Hey grownups! Want to give your kids the best possible advantage in their education, no matter where they are in their learning journey?
iXl can help. iXl is an online learning program that fits seamlessly into a homeschool curriculum.
It offers interactive practice in math, English language arts, science, and social studies.
At TinkerCast, we know that kids learn at own pace and follow their own interests.
So we like that IXL allows kids to study at any learning level and adapt to their specific needs.
And we appreciate that with IXL, kids have agency to choose the activities and educational games that they like.
Make an impact on your child's learning.
Get IXL now. And WoW in the World listeners can get an exclusive 20 % off I -X -L membership when they sign up today at ixl .com slash wow.
Visit ixl .com slash wow to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price.
Hey grown -ups! This spring, take some time for personal growth by listening to inspiring and motivational audio titles from Audible.
Explore over one million audiobooks and exclusive originals to help you set and reach goals for your wellbeing.
There are titles to help you establish new fitness and nutrition habits, prioritize relaxation, improve relationships in your work and personal lives and more.
At TinkerCast, we're tapping into our latent talents and listening to insights from Adam Grant and a long list of impressive guests in the audio book Hidden Potential, The Science of Achieving Greater Things.
Feed your curiosity and learn about the areas of self -improvement that matter most to you.
There's something for everyone in Audible's growing list of titles.
See for yourself. You can sign up for a free 30 day trial at audible .com slash wow.
So what are you waiting for?
Start listening today.
Sign up for your free 30 day trial at audible .com slash wow.
Proceed in three, two, one, intention.
Take it. The final form of nature and medicine proportion.
I don't know what you been told, we're in a golden age.
So many discoveries that are jumping off the page.
Wild in the world. Wild in the world.
Wild in the world. Wild in the world.
Wild in the world. Wild in the world.
Wild in the world. Fly in the deep.
Fly away, Houston. Wow, it is really coming down out there.
Yeah, that's a whole lot of cloud juice.
It's been raining for seven straight days.
The whole city is going to flood if this doesn't stop soon.
Wonder how many clouds he'd have to squeeze to flood the whole city.
Let me turn on the TV news and find out if there's any end in sight.
Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us at WOW News.
I'm Gayle Richard Simmons.
And I'm late for dinner.
Bob. What? That joke never gets old.
OK. Fine. I'm Bob Ralph Macchio.
And tonight's top story, Wow in the Water.
It's a real gully washer out there, folks.
That's right, Bob. For a seventh straight day in a row, the rain is coming down, and there is no end in sight.
No end in sight. There's no place for the water to run off to.
Oh, well, sure there is.
It could just run off into the storm drains and the pipes under the city.
Well, normally that would be the case, but not with this much rain.
That's right. It's a record -breaking cloudburst. Just buckets and buckets of rain out there.
Not just rainwater.
It's raining cats and dogs out there.
Well, that's a great expression, but in an actual fact...
Oh! Whoo! What in the?
What is going on? This is just too much for our city's drains and pipes to handle.
Let's go live to our storm team reporter, Penny Pressley, standing out in the rain without an umbrella.
Thank you, Gale. As you can see, I am being absolutely drenched in a substance some would call water.
What others call it.
And now everyone's wondering, where did this so -called water come from?
What? Experts say it came from clouds in the sky.
Well, we know that water comes from clouds.
How is this even news?
Regardless of where the rain came from, the water has flooded the city, turning it into our water park of epic proportions.
Also, my shirt's all wet.
You'd think she'd at least wear a raincoat or something.
However, one brave citizen decided to come out today, despite these torrential downpours and the warnings to stay indoors.
Oh, no. I don't understand.
Who would ever want to go out in this weather?
Her name is Gertle Greenpeace, and she's here.
Her name is G -Force.
What? I said G -Force!
That's your name? That's your question?
That's Grandma G -Force?
Hi Mandy on the news I'm on the news Grandma G -force what brought you out into this devastating storm today, my legs Yes, yes, but why did your legs bring you out here?
We've been cautioning people to stay indoors at all costs Yeah, I'm never not gonna listen to that.
I see. Well, it looks as though you came prepared.
As we can all see, you are wearing your swimsuit.
What? Oh, boy. This ain't no swimsuit!
Here we go. This here is a hot pepper wrestling unitard!
Oh. Alright then. I was just on my way to Little Buff Bunny's big gym over there.
Trying to get my workout on so I can whistle some hot peppers.
Ah, yes. Little Buff Bunny's big gym.
The gym's so big that five acres of natural forest were taken down and paved over to make room.
You talkin' to me? No, I was talking to the viewers.
Where? The viewers at home?
Watching us on TV? What TV?
I can't see it. Through the county!
Wow, developers had to cut down over five acres of trees just to build Little Buff Bunny's big gym?
That's like four football fields worth of forest!
