A Short Story Podcast Series
Podcast Radio - Podverse - Headliner
Amazon - Apple - Audacy - Audible - Castbox - Deezer - fyyd - GoodPods - iHeartRadio - Instagram - JioSaavn - Listen Notes - Pandora - PlayerFM - PocketCasts - Podcast Republic - Podchaser - Spotify - Stitcher - Youtube
Link to Podcast Library or Scroll for Daily Feed
-
Episodes vary in duration from 30 seconds to 8 minutes.
All episodes are royalty free in their entirety—except for #509.
If you have an idea for an episode, please reach out to our team and we’ll happily schedule the topic for a future recording.
Priority is given to homeschooling parents, teachers, educators, and lifelong learning professionals.
Select episodes now include free curriculum materials at the bottom of the episode page, designed to support open education initiatives, teachers, classrooms, and homeschool use. These materials are aligned to multiple educational standards globally.
-
The podcast is currently in common carriage on the Podcast Radio Network.
In London, you can listen to the Podcast Radio Network over the air on DAB+ and access its variety of podcasts and audio content directly through your DAB+ radio.
In the USA, you can listen to "Interesting Things with JC" on Podcast Radio US over the air in various cities: in Detroit on 93.5 FM and WCSX-94.7 HD2, in Tampa on 1010 WHFS-AM, in Charlotte on 94.7 FM and WSOC-HD3, and in Ft. Myers/Naples on 96.5 FM, 101.5 FM, 105.1 FM, and WXKB-HD2.
-
Curriculum Summary for Educators, Homeschoolers, and Lifelong Learners
Interesting Things with JC now features free curriculum materials to go with select episodes, created for teachers, homeschool families, and curious learners of all ages.
Each episode includes a modular micro-lesson designed to support a 30 to 45 minute class. Curriculum content appears at the bottom of the episode page in easy-to-use expandable sections.
Each lesson includes:
Lesson overview (title, grade level, subject area, learning objectives)
Key vocabulary with phonetic spelling and plain-language definitions
Core story content based on the Precise Storytelling Framework
Full podcast transcript
Student worksheet with comprehension and writing prompts
Teacher guide with pacing, strategies, and discussion tools
Quiz and assessment rubric
Standards alignment across multiple global frameworks
We are currently piloting lesson alignment to:
Approved Standards – High-Level ListNGSS – Next Generation Science Standards
CCSS – Common Core State Standards (ELA and Math)
C3 Framework – College, Career & Civic Life (Social Studies)
ISTE Standards – Technology and Digital Literacy
NCAS – National Core Arts Standards
CTE Career Clusters – U.S. Career & Technical Education
ACRL Framework – Higher Ed Information Literacy
Bloom’s Taxonomy – Cognitive Learning Objectives
UDL – Universal Design for Learning (Accessibility Support)
International Academic Equivalents (Content-Only)
UK National Curriculum – Key Stages 3–5 (England)
AQA / OCR / Edexcel – UK Exam Board Specifications
IB (International Baccalaureate) – PYP, MYP, DP (academic subjects only)
Cambridge International – IGCSE, AS/A-Level (non-political content areas)
All lessons are open educational resources (OER) and designed with homeschool flexibility in mind.
-
If you intend to feature the series on your podcast or use it in your broadcast feed as interstitial content, please tag us on social media and/or send us an email.
512: "Why do so many things taste like Chicken?"
Interesting Things with JC #512: "Why do so many things taste like chicken?" Allegedly, everything exotic on a menu tastes like chicken!
510: "Smell and Dreams - A Mysterious Link"
Interesting Things with JC #510: "Smell & Dreams - A Mysterious Link" - The sense of smell is intimately linked to the brain regions responsible for memory and emotion, such as the amygdala and hippocampus. This link could explain why certain smells can elicit memories and emotions that can then be incorporated into dreams.
506: "Fat Dogs"
Interesting Things with JC #506: "Fat Dogs" - Overweight dogs are more likely to become obese, which can lead to inflammation and disease. Overweight or obese dogs account for 59% of dogs in the United States and 63% of dogs in the United Kingdom.
