sure you behaved well. And then you got rewarded or punished depending on how you acted? In this episode, we take a long hard look at Santa Claus, because news flash, we are told he's watching you day and night.

We admire our favourite sportspeople for their physical skills but do they have to be good people as well? Should we expect sportspeople to be role models on and off the field? Join superstar athletes Molly and Carl at the World Ping Pong championships.

For centuries humans have ridden horses. We've ridden them long distances, into wars, in big races and just for fun. We've developed a close relationship with horses. But has anyone asked a horse what it thinks about all this? Would a horse want us to ride it and how would we even know?

Ever opened a present and thought, “I will never use this”. So why not just sell it and buy something you do like? Today’s BITE: Is it okay to sell a present someone gave you? Thanks to Indi for this excellent question.

Do you get pocket money, and if so, do you have to do something to earn it?Today's BITE: Should I get pocket money for doing chores?Bites producer: Jake Morcom

If beer has no alcohol in it, is it still really beer? Today’s BITE: Should kids be allowed to drink beer if it’s non-alcoholic? Thanks to Harry for this excellent question. Bites producer: Jake Morcom

Have you ever watched a movie or TV show that was meant to be for adults only? Do you wish you hadn’t seen it, or are the rules about what kids can and can’t watch unfair? Today’s BITE: Is it okay to read books or watch movies that people say are too old for you?