Yeah, and in front of that, they tore down another four acres to build the parking lot.
And next to the parking lot, the city built the world's largest parking lot, the size of 500 football fields.
Oh, and let's not forget all the forests that had to be cut down in order to build the spin zone last year, and the river that had to be paved over in order to build the parking lot for the spin zone.
So many trees plowed and paved over to create parking lots.
And the parking lots for the parking lots.
Blotted parking lots now.
Yeah, the city has been so paved over by concrete, there's nowhere left for all of this rain to run off to.
Everyone's mind is, where did the pennies come from?
So I dive into the fountain at the mall.
And then I take all the pennies, and I shove them into my unitard like so.
And that's how I get my lumps.
Huh, lumpy handfuls of pennies in your bathing suit.
It's a unitard. Ah, Penny Presley, can we get back to focusing on the rain and flooding for this news report, please?
I agree. I do not want to hear anymore about lumpy bathing suits.
Well, huh. Nothing like live local news.
This is a disaster.
I'll say. Grandma G4 should never have agreed to speak on camera.
No, I mean the incessant rain, the flooding.
It's a disaster, Mindy.
Oh, right. The flooding.
So why is it happening, Guy Raz?
I mean, does all of this flooding have anything to do with the fact that all of the forests and rivers in this city have been bulldozed and replaced by concrete and asphalt?
Well, that's a great question, Mindy.
See, in highly developed cities like ours...
Cities with lots of big buildings and even bigger parking lots?
Exactly, yes! In order to build these parking lots and buildings, space has to be made for them, and that space can only be created by removing nature...
and essentially paving over it.
Ah, so kind of like how the space where Little Buff Bunny's big gym used to be a lush forest. Right.
A lush, water -absorbing forest. Or how the world's largest parking lot used to be a river bank.
Right, a river bank for rainwater to run off to.
Paving over a river bank to build a parking lot.
And when this happens over and over again, all over a city, suddenly we're left with two potentially big problems. And plenty of parking.
And the first problem is that all of the concrete and asphalt actually makes a city hotter.
Oh, by absorbing and trapping the heat from the sun, which causes temperatures to rise.
And when this happens, cities essentially turn into urban heat islands.
But then, it rains and everything cools off again.
Well, it might, but all of that cool, refreshing rain has to go somewhere once it hits the ground.
And that's why we have storm drains and pipes to carry the water out to nearby rivers, lakes, or the ocean.
Right, but when there's too much rain for the drains to handle, or when the nearby rivers and lakes have been paved over and turned into parking lots… Ah, there's nowhere left for the rainwater to go.
And that's when we get the flooding that we're experiencing right now.
As you can see here, folks, the flooding is now up to my waist. Beef Horse!
Ah, hush, pups. Thomas Ingrid?
Beef Horse, what are you doing out here?
Can't you see it's flooding?
Can't you see that I'm on TV?
Hey, Fingerling. Ooh, live TV, eh?
Joining us now, a gentleman in a very strange boat.
Well, technically it's a bathtub, but I'm using it as a boat to come and rescue G -force over here.
G -force, get in the tub.
No. Well, then I'll put you in the tub.
Come here. Hey! Ow!
Oh, you know, Fingerling.
You're spilling all my panties.
And I told you to stay out of that ball fountain.
Those pennies are for the wishes.
And I'm wishing for money.
That ain't your money.
This is a disaster.
Don't call me honey bunny.
The flooding rain or Grandma G -force and Thomas Fingerling fighting on live TV.
Both. Now get in here.
Don't tell me what to do.
OK, well, let's solve one problem at a time.
And the easiest problem here to solve is reversing the effects of paving over all the trees and wetlands in our city.
OK. Hey, well let's get to work.
Give me your best idea.
Okay. Let's say we take everything off the ground, including the ground, and then we elevate it.
You know, put it up on stilts or something.
The buildings, the houses, the parking lots, all of it.
We raise it all up to a level where the flooding can't reach it.
Okay. Terrible idea, costly, and impossible to implement on a large scale.
Oh, what else have you got?
Okay, let's see here.
Okay, we embrace the flooding and turn the whole city into a giant water park.
The roads become water coasters, and the parking lots become boat docks.
Completely unfeasible.
Never gonna work. Next!
All right, all right, I got this, I got this.
Okay, what if we gave every citizen really big straws, and then on the count of three, we get everyone in the city to come outside and set the water away.
Great idea for poisoning everyone.
Awful idea for rainwater mitigation.
Mindy, can't you think of any good ideas?
Uh, nope. Ahh. Citizens are concerned.
What can be done to save our city from flooding?
That's right, Bob. What or who will save us from these flooding waters now and in the future?
Dennis? Never fear, I'll save you citizens!
Oooh, look at that!
