Euna, the Designer & the Highest Monkey Bars

Season 1, Episode 4

Meet Euna, an eight-year-old kid who loves rainbow loom, inventing things, and doing the monkey bars! When Librarian Rachel freezes on top of the highest monkey bars, Euna thinks on her feet and designs a solution to help Rachel realize her dream.

Grab your grownup for these extra resources!
  • Our grownup moment on this episode was about BKLYN Robotics League -- a tech and teamwork program at the library. Learn more about the program for kids ages nine to seventeen, or check out our Library Lab programs for younger kids interested in inventing and science.
  • Do you want to be on our Ooh Song? Record yourself on a smart phone or computer saying something you like to do, and have your grownup email the audio file to podcasts [at] bklynlibrary [dot] org. Oh, and tell us your name so we can give you a shoutout!
  • Read more books about designing, or check out How to Build a Hug by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville, the book that the Whoa Gizmo found for Euna.
  • There's no Whoa Gizmo app (yet!) but Jon has designed many other cool projects ... check out his website to learn more.
  • Love kids podcasts? We recommend these seven great podcasts for kids or listen to Forever Ago, a history podcast for kids, and our partner on this episode! 
  • If you're a teacher or a librarian, we created an activity for school-age kids that you can use in your own library or classroom, with this episode as starting point.

The Whoa Gizmo (aka our fantastic children's librarians) created a book list about designing and inventing to go along with this episode! Plus, if you're a teacher or a librarian, we created an activity for school-age kids that you can use in your own library or classroom, with this episode as starting point.


Episode Transcript

Meet Euna and Jon
 Euna Jo (left) is eight years old and wants to be an inventor when she grows up. Jon Langer (right) is a product and UX designer who lives in Massachusetts.

Sheneatha You’re listening to Page Flippers Take on the World from Brooklyn Public Library: a podcast where kids save the day by exploring their interests, discovering new books and talking to real live experts! If you can take over the show, you can take on the world!  

[Sounds of kids at an outdoor playground] 

Sheneatha Rachel? 

Rachel [Grunts] Almost there! 

Sheneatha Wow, Rachel! When did you get so good at the monkey bars?  

[Sound of landing on the ground] 

Rachel Whew! I’ve been coming to this park during my lunch breaks to practice. Some of these kids are really good! Like that kid! She’s the fastest monkey bar climber I’ve ever seen … And she can do the highest monkey bars! I wish I could do those. 

Sheneatha Why don’t you ask her what her secret is? 

Rachel Oh no, I couldn’t ... she’s so cool!  

Sheneatha Rachel, you're cool! I think if you just introduce yourself and say you admire her work ... 

[Phone timer sound] 

Rachel [Relieved] Oh, well would you look at that! It’s time for our Page Flipper meeting! We have to get back to library and set up the meeting room! 

Sheneatha Right! Let’s go ... 

[Theme Song plays]  

? Theme Song Lyrics ?

Kid I'm really good at cooking!

Rachel That's so cool. Maybe one day you'd like to work as a chef. Or own a restaurant. Or write cookbooks!

Kid I can draw a really amazing monster.

Kid I'm really good at painting.

Sheneatha Wow! Maybe you'd like to be an illustrator for books. Or work as a computer animator for movies or video games!

Chorus Page Flippers Take on the World! x 4

Sheneatha I can do so many things. I read about the things I dream. I flip pages like a chef flips pancakes. I'm a Page Flipper, I can do anything!

Chorus Page Flippers Take on the World! x 2

**AD BREAK Forever Ago is a history show for the whole family, from the producers of Brains On! Every episode looks into the surprising and fascinating history of things we think are ordinary, but they're not. Like ice cream flavors, video games, baths, and more. I'm Joy Dolo, an actor, an improvisor, a hater of mayonnaise, and a lover of history. I host Forever Ago, where we make learning about the past fun while teaching listeners to think critically about history. Follow Forever Ago wherever you listen to podcasts. **

Rachel Hi, everyone! Welcome to the Page Flippers Club!  For those of you who are here for the first time, I’m Librarian Rachel.  

Sheneatha And I’m Librarian Sheneatha! And I hereby call to order this meeting of Page Flippers: kid book lovers who want to be the best readers and the best people they can be! You know what we love to say: we flip pages like a chef flips pancakes.    

Rachel That’s right!  To start off our Page Flipper meeting, let’s do our Imagination Recitation!  

Sheneatha Everybody join in!  

