Spanish pod supports kids' curiosity and answers questions.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Sex, Romance & Nudity
very little
In the first episode there's a brief mention of Colin the alien being naked and realizing people on Earth wear clothes. Colin is asked to put on some clothes from a box in the garage.
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Podcast sets clear learning goals at the start of each episode by letting listeners know the questions that will be answered. Hosts offer additional information in a fast-paced, scripted, news report format. Could be more difficult for younger kids to follow than a show with a more conversational format. Expert interviews add to deeper learning, help give suggestions for kids and adults. Episodes help answer questions about the world like "Why do planes fly?" and "How are cartoons made?" and "Who invented surfing?"
Positive Messages
a lot
Intentionally researched topics are highlighted to encourage curiosity. Topics including health, climate change, and jobs focused on helping other people. Episodes leave kids with positive suggestions on reaching goals and what they can do to improve the state of the world and their communities.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Almudena and María offer positive examples of helpfulness and friendliness in assisting Colin, the curious alien visitor. Though he's receptive to new information, Colin has trouble staying awake while the hosts are talking, and he explains that his antennae pick up the information even as he sleeps. This view on multitasking may not provide the best example of solid study habits for younger kids who are developing these skills.
Diverse Representations
some
Podcast focuses its examples primarily on Spain and Germany but offers expert opinions from various countries around the world. Women in non-gender stereotypical roles are occasionally included but have supporting or minor visibility in the overall podcast. Podcast is fully in Spanish.
Parents need to know that Cometa Colin is a Spanish-language educational podcast whose hosts, Almudena de Cabo and María Prieto, offer answers to well-thought-out questions that satisfy the curiosity of a friendly space alien named Colin. This podcast embraces and empowers curiosity. The show starts with questions on a given topic and proceeds to answer the question throughout the episode. Assorted experts are interviewed who offer clarity, perspective, and suggestions to kids and families on how to further research and explore each topic. The goal of the show is to educate kids on themes that are relevant to their lives but that they may not fully understand, like where money is made and how it works. While the podcast is not inappropriate for younger listeners, the slightly less expressive, news-report style and format lends itself better to older children who rely less on a conversational tone to learn new material.
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What’s It About?
COMETA COLIN begins when experienced journalists and podcast hosts Almudena de Cabo and María Prieto stumble upon a friendly space alien living in their garage. They soon discover that he's visited Earth before and returns to continue learning all about our world. Each show begins with children asking questions about a specific topic, setting the expectation of what's to be learned in that episode. The themes are wide-reaching, covering the potential interest of almost any kid (or adult). Besides many STEM topics, others include sports, history, cultures and traditions, and fantasy. Each episode includes research-based explanations on the theme, supported by experts in the field who offer clear explanations as well as suggestions about how kids and adults can further explore the topic.
The clever concept of this podcast has all the right ingredients for an engaging show, but it has a slightly flat news-report style that may leave kids less than enthusiastic. Cometa Colin has a great premise: to teach an alien from another planet all about Earth. The themes are expansive, interesting, and well-researched to include learners interested in many subjects, but younger listeners who benefit from a more conversational tone may find it difficult to follow and process the rapid pace and newsy delivery of information.
Unfortunately, Colin regularly falls asleep when Almudena and María are talking, explaining that he can sleep and listen through his antenna at the same time. This example of multitasking might not be so great for kids who are learning to listen for the purpose of learning, are building skills toward having good study habits, and don't have antennae.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Cometa Colin supports and embraces curiosity. Why is this an important character strength?
What is something that you learned from Cometa Colin that you would like to know even more about? Where can you find the answers to your questions?
Colin doesn't know much about Earth and how things work here, so he of course has many questions. How do the hosts help guide and support him? How would you help someone who didn't know much about how things worked in your town or country?
What would you want to know about the planet where Colin was born? What would you ask him?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Debra Alvarado
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
