Hey, parents, trustee here. You know what I hear constantly from homeschool parents in the Who Smarted

community? Thank you for introducing us to IXL. I get it. My cousin homeschools her kids and raves about how much IXL helps.

We're heading into that stretch where families are finishing the year strong and then summer hits with travel, camps, and shifting routines, and that's where Iexel shines.

Iexel is an award-winning online learning platform that fits seamlessly into homeschooling,

with interactive practice across math, language arts, science, and social studies from pre-K

through 12th grade. Everything's organized by grade and subject, so you quickly find what each kid needs.

Kids get instant explanations, and parents, you get clear progress reports.

Over 15 million students use I-XL, and it's proven to improve achievement in all 50 states.

So make an impact on your child's learning.

Whose Smarted listeners get an exclusive 20% off when they sign up today at www.

Iexl.com slash smarted.

That's Iexel.com slash smarted.

Hey there, smarty pants.

Trusty narrator here.

Back with another batch of cool and curious questions from cool and curious Smarty Pants all around the world.

Today we've got hiccups, hangers, owls, and even a giant storm on Jupiter, so let's get smarted.

Our first question comes from Ella, who asks, why do we hiccup?

Ah, yes, the mysterious hiccup. Hickups happen when a muscle in your body, called the diaphragm,

suddenly tightens or spasms without warning. The diaphragm sits just below your lungs and helps you breathe

in and out. When it suddenly contracts,

it pulls air quickly into your lungs and then your vocal cords snap shut right after,

making that familiar hicc sound. So what causes that spasm? Well, a few things can trigger

...