[Librarians lead chant, with kid voices echoing the lines]  

Want to travel the world? Just flip a page!  

Want to save the day? Just flip a page!  

The story I make is up to me.

We’ll make our world what we want it to be. 

When we meet in this library space,  we change it to a magical place!

Rachel Now the magic can really start!   

[Shaking, tinkling, ringing ... sounds of the Whoa Gizmo appearing]

Melina What is that?   

Jack It looks like some crazy magical machine! It's got lots of buttons and levers.

[Whoosh sound] 

Kid voices Whoa!  

Rachel  Whoa is right ...  it’s the Whoa Gizmo! 

Jack What does it do?  

Rachel  Some incredible things!  But it can’t do anything until it gets to know our Star Page Flipper.   

Sheneatha So let’s get to it! Today’s Star Page Flipper is Euna!   

Kids Yay!

Euna Hi, everyone! 

Rachel [Gasps] Babbling books, we just saw you in the park! You're the best at the monkey bars! 

Euna Oh, yeah, that was me! Thank you. 

Sheneatha Euna, would you like to introduce yourself?  

Euna My name is Euna and I'm eight years old and I live in Brooklyn. 

Sheneatha Let’s hear it for Euna!

[Clapping, whistle]  

Ada Yay, Euna! 

Rachel Today, Page Flipper Euna is leading the show! During the Page Flipper meeting, we’ll find out more about Euna’s interests.  

Sheneatha Oh! And then the Whoa Gizmo will find her the perfect book! That’s my favorite part.  

Rachel Mine too. Because when we read, we go on adventures and learn more about the things that interest us. You know, the things that make you go “oooh.”   

Kid voices Oooh.  

Euna Librarian Sheneatha, don't you have a song about that?

Sheneatha I sure do.

? Ooh Song Lyrics ?

Sheneatha Tell me the things you like, that make your heart sing! Stuff that makes you happy, your favorite things. 

Simon Hey! I'm Simon Kenton, and I like running.

Sheneatha Things you love to do and learn about, things that make you shout! Ooh. Oh. Things that make you go ooh, ooh, ooh. 

Fletcher I'm interested in rocks and minerals, but what I'm most interested in is the periodic table of elements. 

Avraham I'm good at coloring, I'm good at playing pretend, and I'm very good at playing games.

Rachel Shout out to the Page Flippers on this week’s Ooh Song! Simon Kenton, Fletcher Gill, and Avraham Ohana. And any Page Flipper can be part of our Ooh Song. We’ll tell you more about how you can do that at the end of our meeting.  

Sheneatha Euna, since you’re the Star Page Flipper today, tell us, what makes you go "ooh"?

Euna I’m really good at making new friends, I’m really good at computers. I like to rainbow loom and when I’m outside I like to do the monkey bars, and I can skip bars.

Sheneatha If you could do anything when you grow up, what would you do? 

Euna I do like to draw, but I’d rather be an inventor because I like to make things a lot. I made a claw machine out of a box and a few pieces of cardboard and a plastic wrap. It grabs little notes that tell you what to do. 

Rachel Wow, that’s so cool. 

[Whoa Gizmo shakes] 

Sheneatha It’s time to see what the Whoa Gizmo will come up with for you! Euna, if you’re ready for the Whoa Gizmo, it’s ready for you. Pull the lever, and see what comes out.  

[Sounds of lever being pulled and machine working]

Sheneatha It’s a book! How to Build a Hug by Amy Guglielmo and Jacqueline Tourville. Illustrated by Giselle Potter. 

Rachel You know what it’s time for ... ?  

Kid voices Book talk!

Sheneatha Do you have things you don't like to do? Things that make you go “ick” and not “ooh”? 

Euna I don’t like peanut butter! 

Ada I don’t love honeydew.

Sheneatha Well, this is a story about a girl named Temple who doesn’t like hugs. She likes plenty of other things, like inventing, and riding horses, and reading books. [Galloping sound] But hugs? Too itchy and uncomfortable. [Groan] But Temple knows that hugs make people feel better, and she wants to feel like that, too. So, Temple decided she would build herself a hug. 

Euna How can you build a hug?

Sheneatha You’ll have to read the book to find out! Here’s a hint. [Moo] It has to do with cows! 

Rachel Now I’m really intrigued! What do you think, Euna? Want to check this book out?  

Euna Yeah!  

[Door knock, then door opens]

Jon Is this the Page Flipper meeting? 

Sheneatha It sure is! 

