English, baby! Daily Podcasts

The Wizard of Oz is one of the most popular movies of all time. Generations of families have enjoyed watching as Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, and the Cowardly Lion make their way along the yellow brick road to Oz. Even if you’ve never seen the movie, you might know one of its most popular songs, “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”But have you ever wondered how Oz’s wizard came to be? An upcoming movie, Oz the Great and Powerful, starring James Franco, explores this question. It’s sort of a prequel to the The Wizard of Oz. Find out what Greta and Mason think about the old Oz and the new Oz in this movies English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

“When you’re on Twitter, everyone has free rein. I remember one time someone said, ‘Your forehead is so big, you can land an airplane on it.’”- Singer and actress Vanessa Williams, speaking about online insults. (Us Weekly) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

If you’re someone who is accident-prone, chances are you’ve broken a bone or two in your lifetime. Breaking a finger or toe can be a relatively minor injury, but a broken arm or leg can take a very long time to heal. Sometimes a broken bone even requires surgery.When you’re young, breaking a bone might be seen as something kind of cool. You might get to wear a cast, and have all your friends sign their names or write get well messages. It’s probably more difficult to break a bone when you’re older, because it’s less exciting, and your bones might take longer to heal. Find out whether Mason or Greta has broken more bones in this health English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Do you ever think about what shape your life would take if someone plotted it on a graph? Some people might imagine their lives as a straight line. Others might see their lives in a zig-zag pattern that has many highs and lows. Other people see their lives in a hill shape. They spend the first part of their lives climbing and climbing to the top, and then, at a certain point, they reach the peak and it’s all downhill from there. When you get to the other side of the hill, you’re not so young anymore. In fact, you’re probably getting old. Being over the hill means that you’re closer to the end of your life than to the beginning. It also means that you’re getting out of touch with what young people’s lives are like. You can’t see what youth is like anymore, because that darn hill is blocking your view.Of course, not everyone who’s over the hill realizes that they’ve already hit their peak. Find out whether Marni, Greta, and Amanda are over the hill or still climbing up in this age English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Even someone who isn’t a reggae fan can identify the music instantly by its signature beat. Thanks to artists like Bob Marley, the island sound is now a global phenomenon. Of course, there’s more to reggae than one artist. There’s a history to this music and many different subgenres. From the fast and exciting dancehall, to the often instrumental and more simplistic dub and ska, reggae is a diverse musical culture that’s about more than just dreadlocks and marijuana. Sara recently discovered that she likes reggae. Listen to her and Jeff discuss the Rasta vibes they like best in this music English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Stuff has a way of piling up. Even if you have a lot of storage, you will run out of room eventually. Everyone has some things they could get rid of. But how? You don’t just want to throw your stuff away. That would be wasteful, and it’s got to be worth something to someone. Time for a garage sale! A garage sale, also known as a yard sale or tag sale, is when you put all of the things you want to sell on your lawn or in your garage, put price tags on them, and sell them for a day or two. Shopping at garage sales can be a great way to find used furniture, electronics, and all sorts of fun surprises. Jason is thinking about having a garage sale. Listen to him discuss how to clear out some junk with Sara in this organization English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

“The other day Rachael Ray stopped by with chili out of the blue. I even got the recipe!” - Actor Kevin Bacon on a surprise visitor to the set of his new TV show, The Following. (Us Weekly) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Flying through the air at high speeds in a giant machine is pretty crazy when you think about it. Air travel is kind of a miracle. But the details of flying on a plane are silly and annoying. You have to arrive early and check your luggage, take off your shoes and go through security, sit in a cramped seat and eat tiny bags of peanuts. Worse yet, your flight can be late and you can spend hours in the airport. Other than the fact that you can cover thousands of miles in a matter hours, air travel isn’t usually a great experience. Of course, if you have enough money for first class, things are considerably better. But no amount of luxury can fix a fear of flying! Greta recently took a very long flight. Listen to her discuss the life of a coach passenger with Sara in this travel English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

We live in a fast-paced world. With computers and mobile phones, we have instant communication and access to all sorts of information in seconds. We are not interested in waiting. In fact, we don’t even have time for full words anymore. Acronyms, or words made of the first letters of the word of a phrase, are becoming more common all the time, because sometimes, you need to say what you’re trying to say ASAP. ASAP stands for “as soon as possible.” Usually, you pronounce each individual letter, “A-S-A-P,” but if you’re in a big hurry, you can say it like a word, “asap.” It’s used in business, when your boss needs something ASAP. Or if your friend is upset, you can tell her you’ll come over ASAP and help. Even though we do lots of things ASAP these days, sometimes it’s better to wait and do things slowly. In this English lesson, find out what Mason wants to do ASAP and why his wife Amanda wants to wait. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

With all the lights and props performers use these days, it’s hard to know what’s really going on onstage when you go to a concert. Are they actually singing up there, or just lip synching? Lip synching is when you move your lips as though you are singing, but you don’t make any sound. You’re just pretending while a recording plays. Generally, fans don’t like it when artists lip synch. In the ‘80s, the band Milli Vanilli’s career was ruined when people found out they were lip synching. Recently, the singer Beyonce sang the national anthem during the inauguration for President Obama’s second term. Or did she? Find out what Mason and Lily think about this controversy in this music English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

You probably don’t like to think about it very often, but germs are everywhere. Any time you go out into a public space, you run the risk of interacting with something that could make you sick. The sickness could be as harmless as a common cold, or it could be something as serious as the avian flu.Because of all these germs out there, some people worry about them a lot. They wash their hands obsessively, wear face masks, and carry hand sanitizer wherever they go. Other people try to be more relaxed. They try to stay healthy, but realize that there is no way of avoiding germs completely. Find out whether Marni or Lily is more afraid of germs in this health English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

“I really should lay off the fast food. I want to stay healthy!”- Singer Scotty McCreery on his New Year’s resolution. (Us Weekly) -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

It seems as if every day another newspaper or magazine is going under. The news magazine Newsweek just released its final print edition, after 80 years in print. And it doesn’t end with periodicals. Ebooks are threatening the existence of traditional book publishing, too.But if these publications are still available digitally, does it matter? Does it matter whether you get your content online or in a hard copy version? Are we truly nearing the end of print? Find out what Greta and Jeff think in this English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Everyone likes to multitask. If you can do two things at once, it will save you time. Unless, of course, one of those things is driving. In that case, multitasking can kill you, or someone else. Driving requires your full attention to be safe. Looking away from the road for a few seconds to push a few buttons on your phone seems harmless, but it’s actually very dangerous. Texting while driving is very tempting though. We live in a world of instant communication. It’s hard to wait until you’re finished driving to respond to any messages you get on the road. So pull over, put down your phone, and listen to Sara and Vanessa talk about texting while driving in this English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com

Hillary Clinton is one of the most well-known political figures in the world. She is a lawyer who first entered the spotlight as First Lady to President Bill Clinton. She attempted to win the Democratic nomination for President in 2008, and has spent the last four years as Secretary of State under President Obama.Now that she’s leaving her post as Secretary of State, there’s a big question on everyone’s mind: Will she run for president in 2016? Is it possible that she could be the first woman President of the US? Find out what Marni and Lily think about Hillary Clinton in this politics English lesson. -- View this and other great English lessons at www.englishbaby.com