This just in, our local super villain, Static Man appears to have arrived on the scene.
No, I'm not Static Man, I'm Super Sponge Man!
Super Sponge Man? Did any of our friends heed the warning to stay inside and avoid the floods today?
And as Super Sponge Man, you will?
I will save the city!
Floods and rain don't stand a chance against Sponge Man!
Fascinating. How exactly do you plan to save the city?
What do you mean? Isn't it obvious?
No. Well, I'll suck up the water with my sponge powers.
See? I got sponges all over my cape, and a little sponge strapped to my forehead here, and another sponge glued to my butt, and sponge gloves all over my head.
Super Spongebob. This is ridiculous.
This is genius. Wait, what?
Okay, you go first. No, no, you go first. Okay, what if sponges were the answer to all of the problems we've created for ourselves?
Go on. Well see, we humans have created this mess by paving over nature to build parking lots and buildings right?
Yes, because with nothing but asphalt and concrete as far as the eye can see, there's nothing left to absorb the water.
Unless... we add sponges!
Mindy, are you suggesting we...
Kai -Raz, I am suggesting that we turn our city into Sponge City!
Sponge City? Mindy, we're never going to be able to find enough sponges to soak up all the excess rainwater.
Yeah but... And besides, we'd have to cut down even more forests just to be able to build factories to manufacture that many sponges.
No no no, you don't understand...
And on top of that, sponges, especially synthetic ones, can be bad for the environment because they're not biodegradable and can contribute to plastic pollution when we throw them away.
And on top of that, GIRAS, I'm not talking about sponges made in factories.
I'm talking about nature's natural sponges.
Uh, I'm sorry, I haven't heard of that brand.
It's not a brand, Gairas, it's nature.
I'm not sure I understand.
Well, you said it yourself.
Before densities were paved over, replacing trees and wetlands with concrete buildings, rainwater was able to run back into the Earth.
Okay. So imagine our city, like a giant sponge.
And just like a sponge soaks up water when you spill it, our sponge city will soak up rainwater when it rains, and that would prevent flooding.
But what will we use for the sponges?
Well, in Sponge City, We'll place natural, sponge -like materials on roofs, the outer walls of buildings, and other places where we can add big areas of plants with absorbent soil layers underneath.
So essentially adding large areas of natural plants and absorbent soil to places where we wouldn't normally do that?
Exactly. I'm talking green roofs, green facades, and other garden -like areas that can act like shallow drains to capture rain and stormwater runoff.
And these natural, sponge -like areas could collect water before it moved to the streets where it could become polluted.
Yes. And doing this would keep it from reaching our drinking water sources and other bodies of water, like rivers, and streams, and lakes.
Sponge city, I like the sound of that.
Wow. I mean, Dennis, a super sponge man could really be onto something here.
And as the mayor of Sponge City, I vow to use my super -s -s -s -s -s -s -s -s -s -s -sponging powers to make this city softer, more absorbent, and more, um...
I need a third thing.
Spongier. Yeah! Spongier!
And there you have it, folks.
Could the future of flood mitigation be found in Sponges?
Back to you, Bob and Gail.
No, Sponge City. You know, Bob, while I'd like to give Super Sponge Man all the credit for coming up with this concept, it was actually an idea first introduced in China some 20 years ago by a landscape architect named Yu Kongzhon. That's right, Gail.
And since then, he has led the movement in implementing areas of spongy vegetation in the dense concrete jungles of major cities all over China.
And soon, the world.
For WOW! News, I'm Gayle Richard Simmons.
And I'm not. Bob. What?
Gayle! It's a little joke.
Well, it's not a joke if it's not funny, Bob.
That's it for the weather report.
Stay tuned for our next story, how a raccoon became best friends with a squirrel.
Wow, Mindy, in the age of technology that we're living in it's wild to think that something as simple as adding natural soils and plants and other absorbent spongy materials to our cities could be the answer to our flooding problems!
Now if only we could get the rest of our city...
No, the rest of the world on board!
Mindy! on TV? Super Hero would be me.
What? No, Granny G!
Whoa! All that rain is making me have to go potty.
Mind if I use your lavatory, Mandy?
Oh, sure, Thomas Fingerling.
It's right over there.
Thank you. So, what do you say we all be sponge city super heroes and make plans to help our city to be the spongy as it can be?
Sorry, Guy. There can only be one Super Sponge Man.
And it's not you. And it's obviously not you either, Dennis.
Guy, I beg your pardon.
I love this idea, turning ourselves into a pack of flood fighting superheroes.
I'll go get my sponge cake, I mean, my sponge cake and a sponge cake just in case I get hungry saving the city from floods.
Great, and I'll start researching some local tree planting and gardening programs to increase green spaces that can absorb water.
And I'll start collecting rainwater in barrels and reusing that water in your gardens, Guy Razzy.
