coming up, total solar eclipse. >> i live in little rock, arkansas. i heard that it's one of the best places to see the solar eclipse this year. can you tell me more about it? thank you. i love "nightly news: kids edition." bye! >> we have everything you need to know about the upcoming event. then, as families celebrate easter,

we'll visit one ancient place that has huge importance to three different religions. also, on a roll. the history of the white house easter egg roll. plus, baby boom. one zoo in texas has welcomed a roster of new additions. we're there with details. and in need of a good pick me up? >> if you're feeling mad, frustrated or nervous, press one. if you're nervous, go get your wallet and spend it on ice cream and shoes. >> how these words of encouragement from students turned into a global hit still having an impact today. >> your messages of joy and advice are helping the world be a better place. you are making a difference. >> to see that it's gone so far and that kids are able to give positive thoughts out into the world and share kindness. this is nbc "nightly news: kids edition."

>> welcome back to "nightly news: kids edition." i'm lester holt. it is great to be with you on a saturday morning. we have an awesome lineup, including our pop quiz, plus we'll bring you the latest on taylor swift, from her new album to those friendship bracelets. let's begin with a question that's been on many viewers minds and that's the upcoming total solar eclipse, set to take place on april 8th here in north america, and astronomers say the event promises to be both thrilling and extraordinary. it's a cosmic dance that will leave some of us in parts of the united states totally in the dark. the moon literally about to steal the spotlight. a total solar eclipse will cross north america on april 8th, passing over mexico, the united states and canada. cities like dallas, little rock, indianapolis and buffalo will be in what is called the

path of totality. >> hi. hi name is jason. i live in little rock, arkansas. i heard that it's one of the best places to see the solar eclipse this year. can you tell me more about it? thank you. i love "nightly news: kids edition." >> i have a question for you. how does the solar eclipse happen? >> great questions. a total solar eclipse happens when the moon passes between the sun and earth, completely blocking the face of the sun. to find out more, my pal al roker and i went straight to the source, hayden planetarium director and astrophysicist, neil tyson. >> so the earth and moon always have a shadow in space, always. but earth's orbit around the earth is not always lined up with the sun. it's tipped. so here is the shadow. it misses the earth. every now and then, every couple of years, somewhere on earth, the shadow will come

right onto earth's surface. >> to help demonstrate, i grab a flashlight and play the role of the sun. >> the moon is lit up on the other side. from earth, you can't even see the moon because it's lit on the other side, but you can see the sun. as the moon orbits the earth, it blocks the sunlight. >> that's one area where they'll have total blackness. >> and that area of blackness is a circle, and it moves across earth's surface. so that's why the eclipse has a beginning and an end. >> is it going to get dark, dark, like nighttime? >> dark. it's night. the stars come out, the planets are in view, animals start behaving weirdly. >> the total solar eclipse on april 8th is expected to last about four minutes. it will start with the sun getting skinnier and skinnier, and then the sun will become a crescent. >> as the sun gets narrower and narrower, the shadows start getting sharp, and

there are these motled lights that come through the trees and leaves. we just think that's light. the trinee is acting like a camera and those are mini images of the sun. when the sun goes to crescents, every one of those blocks of light becomes a crescent. and you have your protective eyewear on because you can't look at the sun. once the moon completely blocks the sun, you can take off the glasses and bask in the majesty of the solar corona. >> we can't normally see the corona, the outer most part of the sun's atmosphere, because the sun's surface below it is so much brighter. but during a total solar eclipse, the corona becomes visible. >> we are from hillsboro middle school in new jersey. we want to know why we can't look at the sun during the eclipse. >> hi, i have a question. why do we need special

glasses to see the solar eclipse in the day? bye. i like "nightly news: kids edition." >> we have questions from kids wondering about how safe it is to look up at the sun during this eclipse. >> yeah, so you should never look at the sun without protection. >> it will actually harm your eyes. >> that's right, because the lens of your eye focuses on whatever is out there. if it's a very bright source of light, it can damage your retina. >> remember, do not look directly at the sun without eye protection. >> so we have special glasses. why don't you each have one. if we look at each other through these right now, you don't see anything. it's completely dark. yet if you look up, you're able to see the sun. so this is not some version of sunglasses. these are very spec specially designed. >> nasa says solar

