Adventure/humor/educational podcasts for kids?
June 15, 2024 7:03 AM
My kid really loves Greeking Out, and the grownups like it ok too. But we have almost run through it. What else might we all like?
Things we like: conversational tone, good stories, the real-world educational content (notes on vocab, nature, history etc), and the dry humor and banter from The Oracle.
Open to books/audio books too. We also really liked Once Upon A Tim and Unicorn Rescue Society. Somehow they manage to be funny to grownups too without falling into this trap.
Things we like: conversational tone, good stories, the real-world educational content (notes on vocab, nature, history etc), and the dry humor and banter from The Oracle.
Open to books/audio books too. We also really liked Once Upon A Tim and Unicorn Rescue Society. Somehow they manage to be funny to grownups too without falling into this trap.
Smash Boom Best, a humorous debate podcast (in fact they recently did a debate between Kenny Curtis from Greeking Out and his daughter - Centaur v Pegasus), and Forever Ago, both from Brain’s On.
We’re also Greeking Out fans, and those are our other two favorites.
posted by Kriesa at 8:38 AM on June 15
We’re also Greeking Out fans, and those are our other two favorites.
posted by Kriesa at 8:38 AM on June 15
At around 7 or 8, we introduced my nephew to curated episodes of Stuff You Should Know. Pros - conversational vide, chill hosts, well researched, takes feedback, pro for us - lefty vibes. Cons - lots of episodes and not aimed at kids directly (although they're aware of their audience and especially in later eps will give warnings up top if the episode isn't kid friendly), ads.
This is an older list but someone on reddit put together an episodes by general topic:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1M_KDgk3ZsfR2qXkTUz5_ZPFAiHLtnt43/edit?gid=472120025#gid=472120025
Here's another reddit sourced list of kid friendly eps:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0aGYIDAH1xagLZh2SraDVy?si=yzE9QCJPSROu5iC-Y_FSMw&nd=1&dlsi=1e8a9ec249d84d07
posted by macfly at 9:54 AM on June 15
This is an older list but someone on reddit put together an episodes by general topic:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1M_KDgk3ZsfR2qXkTUz5_ZPFAiHLtnt43/edit?gid=472120025#gid=472120025
Here's another reddit sourced list of kid friendly eps:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0aGYIDAH1xagLZh2SraDVy?si=yzE9QCJPSROu5iC-Y_FSMw&nd=1&dlsi=1e8a9ec249d84d07
posted by macfly at 9:54 AM on June 15
Seconding smologies.
When I went through a similar search for my tween, most of the podcasts I found had a large amount empty fluff and very little actual content. By fluff I mean things like long musical intros, empty banter between the hosts with fake exaggerated laughing, make-believe stuff mixed in with the actual factual content. Smash Boom Best Is a prime example of that approach. There was very little actual content in the episodes we Iistened to; it mostly felt like filler and make believe. I guess that's what a lot of people enjoy; the approach is very popular. But if that's not what you're looking for, be prepared to do a lot of filtering before you find stuff you like.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 12:03 PM on June 15
When I went through a similar search for my tween, most of the podcasts I found had a large amount empty fluff and very little actual content. By fluff I mean things like long musical intros, empty banter between the hosts with fake exaggerated laughing, make-believe stuff mixed in with the actual factual content. Smash Boom Best Is a prime example of that approach. There was very little actual content in the episodes we Iistened to; it mostly felt like filler and make believe. I guess that's what a lot of people enjoy; the approach is very popular. But if that's not what you're looking for, be prepared to do a lot of filtering before you find stuff you like.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 12:03 PM on June 15
The Judge John Hodgman Podcast generally tries to keep it kid friendly. Humor and emotional intelligence!
posted by ropeladder at 12:18 PM on June 15
posted by ropeladder at 12:18 PM on June 15
We really enjoy Grim Grimmer Grimmest which is more storytelling than educational, but is fun and I enjoy listening to it along with them.
My kids balk at anything very obviously educational, but my son found an audiobook called the 39 Clues and I’ve found it’s sneaking in some historical facts as part of the plot so we’ll probably continue the series.
posted by LoraT at 7:02 PM on June 15
My kids balk at anything very obviously educational, but my son found an audiobook called the 39 Clues and I’ve found it’s sneaking in some historical facts as part of the plot so we’ll probably continue the series.
posted by LoraT at 7:02 PM on June 15
I have loved the Short and Curly podcast from Australian Broadcasting Company. It's an ethics podcast that is fun and insightful and great for sparking good conversation. They take in questions like, is it ever okay to steal or lie? Should you trash talk on the sports field. Would it be okay to totally live in virtual reality? Should kids get to vote?
posted by brookeb at 10:40 PM on June 15
posted by brookeb at 10:40 PM on June 15
Some Smash Boom Best episodes are more silly and some are more factual, but that’s not really the point of the show. If you’re looking for an educational purpose, it’s about how to make a convincing argument, whatever the topic. There are bits to illustrate logical fallacies and such. It also provides a good practice in being fair minded, as often the better argument won’t be on the side you or your kid personally favor, and it’s kind of fun to analyze that with them.
posted by Kriesa at 6:38 PM on June 16
posted by Kriesa at 6:38 PM on June 16
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posted by GenjiandProust at 7:57 AM on June 15