Jon Oh good. I just got a notification on my Whoa Gizmo app.

Sheneatha The Whoa Gizmo has an app?

Jon It does now! I just designed it. I like to keep up with the resources that the Whoa Gizmo recommends. 

Rachel Wow! I’ve gotta get that app. 

Jon Anyway, I’m looking for someone named Euna. 

Euna Here I am! 

Jon Hi, Euna! The Whoa Gizmo messaged me. It said you like to invent things. Is that right? 

Euna Yeah! 

Jon Well, I’m a designer. It’s my job to make things that help people come up with solutions to all kinds of problems. 

Euna That’s so cool! Can you tell me more about what you do?  

Jon Sure thing. I'm a designer, and I help a lot of different people and companies make all sorts of things.

Euna Cool. What kinds of things do you design?

Jon Some of the things are drink dispensors, tools for health care, gaming devices, there have been robots. All sorts of things that save people time and help people do things that may have been difficult.

Euna What made you be an inventor?

Jon My mom. She's a designer, so she's an inspiration. Also, not being satisfied with a lot of little things, and questioning everything, almost too much. But it's really good to question things because that's how we get better answers and we stay creative. 

Euna What was your first invention? 

Jon My first invention ... I did solve a problem involving my zipper years ago, where it was really hard to use my zipper with gloves, and so I made a big ring that attached to my backpack zipper, so it was really easy to pull. It was a circle, but it was great. 

Euna Did you go to school to be a designer?

Jon I did, so I went to Syracuse University and studied industrial and interaction design. And so we learned how to work with all sorts of people to put things together, from manufacturing to scientists to engineers the world over.

Euna How do you help your community? 

Jon What I like to do is I like to include people that wouldn't often be included in a product or a service. What sort of things are you going to invent in the future?

Euna Well, I'm thinking about trying to make something ... it's for plants, so it's like an Alexa except it's for a pot for a plant that will tell you if the plant needs water or sunlight and what type of plant it is. Because my mom has a bunch of plants at home, so that's why I want to help her with her plants. 

Jon What things do you like about the process of inventing? Like, how do you invent something?

Euna I first get an idea and then I try to find some materials that will work. 

Jon Nice, do you have any favorite materials?

Euna I usually like to use cardboard and tape.

Jon Those you'll be using for years. I still use those for a lot of prototypes. Foam is good, too. Your hot glue gun could be your friend. Also, toilet paper and paper towel rolls. They're really good to make a structure with, or handles. 

Euna [Laughs] Thanks for talking with me!

Jon Of course. Good luck with your future designs.

Sheneatha Bye, Jon! Come back and see us soon.

Jon Bye! 

[Door opening, music starts]

Rachel Okay, Page Flippers, to end our Page Flipper meeting, it's time to ...

Sheneatha Grab a grownup! Ay, we see you grownups out there. Go ahead.

Rachel We know you're there, grownups. We can smell you. Well, not really. But we know you're there! 

Sheneatha And if your mama or your auntie or grandpa or dad or your uncle, or your big brother or sister is washing dishes or something, just turn up the volume on this one! 

? Grab Your Grownup Lyrics ?

Shake your head up and down. 

Snap your fingers with us now.

If you can't snap, clap your hands! 

Side to side, just do your dance.

Grab your grownup! x 3

Just do your dance and take them by the hand! 

Shake, shake, and do your little dance now.

Sheneatha Here’s our grownup moment for today. It’s a program at Brooklyn Public Library for kids ages nine to seventeen who love to make things: the Brooklyn Robotics League! Kids and teens can join a team at their local library branch and use Legos, coding, and teamwork to compete against teams across the borough. Or, if your kid is younger, we have another fantastic program called Library Lab. Kids ages four and up learn science, technology, engineering and math concepts with fun, free activities and hands-on experiments at branches across Brooklyn. We’ll put links to both of those programs on our website.  

Rachel Did you know that the book we shared with Euna, How to Build a Hug, is an actual book? And, it’s a nonfiction book, so it’s about a real person: Temple Grandin, who grew up to become an animal scientist and inventor. You can check out that book from your public library. Plus, we have a whole list of other books about being an inventor on our website! Grownups, head to BKLYN Library [dot] org [slash] Page Flippers to learn more.  

[Ooh song instrumental]

Sheneatha Oh, and kids, if you want to join our Ooh Song, ask your grownup to use their smartphone or computer to record you saying something that makes you go “ooh."

Rachel Like, I like reading books! Or ... I … love … reading books. 