viewing glasses should comply with the international standards organization or iso. >> you want to make sure it meets the requirements for iso certification. >> it will be stamped. >> april 8th will be the last total solar eclipse visible from the united states until 2044. >> dallas is one of the cities, indianapolis. if you look at the path, it's some of the major cities in north america that are going to be in totality on april 8th, that afternoon. and you add up the total population, it might be one of the most viewed eclipses in the history of the world. simply because of how many big cities it crosses. >> people want to be together. >> they want to be together and share a cosmic phenomenon together. >> now for our around the globe series, this week we head to j jerusalem, an ancient city home to three different religions. we get details from our friendly, richard engel. >> reporter: jerusalem is a city of faith.

it has long been called the holy land because it is home to three religions, judaism, christianity, and islam. the city has been inhabited for thousands of years, with each civilization building on top of what was there before. >> jerusalem is filled with tunnels and underground passageways. this grotto used to be for drinking water and it still fills up today. there are also many vibrant markets here, bustling middle eastern bizarres. sometimes after school kids go to work to help their parents sell spices and souvenirs, and the food is delicious. every culture has pizza, and here they have a regular kind of traditional pizza with cheese and tomato sauce. this is the local pizza. no cheese, no tomato sauce, just bread,

olive oil, and a spice mix. it's very good. walking through jerusalem is like walking through history, each religion has its own place to pray in the city. hundreds of thousands of muslims visit the old city, eager to reach the mosque, especially during the month of ramadan. nearby, jews renew their connections to the promised land, praying at what is known as the western wall. steps away is the christian quarter, which comes alive during holy week. the church embodies easter like nowhere else. it's built around the very places where christians believe jesus was crucified, buried and rose again. this archbishop has served here since 1991. >> we're going up to where jesus christ was

crucified. >> the crucifixion site. >> under the holy altar, exactly where the icon is, there is a hall and exactly where the cross of jesus christ stood. >> can we touch it? >> you can put your hand inside. >> that's a great privilege. >> this is the place, the anointment stone. after the crucifixion, they put the body of christ here to wash, to prepare before they buried him. >> so people still now are rubbing their rosaries or just their hands on the stone where jesus' body was washed in order to receive a blessing from it. the final stop on our tour was jesus' tomb. >> this is perhaps the

most special place in jerusalem, certainly for the christian community. this is the tomb. >> exactly, exactly, the place where christ was buried and resurrected. >> cameras are allowed with permission, but it's very rare to be allowed to film in its most sacred spot. >> do you still have a unique feeling when you come into this place? >> of course, this is the center of our religion. >> reporter: three faiths offering their prayers in one small city. >> richard, thanks, fascinating, isn't it? back at home, the white house easter egg roll is set to take place on easter monday. did you know the very first white house easter egg roll took place in 1878 with president rutherford b. hays opening the grounds on monday. year after year thousands of children visit the white house to test their skills in the ultimate

challenge, the white house easter egg roll looks like a lot of fun. time for our pop quiz, and in honor of easter, our question this week, a baby rabbit is called, a, a kit, b, a cub, or, c, a pup? i'll give you a few second to think about it. i frankly need a few on this one. okay, time is up. the answer is a, kit. a female rabbit is called a doe and a male is called a buck. and guess what? rabbits are known to be very social and live in groups. and those bunny hops, that athletic leap is known as a binky. see, you always learn stuff on this program. me, too. just ahead, one zoo in texas is experiencing a baby boom, and it's capturing america's hearts. then, in need of a good old-fashioned pep talk? >> be grateful for yourself. >> everyone is capable of doing anything, you just have to let yourself shine.

