Episodes

  • Sunken Treasure!

    Sunken Treasure!
    Jul 3 2025
    Episode Description: When a poetic message in a bottle leads Max and Molly back to 1835, they dive into an underwater mission to help Charles Darwin collect marine life for scientific study. Outfitted with SCUBA gear, they descend 99 feet into the ocean, facing rising pressure, nitrogen limits, and even a whale song or two. Along the way, they explore the invention of the aquarium and how light and sound behave underwater. The real treasure turns out to be a mysterious fossil—possibly linked to the POGs’ cryptic code. Math Concepts: Volume of a rectangular prism (Length × Width × Height), atmospheric pressure increases per 33 feet of depth, calculating percentage change (SCUBA air pressure reduction), estimating time and depth limitations based on pressure/nitrogen absorption, basic division with decimals and scientific notation (e.g., .00735), concept of buoyancy and neutral buoyancy as a balance of forces History/Geography Concepts: The Theory of Evolution & Charles Darwin’s 1835 voyage aboard the HMS BeagleGalapagos, marine iguanas and biodiversity, Invention of the aquarium by Jeanne Villepreux-Power (1832) Marine biology: coral, plankton, cephalopods, SCUBA mechanics, how light and sound waves behave differently in water vs. air Color absorption in deep water and its effect on perception, Early women scientists and scientific credit, Use of SCUBA gear: tank pressure, regulators, gauges, buoyancy vests
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    21 mins
  • It’s All About the Timing (and Time Traveling!)

    It’s All About the Timing (and Time Traveling!)
    Jun 26 2025
    Episode Description: When Aunt Murgatroyd reveals a fractured Time Radio crystal is the cause behind Max’s missing soccer cleats, Molly’s misplaced drumsticks and a poorly timed time travel – the Problem Solvers are sent back to the Centennial International Exhibition in 1876 Philadelphia to get answers. While there, they uncover a secret POG message in the Statue of Liberty’s torch (which is on display). But just as they start to decode it, a familiar enemy appears with an unexpected twist. Math Concepts: Volume of a rhombic prism: V = ((D1 × D2) ÷ 2) × L; Breaking multiplication into parts for easier mental math; Multiplying and dividing decimals;Understanding and calculating angle sums (360° total; opposite angles equal); Basic principles of codebreaking and sequencing History/Geography Concepts: Centennial International Exhibition (Philadelphia, 1876); Construction and oxidation of the Statue of Liberty; Timeline of electrical invention (gas lamps vs. Edison's light bulb); 19th-century American coinage (Seated Liberty vs. modern quarters); U.S. cultural exports: ketchup, root beer, popcorn
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    21 mins
  • Unlocking the Truth!

    Unlocking the Truth!
    Jun 19 2025
    Episode Description: As Max and Molly dive into Shakespeare’s ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ they discover just how dangerous misinformation can be—both on stage and in real life. Their mission sends them to India in 1930, where they meet Mahatma Gandhi in prison and attempt to calculate a daring jailbreak. But Gandhi isn’t looking to escape. Instead, he shares powerful lessons about resistance, strategy, and the threat posed by the Power-Hungry POGs – and how sometimes the best way to move forward is by staying put. Math Concepts: Calculating volume of a rectangular prism (V = length × width × height); Unit conversions (cubic inches to pounds using weight per cubic inch); Introduction to force and momentum (mass × velocity); Dividing by powers of tenHistory/Geography Concepts: Mahatma Gandhi and his 1930 imprisonment during British colonial rule; The use of nonviolent resistance and civil disobedience as protest; British colonization of India; The philosophy and global influence of Gandhi’s peaceful strategies; Introduction to Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and iambic pentameter
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    21 mins
  • The Siege!