Sheneatha Yes! It’s okay if you can’t think of anything else. I love reading books, too!  

Rachel Thanks, Sheneatha. We are librarians, after all ... anyway, record yourself and then ask your grownup to email it to podcasts [at] B K L Y N Library [dot] org.  

Sheneatha That’s it! Page Flippers, see you next week, on our podcast feed … or any time at the library!

[Sounds of kids playing, door closing]

Rachel [Whispering] I don’t know if I can ask her ... 

Sheneatha Just do it, Rachel! Euna’s so nice. I’m sure she’d love to teach you to do the highest monkey bars. 

Rachel Okay, okay, deep breath. Uh, Euna? Do you think you could show me how you do the highest monkey bars? 

Euna Oh sure! Do you have time now? My dad and I were planning to meet at the park.

Rachel Really? That would be so great! [Whispering to Sheneatha] You were right! That was so easy. 

[Walking to the park] 

Euna It’s all about rhythm when you get on the monkey bars. You have to keep swinging your body to grab the next bar. 

Rachel Got it, got it. Sometimes I get scared when I’m up so high and I forget what I’m supposed to do. 

Euna I know what you mean. It can be a little scary up there.

Rachel Well, here we are! Man, those monkey bars do look really high ...

Sheneatha Rachel, are you okay? You look a little nervous.  

Rachel I can do this! Just keep swinging. Just keep swinging. Well, here I go... 

[Sound of climbing a ladder] 

Euna Just keep swinging, remember? 

Rachel Oh man, this is really high. I don’t know if I can keep going! 

Sheneatha She’s stopped moving! She’s just hanging there … 

Rachel Ah! 

Sheneatha She’s freezing up! What can we do?

Euna I’ve got an idea! What if I design something to help her? Jon uses technology to solve problems in the real world. What if I played a song to remind her! 

Sheneatha That’s a great idea! Here, you can use my phone to find something. [Yelling to Rachel] Hang on, Rachel! Help is on the way! 

Euna Hmm let’s see...  

[Slow waltz plays]

Euna No, too slow... 

[Fast electric swing song]

Euna Too fast ... 

[Another song plays]

Euna Perfect! Librarian Rachel, can you hear this? 

Rachel Uh-huh... 

Euna Just swing your body back and forth to this music. Don’t think about how high up you are! 

Rachel Okay … 

[sound matching the monkey bars] 

Euna It’s working!  

Sheneatha She’s doing it! Go, Rachel, go! 

 [Sound of feet landing on dirt] 

Rachel I did it! I finally conquered the highest monkey bars! Thanks so much for your help, Euna.  

Sheneatha Page Flipper Euna, you saved the day!  

Euna No problem. I’m glad I could help. See you at the next Page Flipper meeting! 

Sheneatha Once again, our Page Flipper came to the rescue by reading books and asking the right questions!   

Rachel Page Flippers, there are so many things you’re good at, so many things you can learn, and so many great things you can do!  

Rachel and Sheneatha Page Flippers, Unite!  

Sheneatha Wait a minute. I think we surprised them. They didn’t say it with us. Let’s say it all together …. all the Page Flippers listening out there, I’m looking at you!  

Rachel Okay, on the count of three we’ll all say, “Page Flippers Unite!”… 1, 2, 3 …  

Kids + hosts Page Flippers, Unite!

[Theme song instrumental]   

Sheneatha Page Flippers take on the World is brought to you by Brooklyn Public Library. It’s produced by Virginia Marshall and hosted by me and Rachel Tiemann.  Our script is written by Virginia, Rachel, and me, Sheneatha!  

Rachel Original music from Ty Frison and melody and lyrics by Sheneatha Frison. Maddie Flythe and Meryl Friedman designed our logo. Page Flippers Take on the World is produced with support from PRX and is made possible (in part) by a Ready To Learn grant from the U.S. Department of Education. 

Sheneatha Our team of fabulous children’s specialists and library professionals include Jessica Ralli, Rachel Payne, Fritzi Bodenheimer, and Kevin Kelley. We've got a list of books about inventing and designing for kids of all ages on our website, plus links to resources for free programs at the library. Check that out on our website: B K L Y N library [dot] org [slash] page flippers. Special thanks to Jon Langer, a real designer who works in Massachusetts! Kid voices on this episode were Euna Jo, Melina E, Ada, and Jack. Our Star Page Flipper was Euna Jo. See you next time at our Page Flipper Meeting – or wherever you get your podcasts! 

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