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.
To review examples, check out any episode from #1235 to today, just scroll down.
Beginning with Episode #1307 we’re shifting to an open text format at the bottom of every MP3 page in the RSS. This should allow greater ease of access.
If you are using the curriculum your feedback is greatly appreciated, that’s how iterations like this continue to drive changes in the layout, and useability.
-
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.
906: "Thoughts and Energy"
Interesting Things with JC #906: "Thoughts and Energy" - Delve into the profound connection between thoughts, emotions, and energy, exploring neuroscience, spirituality, and ancient wisdom. Discover how our minds shape reality and harness the power of positive thinking.
891: "Cells Have a Resonant Frequency"
Interesting Things with JC #891: "Cells Have a Resonant Frequency" - Resonance is not just for objects; human cells also vibrate at specific frequencies, with the entire body resonating around 5 Hz. Further studies reveal unique resonant frequencies for the head and brain, highlighting the intricate biological rhythms within us.
673: "Kindness"
Interesting Things with JC #673: "Kindness" - Spread kindness like wildfire and witness the transformative power it holds. Small acts of compassion have a profound impact, creating a ripple effect of positivity. Let's build a brighter, more beautiful world together.
627: "Big Eyed Ostriches"
Interesting Things with JC #627: "Big Eyed Ostriches" - Ostriches have the largest eyes in the animal kingdom, even bigger than their brain, measuring about the size of a billiard ball. They also lay the largest eggs in the world!
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.
448: "Lipids and Brain Inflammation"
Interesting Things with JC #448: "Lipids and Brain Inflammation" - Scientists from the Salk Institute and UC San Diego have characterized a class of lipids that appear to have anti-inflammatory properties and decline in the brain with aging. These findings may have implications for neurodegenerative diseases.
378: "Octopus Arm Brains?"
Interesting Things with JC #378: "Octopus Arm Brains?" - Each of the octopus's arms contains a small cluster of nerve cells, giving the creature eight mini-brains in addition to a larger central brain.
236: "Locked-in Syndrome and the Miracle Microchip"
Interesting Things with JC #236: "Locked-in Syndrome and the Miracle Microchip”. Locked-in Syndrome is a rare neurological disorder characterized by complete paralysis of voluntary muscles in all parts of the body except for those that control eye movement. Emerging technology provides a brain-computer interface to help people who are locked-in communicate freely again.
218: “Elephants”
Interesting Things with JC #218: “Elephants” - The word “elephant” comes from the Greek word “elephas” which means “ivory”. The elephant brain is remarkably similar to the human brain, with as many neurons and synapses, as well as a highly developed hippocampus and cerebral cortex. There is a movement called the wooly mammoth revival that seeks to bring the species back to life through the genes of the Asian elephant.
191 - Interesting Things: Neocortex - The Robot Brain of Strawberry Farming
It's a sophisticated platform "brain", providing robots with real-time, agile, reactive control. When combined with robotics, the system provides 3D plant recognition and grasping, enabling robots to properly pick and pack sorted strawberry plants.
148 Interesting Things - Brain Coral
The cerebral-looking organisms known as brain corals do not have brains, but they can grow six feet tall and live for up to 1000years. Thank you to tiktok creator and Influencer Marmaid808 for today's topic!