Jane: This is But Why: a Podcast for Curious Kids from Vermont
Public. I'm Jane Lindholm. On this show, we take questions
from curious kids all over the world and we find answers. Well,
that's usually what we do. Here at But Why, we have a tradition
for the last episode of the year. Instead of having you send
us the questions. We send you a question, and have you send us
answers. The But Why team joined me here in the host chair to
listen to all of your submissions. I mean,
technically, we don't all share the host chair. We all sit in
separate chairs, but you know what I mean. So here with me in
the studio today is Melody.
Melody: Hey!
Jane: And Sarah, who joined our team earlier this year.
Sarah: Hey, everyone!
Melody: In previous years, we've asked you about what you would
like to invent, what kind of superhero you would be, and what
your New Year's resolutions were. This year, we asked a
question that's kind of like a New Year's resolution, but
bigger instead of something you want to accomplish in the coming
year, we asked you to share your dreams for your whole life!
Jane: Sometimes people refer to these big dreams as their bucket
list, the things they really hope to do in their lifetime.
Sometimes these big dreams are like true dreams, kind of
fantasies that might not ever happen, but you want to be able
to imagine this cool, fantastic idea, because it's fun, like,
maybe you'd say, I hope to win the lottery. I mean, you can't
really control that.
Sarah: But more often, these bucket lists have things that
you might actually be able to do or see or eat or feel. When I
was little, my dream was to go see koalas and kangaroos in
Australia. I still haven't been to Australia, so that's still a
bucket list item for me.
Melody: Ooh, that's a good one. I kind of want to go there too.
But I think my bucket list item would be to finish hiking the
Long Trail, which is a long distance hiking trail in
Vermont. I started it a couple decades ago, and I still haven't
finished it yet. It's not that long!
Jane: One goal I'm working towards is running another half
marathon. I did one a couple years ago, but I've had some
foot injuries, and I'm slowly getting back into running, so
it's going to take a lot of work to get back up to that distance,
13.1 miles. So that's on my bucket list.
Sarah: Go, Jane! Well, let's get into the answers you've sent us
about what you want to do in your lives. Jane, you just
mentioned an athletic goal, very impressive. And Hannah has a
physical goal too.
Hannah: I'm 10 years old. I live in Washington, DC, and something
that's on my bucket list is climbing a V 10.
Melody: Wow, I'm not a rock climber, so I had to look up
what a V 10 is.
Sarah: And what is it?
Melody: A V system is a difficulty scale, to give you an
idea of how hard it's going to be to climb a route, either
indoors or outdoors. A V system is for bouldering, where you're
trying to climb a big boulder, usually without a rope. A V 10
is a really hard level that a lot of climbers never reach.
Jane: Wow. I hope Hannah can reach it. That's a really good
goal. Here's another big, physical goal.
Jack: My name is Jack. I am eight years old. I live in
Cincinnati, Ohio, and on my bucket list, I want to finish
the Thanksgiving 10K.
Jane: A, 10k is a great dream Jack! That's running 10
kilometers. Or if you live in a place that tends to measure in
miles, it's a little over six miles.
Sarah: I don't do a lot of running myself, but I do love to
travel, so I was really excited to see some of the bucket list
items you've sent us about cool places you want to visit. Here's
a couple.
Mattise: Hi, my name is Matisse, and I'm six years old. I live in
Lemon Grove, California. On my bucket list I want to go to
Disney World and see all of the parks.
Henley: Hi, my name is Henley. I'm seven years old. I live in
Chicago Ridge, Illinois. What's on my bucket list is I want to
go to Disney World or Disneyland in California or Florida, which
ever one is fine with me, because they're both like the
same thing.
Emerson: My name is Emerson, and I am nine years old, and I live
in Chicago Ridge, Illinois. Something that I would like to
do on my bucket list is go to Ireland.
Charlie: My name is Charlie. I'm nine years old, and I'm from Old
Bridge, New Jersey. Some things on my bucket list are that I
want to go to Greenland, Russia and every state in America. I
also want to hike up tall Snowy Mountains in Colorado.
Melody: Those are really cool, Charlie. I want to climb some
tall mountains too. Lots of you sent us things that you want to
become when you grow up.
Isabella: My name is Isabella. I'm six years old, and I live in
Germany. My biggest dream is to be a singer when I grow up.
Florence: Hi, I'm Florence. I live on the Central Coast, New
South Wales. I'm 10 years old. On my bucket list is to be a
special effects makeup artist and do makeup in movie scenes.
Sarah: Those makeup artists are amazing. They can make young
people look older, or make someone look like a zombie or an
alien. They do all kinds of cool things. We'll keep our eyes on
the movie credits for your name, Florence.
Jane: Remember at the beginning when I said we sometimes include
things on our bucket lists that are maybe not all that likely to
actually happen. Well, Julian's got one of those.