>> the story behind these inspiring messages. plus, taylor time. our kids' edition correspondent ella has the inside scoop on all things taylor swift. he's a brand new dog, all in less than a year. when people switch their dog's food from kibble to the farmer's dog, they often say that it feels like magic. but there's no magic involved. (dog bark) it's simply fresh meat and vegetables, with all the nutrients dogs need— instead of dried pellets. just food made for the health of dogs. delivered in packs portioned for your dog. it's amazing what real food can do.

over the last few years, things have gotten weird. and for our kids these things can be overwhelmingly stressful. scientific research and real life experience tell us that the number one antidote to stress is authentic, trusted relationships. so that's why i... that's why i... that's why i am committed to building and maintaining a trusted space. this is a trusted space. - so abraham lincoln once said, "don't believe everything you read on the internet." oh, i see what they did there. misinformation online is real, and so are its negative and harmful effects. stay smart. the more you know.

welcome back to "nightly news: kids edition." hope you're having a great saturday. say hello to moja, corey and darcy, all new additions at one zoo celebrating a baby boom. let's get the details from our friend, erin mclaughlin. >> reporter: here at the fort worth zoo, a baby boom. since last fall, the fort worth zoo has welcomed a lively bunch of baby animals,

starting with moja, a male lion cub born in october. >> he is the first lion that we have had born here in the new predators of asia and africa exhibit. so that's pretty awesome. he currently weighs about 45 pounds. >> reporter: his birthmarking an important moment for lion conservation. >> having moja born here is phenomenal because he's going to be a brand new blood line for all of the lion populations for the u.s. >> reporter: and then there's baloo, a male colobus monkey who just arrived in january. did you know colobus monkeys are born with a pink face and all white fur? >> between 3 to 6 months old, they'll turn to their full color of black and white. so currently he is the white face and starting to have a little more of the black, and he's starting to teeth. so you'll see him put things in his mouth. he is still currently nursing off of mom. >> reporter: balaa's half-sister corey is

just a few months older and is starting to venture a little further from mom. meantime, 2-month-old ruby is making history, the first mandrill born at the zoo in nearly 30 years. >> she is extremely active, starting to mouth solid food but not necessarily consuming. her face is starting to elongate like you see in the typical mandrill features. >> they're one of largest monkey species in the world. these colorful monkeys have an unmistakable face. and korbel the giraffe was born on new year's day. >> he is starting to eat grain, alfalfa hay, lettuce. he is going to be one that likes to scope everything out. they can easily get anywhere between 16, 22 feet tall, so they come out big, but they also grow fast. >> reporter: and let's not forget about darcy, the first ever

rockhopper penguin to be hatched at the fort worth zoo. >> darcy was born december 21st, so she is now 4 months old. she'll stay kind of black and white pattern for a while. >> reporter: in about four years, darcy will develop a stripe that will become her characteristic yellow crest feathers as she grows to adulthood. >> it's awesome that we have had such a large baby boom here at the zoo, because what that means is that all the animals feel comfortable in all their surroundings that they would want to breed, and that's a big win for us here. >> reporter: new additions helping ensure that animals can flourish for years to come. >> erin, thanks very much. let's turn to entertainment. superstar taylor swift is taking a break between her eras tour stops, as fans eagerly await the release of her new album next month. and the friendship bracelet craze continues to soar in

popularity. our kids edition correspondent ella caught up with taylor swift reporter brian west for all of the latest news. ♪ >> hi, brian. i'm 8 years old. thanks for joining us. i have a few questions for you. >> hi, ella. i'm so excited. i hear you're the biggest taylor swift fan. >> taylor swift has a new album coming out. what can you tell us about it? >> so what we know is there's four different versions to this. so the base of the album is 16 songs, but on the four different versions, you have differently bonus tracks. so there's the bolter, the manuscript, the albatross and the black dog. it's coming out on april 19th, which, as you know, ella, taylor always is very intentional about the day she releases her albums. that day in particular is the day then 1775 was the american revolution, so there might be a tie that

one of the songs will blend in with great britain and also america. but it should be super exciting. i know fans are really excited to hear some of her new music. >> i love to make friendship bracelets. i know many swifties do, too. fans make them and then swap them at her concert. where did the idea come from? >> the idea came from one of her songs you're on your own, where she references make the friendship bracelets. it's become a huge community builder for swifties, so no matter which concert venue, you can expect people with bags and bags of friendship bracelets. it's a really good ice breaker and good way for fans to interact. i was also really fortunate that you were here with your mom jessica in nashville where i work, and you gave me a long friendship br bracelet and that's my second favorite song