Oh. Great idea, Thomas Fingerling!
If everyone did that, we could reduce the load on our stormwater drains and pipes.
And I'll see if I can arrange a make -and -greet with the mayor of this sponge city, Super Sponge Man himself!
Uh, we don't even need Super Sponge Man, Dennis.
What? What are you even talking about, Guy Raz?
Yeah, we got this, Dennis.
No! I don't got this.
I'm just gonna sit here and count the coins I Sponged off of the mall found.
Yay force! Grandma G -Force!
Okay, fine, I'll help.
Yay! Yay! Sponge City, here we come!
L allowing the Whorls?
We'll be right back.
Grown -ups, this message is for you.
That's it, back to the show!
Wow In The World! Hi, thanks for calling Wow In The World!
After the beep get ready to record!
My name is Fiona. I'm thirteen.
I'm from Detroit, Michigan.
My Why in the World is that spaghetti got its name from the Italian word spago, meaning cord, string, or twine.
Spaghetti's my favorite food.
Say hi to Reggie, Dennis, Grandma G.
Forest and Thomas Fingerling.
Hi, my name is Gaby Ross, my name is Actisia and I'm 7 years old and I live in Brooklyn, New York.
And my one rule is that raspberries are actually part of the world.
Say hi to Grandma G.
Forest, Reggie and Thomas Fingerling for me, I love your show, bye!
Hello many and guy rows My name is Alton and I live in Manchester Connecticut and my Wow in the world is the Barbies full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts Isn't that crazy say hi to Dennis for me?
Hi I am with Press Seattle my wonder world is that butterflies can taste with their feet Hi, my name is Rita and I'm from Apopka, Florida.
My wow is that there's a spring in Florida that in the winter over 700 manatees visit to stay warm.
P .S. Say hi to Reggie and Grandma G4's for me.
Brrr. You're a man, you know.
Bye. Hi, my name is Daniel and I live in NASA, Bahamas.
My wow in the world is that before alarm clocks, people would pay someone to knock on their window and wake them up, they were called knocker uppers.
Hi Mindy and Guy Raze.
My name is Oona and I live in Dehachpe, CA.
My wow in the world is that squirrel's brains grow 15 % larger in the fall to help them remember where they buried their nuts.
Isn't that wild? Love the show.
Say hi to Reggie for me.
Hi Mindy and Guy Raze.
My name is Charlie and my wow in the world is that um a dime has 118 ridges.
And everyone, you had to do my riddle.
What do you call a volcano that explodes grass?
A mountain. End messages.
Grown ups, if you like Wow in the World, you can listen early and ad -free right now on Wondery Plus.
Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Wondery Kids Plus on Apple Podcasts.
Prime members can listen ad free on Amazon Music.
And before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey at Wondery .com slash survey.
Wow in the World is written by Mindie Thomas and Tom Van Kalken with help from me, Guy Raz.
Original sound design and music editing is done by our Senior Production Director, Jed Anderson, and audio producer Tyler Thull.
You can also hear Jed Anderson in the voices of Dennis, Thomas Fingerling, Reggie, and many of the other silly characters that you hear on our show.
And Lizzie Frylick can also be heard as some of the silly characters on our show.
Jessica Boddy keeps our facts straight as our fact checker, and Meredith Halpern Ranser powers the wow at TinkerCast. Our theme song was composed and performed by three -time Grammy nominees, The Pop -Ups.
Find them at thepopups .com.
Special thanks to Kit Ballinger, Rebecca Caban, Dr. Natasha Crandall, Kenny Curtis, Kristen Yang, Twi Mack, Erika Medina, Henry Moskal, Jodie Nussbaum, Ali Paxima, Linda Rothenberg, Steph Sosa, Joanna Weber, Ana Zagorski, and all of the other tinkerers at Tinkercast HQ.
And to keep the wow rolling after you finish this episode, Visit us at tinkercast .com.
There, you can become a member of the World Organization of Wowsers to get year -round mailings and weekly activities.
Shop our wow shop, get tickets for upcoming events, find our best -selling books, and learn about some of the other amazing podcasts from Tinkercast. Grownups, you can follow WOW and the World on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter at WOWintheworld, and our email address is hello at tinkercast .com.
And if you're a kid with a big wow to share with us, call us at 1 -888 -7WOW -WOW for a chance to be featured at the end of our show or an upcoming episode of Two What's in a Wow.
Thanks again for listening.
We're here every Monday, or you can check out Two What's in a Wow every Friday right here in the Wow in the World podcast feed.
And don't forget, We Wow on the weekend with Dennis Saturday and Sunday.
Keep on wowing! Wow in the World!
Wow in the World! Wow in the World!
Wow in the World! Wow in the World!
Wow in the World was made by Tinkercast and set to you by Landry.