Julian: I'm four year old. I live in Germany. My biggest
dream is to drive a race car over a rainbow.
Henry: My name is Henry, five years old. I live in Wheeler,
Massachusetts. I want to fly to the sun in the Magic School Bus.
Jane: Going anywhere on the magic school bus would be
amazing, Henry. But going to the sun, which is 15 million degrees
Celsius, or 27 million degrees on the Fahrenheit scale, would
be even cooler, or, I guess, hotter. A few others of you are
hoping to go to space too.
Charlie: Hi, But Why! My name is Charlie, and I'm six years old.
I live from Independence, Missouri. My bucket list item is
to go to outer space someday.
William: Hi, my name is William. I live in East Brunswick, New
Jersey. I'm 10 years old. And something that would be on my
bucket list is to go to space.
Lucia: I am Lucia. I am five years old, and I live in
California, and my bucket list is I want to go up to Pluto.
Melody: I don't have a space travel dream for myself, but
earlier this year, my family and I did go on a trip to Costa
Rica, much like Sebastian dreams about.
Sebastian: I'm nine years old. I'm from British Columbia,
Canada, and my bucket list trip is to help the sloths in Costa
Rica.
Tadhg: My name is Tadhg. I am six and a half years old, and I
Eleanor: Hi, my name is Eleanor. I am nine years old, and I live
live in Mayo, Ireland, and my bucket list is gorilla watching.
;
in Mayo Ireland, and my bucket list is to swim in the Great
Barrier Reef in Australia.
Reese: My name is Reese. I live in Germany, and all I want on my
bucket list is a hotel, a pool and a beach.
Remy: I'm Remy. I'm four years old. I live in Puerto Rico, and
my big dream is going to Germany.
Melody: So Reese lives in Germany and wants to be able to
float in a beach side pool. And Remy lives in Puerto Rico and
wants to go to Germany. There are a lot of beaches in Puerto
Rico. Maybe Reese and Remy could do a swap for their vacation
someday.
Sarah: That'd be so fun. Melody, Jane, do you consider yourselves
foodies, people who are really into food trends and restaurants
and cooking?
Melody: Oh, yeah, definitely. What about you, Jane?
Jane: I used to be now I just try to get food into my family's
belly. But I really, really love good food.
Sarah: Me too. I love good food and trying new recipes. Maybe
someday I'll get to try the food of some of our young listeners.
Mary: Hi, my name's Mary, and I live in Malvern, New York. I'm
five years old, and I would really like to be a cooker,
because it can help people's bodies and it's strong for them.
Sometimes. My mom makes me healthy food and vegetables.
Agot: My name is Agot. I'm six and a half years old. I live in
Norway. On my bucket list, I want to be rich, working as a
chef and traveling along the world.
Jane: Being a rich traveling chef would be a pretty cool
life. We're hearing all of your big dreams, the things that are
on your bucket list. Today, it's our special end of year episode
where we ask you a question and you send us the answers. More to
come, including some really fantastic careers you hope to
have.
This is But Why. I'm Jane Lindholm and today Melody, Sarah
and I are listening through all of the responses you sent us for
our last episode of 2025.
Melody: We asked you to tell us one thing you hope to accomplish
doesn't have to be right now, but something you want to do at
some point in your life. Penny has one to check off their
bucket list right away.
Penny: Hi, my name is Penny. I live in Biloxi, Mississippi. I'm
12 years old. My bucket list for next year is that I want to get
as many stickers as possible for school, and I want to make my
own little rubber band bracelet business.
Sarah: Penny, you're an entrepreneur, someone willing to
go out on a limb to start a new business. Good luck to you,
Penny! Nova also has a short term goal.
Nova: Hi, I'm Nova. I live in Springfield. My bucket list
would be to stay up all night before I go to college. I'm six.
Jane: I have no doubt you can accomplish that one Nova. I can
remember wanting to stay up all night too. But the funny thing
about getting older is that most adults would like to never stay
up all night again. Lots of us have goals related to getting
more sleep, not less.
Melody: Ah, to be young. Here are a few goals that might take
a bit longer to accomplish.
Nico: My name is Nico. I'm eight years old. I live in New
Hartford, Connecticut. On my bucket list is I want to be an
NBA basketball player and be in the Hall of Fame.
Sophia: Hello. My name is Sophia. I'm seven years old. I
live in Washington, DC. My goal is to be a ninja, and I want to
be as good as the [noises].
Sarah: Ooh, that's pretty good. How about these animal related
dreams?
Louise: My name is Louise. I'm three years old, and I want to
hold a rainbow butterfly.
Nina: Hi. I'm Nina. I live with Silver Spring, Maryland. On my
bucket list, I want to have a bunny.