of all time. i have it at my desk. i'm grateful for it. and that means we're officially friends and i gave you a friendship bracelet. >> one more question. what is the most unique memory that you have seen? >> i have so many, but i'm going to have to go with just one that really means a lot to me, that you gave me. i'm so grateful that because of taylor swift and jason kelce i was able to report on a video of you waving to taylor, and then you were able to come meet me when you were here for a dance competition in nashville. that's a really memorable moment that we will always have. and, look, what are you holding? >> your bracelet. >> oh, see, you have it. >> thanks! >> of course. thank you so much, ella. you're so good at this. i love your t-shirt. show me your t-shirt. you're in your reporting era. here we go. >> i have all of my bracelets. >> so good. you're really good at

this. i'm so grateful. thank you, ella. >> thank you. finally in your inspiring kids series this week, an update on a story we first brought to you in 2022, about students from one elementary school spreading kindness and positivity. and now their messages have reached millions around the world. we get details from our friend, laura jarrett. >> if you're feeling mad, frustrated or nervous, press one. >> if you're nervous, go get your wallet and spender it on ice cream and shoes. >> reporter: if you've been feeling mad or a little down, you're not alone. that's the theme behind one special project that speaks volumes. >> be grateful for yourself. >> everyone is capable of doing anything, you just have to let yourself shine. >> when you're feeling down, you can call in. if you had a bad day at school or work, you can call. >> reporter: anyone with a phone can call

the free pep talk hotline and hear prerecorded messages from kids offering words of encouragement, and life advice. >> you can do it! keep trying! don't give up! >> it's a very simple idea. it happened to catch on, and just happened to be the right thing the world needed at that moment. >> reporter: inspired by kids' resilience during the pandemic, this artist, along with students from west side elementary school in california launched the pep talk hotline in 2022. >> my one was, you are the best, keep trying, never stop. >> always stick together, like never stay apart, because sometimes you need people. >> two days after launch it went viral and started to receive over 60,000 calls an hour. what started as just a community project really became something that was a

worldwide movement. >> reporter: two years and 15 million calls later, the pep talk hotline is still going strong, thanks in part to donations. >> it's insane. people all over the world, in japan, in kentucky, arizona, like everyone is listening to it. >> reporter: reactions pouring in from around the world. >> you have beautiful voices and great messages, they're working. thank you from the east coast. >> keep being you. you're all the most fantastic humans and are doing great things. you really made some nurses in kentucky feel better on a not so great day. you rock. >> we've had letters from nurses and other first responders, people who are struggling with anxiety, people who have said that it literally saved their life that day. >> reporter: the pep talk hotline success also prompted schools and communities from near and afar to reach out. >> so pep talk is a two-part project. there's a hotline and

there's some posters, all with motivational messages made and created by our west side students. and we ended up working with 25 different countries, and all of these kids just simply making a poster with an encouraging word for their community and putting it up on a wall or those posters are now being featured in a book due out this summer. some of the proceeds going towards operational costs and c creating a foundation to keep the positivity going. in the meantime, the calls keep coming in. >> dear students, thank you all for your hard work and many smiles. you've given us and many others, you're all awesome. >> i absolutely loved your project pep talk. your messages of joy and advice are helping the world be a better place. >> the knowledge that their words made a positive impact on the

world and that they did that as young children, i think has given them tremendous confidence moving forward. they know that one simple word can change someone's day for the better. >> your kindness has power. >> reporter: kids spreading kindness, uplifting others, giving them hope and inspiration. >> has this experience changed you at all? >> yes. it made me feel a lot happier. you feel better and it just makes you way happier, that somebody cares. >> when i do call it, it gives me joy, to see that it's gone so far, and that kids are able to give positive thoughts out into the world and share kindness. >> you can do it! >> thanks very much. kids, way to go. love those messages. that's going to do it for us. parents, just a reminder, if your child has a question about any topic in the news, feel free to email a video to us at

nightly news kids. you can also follow us on instagram. and just a program note, you can catch a new episode of "nightly news: kids edition" every thursday on n nbcnews.com and youtube. thanks for watching. remember to take care of yourself and others. have a great weekend and happy easter.

good morning. it is saturday, march 30th. 7:00. a gorgeous look outside. pink skies over the golden gate bridge. our friend josh filling in this morning. what a sight for sore eyes, josh. thanks for bringing that beautiful look as we welcome holy saturday for allf