    The Siege!
    Jun 12 2025
    Episode Description: Max is unhappy that his new soccer Coach is making him play defense until – a surprise mission sends him and Molly into the middle of the Battle for Rhodes in 305 BCE! There, they encounter the colossal Helepolis Siege Tower, built to lay waste to defending armies. Armed only with Math, teamwork, and quick thinking, they must escape capture and uncover the POGs’ latest plot before it's too late. Can The Problem Solvers survive one of History’s most epic standoffs? Math Concepts: Multiplying decimals & converting to fractions; Dividing and multiplying by powers of ten; The Area and Volume of a trapezoidal prism: V = ½(a + b) × h × lHistory/Geography Concepts: The Siege of Rhodes in 305 BCE; Ancient warfare strategy & city defense; Macedonian political conflicts after Alexander the Great’s death
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    23 mins
  • You Can’t Spell ‘POG’ Without ‘GO!’

    You Can’t Spell ‘POG’ Without ‘GO!’
    Jun 5 2025
    Episode Description: Max and Molly must travel back in time to ancient Korea to take on a master of Baduk, a legendary game of strategy known today as “Go.” If they win they’ll secure a cryptic scroll containing a list of POG moles. But how do you beat a master at a game you’ve never even played before? Can our Problem Solvers use clever tactics, teamwork, and a touch of flattery to outwit a boastful opponent? You’ll have to listen to find out! Math Concepts: Area and multiplication (e.g., 19 × 19 = 361 possible moves on a Go board); Exponential thinking; Logical reasoning and pattern recognition.History/Geography Concepts: The History of Go/Baduk, originating in ancient China and played across Korea and Asia; The Koguryo Kingdom (475 CE), one of Korea’s ancient Three Kingdoms; The Samguk Sagi, Korea’s oldest surviving historical record
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    22 mins
  • The Great Pyramid Scheme of Giza

    The Great Pyramid Scheme of Giza
    May 29 2025
    When Molly’s drumsticks mysteriously vanish, she and Max uncover a musical mystery leading them back to Ancient Egypt. Tasked with intercepting a secret message hidden in the Great Pyramid of Giza, they must use Math, musical scales and historical knowledge to crack an ancient code. But can they solve the puzzle before the Power-Hungry POGS get the upper hand? Math Concepts: Subtraction & Estimating; Percentages; Division with large numbers and simplifying using place value; Order of Operations; Musical Math History/Geography Concepts: The construction/evolution of the Great Pyramid of Giza; Ancient Egypt in 2625 BCE; Ancient Greek and modern interpretations of Egyptian engineering; Musical Modes named by the Greeks but used globally
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    22 mins
  • New School, New Frenemy, New Mission!

    New School, New Frenemy, New Mission!
    May 22 2025
    Max and Molly arrive for the first day at their new school named after H.G. Wells—only to discover things may not be what they seem. A mysterious new classmate and a message from Aunt Murgatroyd kick off a new mission involving time travel and an undercover threat. Their assignment: travel back to 1842 to meet Ada Lovelace and stop a shadowy group (The Power-Hunger P.O.G.S.) from misusing the first computer algorithm. Math Concepts: Percentages and proportions (e.g., identifying .083% of students as possible spies); Exponents and squaring numbers (e.g., 2×2, 4×4, 16×16); Logical thinking and conditional statements (If/Then logic) Algorithm basics; Pattern recognition History/Geography Concepts: Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage’s Analytical Engine; The origins of computer programming in 19th-century London; The idea of "moles" (spies) infiltrating organizations; H.G. Wells as a historical figure and author of The Time Machine
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    21 mins
  • We're baaaack! New Season! Mo’ Problems!

    We're baaaack! New Season! Mo’ Problems!
    May 15 2025
    Max and Molly are graduating out of the First Level of Problem Solvers -- however the ceremony is interrupted when the lights go out. When the lights come back on —their gold Problem Solving medals are missing! From here, a riddle leads them to ancient inventions, hotel kitchens, and scientific methods to unmask a Mole (AKA a spy) and uncover a plot by their new, more powerful nemesis – the Power Hungry P.O.G.S.! MATH Concepts: Multiplication and multi-step equations; Averages; Volume and displacement; The formula for Density (D = M/V); Pythagorean Theorem HISTORY/GEOGRAPHY Concepts: Archimedes and the Archimedes Screw (ancient Egypt and Greece); Archimedes' principles of density and water displacement; Geography references: Constantinople/Istanbul, Nile River, Greece, Egypt; Spycraft and the metaphor of a “mole.”
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    20 mins