Jane: I would love to hold a rainbow butterfly too. We
actually did an episode about butterflies where I got to go to
a butterfly enclosure, and some of them landed on my headphones
and microphone.
Sarah: And we're actually working on an episode about
bunnies right now.
Sally June: Hello. My name is Sally June. I am seven years
old. I live in Midland, Texas. Something on my bucket list is
to be an archeologist, because I want to find dinosaur bones.
Bradlee: I'm Bradlee. I'm eight years old. I live in Germany
Ramstein, and something that I want on my bucket list is when I
get older, to be someone who studies animals.
Lucy: Hello. My name is Lucy, and I live in Fairfax, Virginia.
I'm six years old. On my bucket list, I want to have babies in
the future and be a mommy just like my mommy, and have 10
babies.
Logan: Hi, my name is Logan. I'm 11 years old, and in nine days
I'll be turning 12. I live in Mount Martha, in Victoria,
Australia, and when I grow up, I hope to be a YouTuber, like a
successful one, and I hope to have a room that's just for
Lego.
Melody: A room just for legos would be brilliant. Speaking of
legos...
Seva: Hi, my name is Seva, and I live in Mississauga, Ontario,
and I am seven years old. On my bucket list, I want to go to
Mario Land, and I want to go to Legoland, and I want to play
Roblox.
Sarah: Here's one that combines career and travel.
Eleanor: My name is Eleanor. I'm four years old, I'm from
California, and my goal is to become a doctor, and I also want
to travel to Hawaii.
Melody: You're not the only one hoping to go to Hawaii, Eleanor,
Levi: Hi, I'm Levi. I live in Maryland. I'm six years old. My
bucket list is two go to Hawaii and see all the beautiful
nature.
Beau: Hello. I'm Beau, and I live in Ramstein, Germany. And
on my bucket list, I would really want to see a shark in
person and go to Hawaii.
Jane: We have a shark episode too. Beau, you might enjoy that
one. And one of our frequent guests on this show lives in
Hawaii, so maybe he'll let us go visit and stay with him, and
someday we can do some Hawaii episodes.
Sarah: Let's put that on our but why bucket list!
Melody: Yeah, should we do a few more of the travel dreams?
Sarah: Yeah.
Memo: My name is Memo. I am five. I'm from Oakland,
California, and on my bucket list is I want to go to Greece.
Tio: My name is Tio. I'm six years old, and live in Hartford,
Connecticut. And my bucket list is I want to go into the Amazon
rainforest and jump off a cliff into the water.
Lucy: My name is Lucy. I live in Nashville, Tennessee. I'm six
years old. Something on my bucket list is I want to see the
Statue of Liberty.
Harvey: My name is Harvey. I'm from Bristol, Vermont. I am six
years old, and I want to go to New York City and see the Statue
of Liberty.
Dom: My name is Dom, and I want to go to Japan and eat sushi,
and I want to go to Antarctica to see the penguin. And that's a
part of my bucket list.
Sarah: Jane, going to Antarctica is on your bucket list, isn't
it?
Jane: Sure is.
Luckily, you can see penguins in other places too. I've seen them
in Chile and Ecuador and Australia, but seeing them in
Antarctica would be different level.
Sarah: Just a few more to go, and they're all related to
things you've told us you want to be able to do in your life.
Here's a fun one.
Maddox: My name is Maddox. I live in Green Bay, Wisconsin,
and I'm seven years old, and what's on my bucket list is
being better at origami.
Melody: If you're unfamiliar with origami, it's the Japanese
art of paper folding without using any scissors or glue.
Maddox, send us some pictures of what you're making. We'd love to
see your work.
Emmett: My name is Emmett, and I'm six years old, and what's on
my bucket list is I want to build a computer.
Sarah: What kind of computer I wonder? Okay, last one.
Sophie: On my bucket list, I want to do an airplane race in
the sky. And my name is Sophie, and I'm from Waterbury, Vermont,
and I'm four.
Jane: That's very adventurous. Sophie, since we live in
Vermont, we'll keep our eyes on the sky in hopes of seeing you
win an airplane race someday. Thank you for sharing all of
your big dreams with us for our end of 2025 special episode, we
are inspired by all of your goals, and if you're listening
and didn't send in a bucket list item, maybe you're inspired by
this list too.
Melody: That's it for today. Remember, you can send us
questions on anything you're curious about. Have an adult
help you record your question using one of the free apps that
come with their cell phone. Tell us your first name, where you
live, and how old you are, and have your adult send the file to
questions@butwhykids.org
Sarah: But Why is produced by Vermont Public and distributed
by PRX. Our show staff is Melody Bodette, Jane Lindholm and me,
Sarah Baik. Our video producer is Joey Palumbo.
Jane: And our theme music was written and performed by Luke
Reynolds. We'll be back in two weeks with an all new episode.
Until then, Happy New Year, and as always, stay curious!