502: "Largest Recorded Snowflake"
Interesting Things with JC #502: "Largest Recorded Snowflake" fell in Montana in 1887 and was reportedly 15 inches wide and 8 inches thick. (38x20cm)!!!
496: "Microwaved Grapes"
Interesting Things with JC #496: "Microwaved Grapes" - grapes literally explode in the microwave.
494: "Genomics and AI"
Interesting Things with JC #494: "Genomics and AI" - An exciting development in genomics has been the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze and interpret large amounts of genomic data.
493: "Nutrition and the Aging Process"
Interesting Things with JC #493: "Nutrition and the Aging Process" - proper nutrition is an important factor in reversing the aging process and improving the overall health of our bodies. By making healthy eating choices and incorporating a variety of nutrient-rich foods into our diet.
492: "Telomeres and Aging"
Interesting Things with JC #492: "Telomeres and Aging" - We might be able to control aging through gene therapy in the near future.
490: "Heart Disease and Gray Hair"
Interesting Things with JC #490: "Heart Disease and Gray Hair" - An observational study found that the amount of gray hair in adult men is associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
488: "Koalas & Eucalyptus"
Interesting Things with JC #488: "Koalas & Eucalyptus" - Koalas survive on eucalyptus which contains toxins that will poison almost all other living things. Thank you to Rachael Nelson for suggesting today’s topic!
487: "Belonging"
Interesting Things with JC #487: "Belonging" is a distinct and personal experience that stems from a want to connect with others, and a need for positive esteem.
486: "A Few Fast Facts About Sea Otters"
Interesting Things with JC #486: "A Few Fast Facts About Sea Otters" - The fur of the sea otter is the densest of any mammal.
484: "An Earth-Like Mars"
Interesting Things with JC #484: "An Earth-Like Mars" - Paul Smith of the University of Bristol has laid out the foundation for establishing a thriving, contained ecosystem on Mars.
Ref - Smith, P. (2022). Extraterrestrial nature reserves (ETNRs). International Journal of Astrobiology, 1-39. doi:10.1017/S1473550422000398
482: "Sampson the Shire Horse"
Interesting Things with JC #482: "Sampson the Shire Horse" was 3,359 pounds (1,524 kg) at the age of four, and is on record as the largest horse in recorded history.
478: "Dragonfly Fakes Death to Avoid Coitus"
Interesting Things with JC #478: "Dragonfly Fakes Death to Avoid Coitus" - Extreme sexual conflict resolution in a dragonfly to evade male coercion.
Thank you to Rachael Nelson for suggesting today’s topic.
Ref: Khelifa, R. (2017), Faking death to avoid male coercion: extreme sexual conflict resolution in a dragonfly. Ecology, 98: 1724-1726. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1781
476: "When 2 Hearts Beat as 1"
Interesting Things with JC #476: "When 2 Hearts Beat as 1" - When long-term, devoted partners are in close proximity, their heartbeats synchronize.
Ref: Ogolsky, B.G., et al. (2021) Spatial proximity as a behavioral marker of relationship dynamics in older adult couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. doi.org/10.1177/02654075211050073
475: "2 New Minerals Discovered in Meteorite"
Interesting Things with JC #475: "2 New Minerals Discovered in Meteorite" - The minerals were discovered within a slice of the ninth-largest meteorite ever discovered, the El Ali meteorite, which crashed in Somalia in 2020.
474: "Nanorobotic Antibodies"
Interesting Things with JC #474: "Nanorobotic Antibodies" - Professor Yanay Ofran has developed the first nanorobotic antibodies, tailored to combat cancer, now in human trials.
472: "Black Olives"
Interesting Things with JC #472: "Black Olives" - Green table olives are made edible by putting them in lye, while black olives turn black by being exposed to air!
471: "Shrimp Hearts"
Interesting Things with JC #471: "Shrimp Hearts" - Due to the protection offered by the head over the tail, shrimp house their hearts and other vital organs in their head.