Tumble Science Podcast for Kids · Tumble Media

Tumble Mailbag: Your Questions about Language, Sandwiches, and Cats - and Our Oldest Patrons!

December 19, 2025·24 min·2 clips

Simon Fischerbaum reveals why English is a confusing melting pot of words from all over the world.

This festive mailbag episode of Tumble Science Podcast for Kids is hosted by Lindsay and Marshall. They celebrate the end of the year by engaging with their audience's content and questions. The episode features listener reviews, several kid-submitted questions, and a conversation with a long-time patron. Lindsay and Marshall review and score listener comments using a "one to five random emojis" scale. They discuss a review from "Hey, Bob" filled with star and pancake emojis and a simple "yay" from Zen Penguin. Listener Murphy, age five, asks why the English language is so weird and suggests a time machine could find the person who made it. Linguist and neuroscientist Simon Fischerbaum explains that no single person created English, which is a melting pot of words from global languages. He notes English spelling is confusing due to the many accents of its over one billion speakers. Layla asks who invented the peanut butter and jelly sandwich combo. Historian Mick Sullivan cites the first printed recipe from a 1901 Boston Cooking School magazine, which was a triple-decker sandwich. Listener Soren, age nine, questions why cats hate water. The hosts reveal that not all cats dislike water, highlighting the Van cat breed from Turkey that famously swims in Van Lake. A surprising video shows these cats swimming like "cat otters." The hosts reach out to patron Josh, who has supported the show for 109 months, to learn about the identity of "Milo Sloth." Josh explains the name came from his son Milo's love of sloths when he was five; Milo is now 14. Josh says supporting the podcast feels good because it provided a healthy, engaging resource for his kids during car rides. The episode includes a promotional break for IXL Learning, offering Tumble listeners a 20% discount. The tone is celebratory, conversational, and warmly engaging, directly involving the audience. This episode would delight young listeners and families who enjoy interactive, playful science content and behind-the-scenes podcast moments. Listeners seeking a single, in-depth science story might find the grab-bag format less satisfying.

As heard by us

A festive mailbag that mixes listener reviews, evidence-minded science talk, and a neat 1901 PB&J surprise.

This festive mailbag keeps the focus close in at first, with listener reviews, then opens back out through questions and the reveal of Milo Sloth. Lindsay and Marshall keep things light, but they still give each listener question room to land.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a festive end-of-year science mailbag with PB&J origins, cat questions, and a few extra surprises.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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