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A Short Story Podcast Series

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- 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 List
- NGSS – 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.

JC 5/29/25 JC 5/29/25

1298: "86 Oldsmobile Cutlass"

Interesting Things with JC #1298: "86 Oldsmobile Cutlass" – It was America’s best-selling car, and a quiet accomplice in state secrets, back-alley deals, and unmarked government fleets. Beneath the vinyl and velour? A whole different story.

JC 5/26/25 JC 5/26/25

1295: "Get Out and Move"

Interesting Things with JC #1295: "Get Out and Move" – A simple walk does more than stretch your legs. It grows your brain, lowers your stress, and resets your rhythm. The science is moving.

JC 5/19/25 JC 5/19/25

1288: "Don't Put Dawn in the Dishwasher!"

Interesting Things with JC #1288: "Don't Put Dawn in the Dishwasher" – It’s iconic, beloved, even lifesaving. But the moment Dawn dish soap enters the wrong machine, all that trust turns into foam and costly regret.

JC 5/17/25 JC 5/17/25

1286: "Where do you find a Left Handed ScrewDriver?"

Interesting Things with JC #1286: "Where do you find a Left Handed ScrewDriver?" – Some tools are built for precision. Others are built for the person holding them. But one? It’s built for something else entirely.

JC 5/16/25 JC 5/16/25

1285: "The Serpent That Watches the Sky"

Interesting Things with JC #1285: "The Serpent That Watches the Sky" – A 1,348-foot serpent lies hidden on an Ohio bluff...coiled not for strike, but for story. No bones. No gold. Just dirt, sun, and the memory of a people who mapped the sky by hand.

JC 5/3/25 JC 5/3/25

1272: "Steve’s Lava Chicken – Guinness Book Record for Shortest Charting Song"

Interesting Things with JC #1272: "Steve’s Lava Chicken – Guinness Book Record for Shortest Charting Song" - An 11-second Minecraft chant just broke the rules of music charts, streaming metrics, and what counts as a song. It wasn't polished. It was viral. And now, it's immortal.

JC 4/30/25 JC 4/30/25

1269: "What Is a Carnelian?"

Interesting Things with JC #1269: "What Is a Carnelian?" – Worn by soldiers, priests, and prophets, carnelian wasn’t just a gemstone. It was a signature, a spell, a centuries-old story carved into stone.

JC 4/12/25 JC 4/12/25

1250: "Great Loop Boating"

Interesting Things with JC #1250: "Great Loop Boating" – It’s not a race, it’s a rhythm. Across 7,500 miles of rivers, canals, and coastlines, the Great Loop offers a journey where tide, patience, and memory steer the way.

JC 4/11/25 JC 4/11/25

1249: "What is a Carpenters Board Stretcher?"

Interesting Things with JC #1249: "What is a Carpenters Board Stretcher?" – Carpentry doesn’t forgive shortcuts, and neither does experience.

JC 4/10/25 JC 4/10/25

1248: "Mahuffer – Wurst Place on the Beech!"

Interesting Things with JC #1248: "Mahuffer – Wurst Place on the Beech!" – It started as a joke and became a legend. A bar where nothing is finished, everything is broken, and somehow…it’s perfect. This is Mahuffer, and it’s still standing.

JC 3/31/25 JC 3/31/25

1238: "The Calendar That Made Fools"

Interesting Things with JC, Episode #1238: "The Calendar That Made Fools" – In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII dropped 10 days, rewrote leap year rules, and declared January 1st the new start of the year. But not everyone complied. The pranksters came next, and the fools followed.

JC 3/26/25 JC 3/26/25

1233: "Notification Hijacking – How Hackers Take Over Your Phone and Accounts"

Interesting Things with JC #1233: "Notification Hijacking – How Hackers Take Over Your Phone and Accounts" - You trust your phone. You trust your alerts. But what if one message, one vibration, wasn’t what it seemed? This episode exposes a chilling method hackers use to silently bypass your defenses and take over everything. You won’t see it coming.

JC 3/14/25 JC 3/14/25

1221: "Psychological Warfare"

Interesting Things with JC #1221: "Psychological Warfare" - From ancient empires to modern cyber tactics, psychological warfare has shaped history. Fear deception & propaganda win battles before they begin.

JC 2/19/25 JC 2/19/25

1198: "IWO JIMA"

Interesting Things with JC #1198: "IWO JIMA" – The brutal battle for 8 square miles of volcanic rock forged legends. 70,000 U.S. Marines met hell—21,000 Japanese defenders refused surrender. 27 Medals of Honor for bravery—the most in any battle in U.S. history. Valor, sacrifice, and the flag atop Mount Suribachi became immortal.

JC 2/17/25 JC 2/17/25

1196: "Skara Brae"

Interesting Things with JC #1196: "Skara Brae" – A deadly storm in 1850 ripped the land open—and revealed a Neolithic village older than Stonehenge. Skara Brae’s stone homes, beds, and even toilets lay untouched for 5,000 years. But the same sea that unearthed it now threatens to wipe it away forever.

JC 1/28/25 JC 1/28/25

1176: "What is a Lab Leak?"

Interesting Things with JC #1176: "What is a Lab Leak?" – Recent reports are that COVID-19 most likely originated from a lab leak. Explore the history of lab leaks, their causes, and what they mean for global health and safety. Learn how past incidents shape future protections.

JC 1/25/25 JC 1/25/25

1173: "Astrobiology and Extremophiles"

Interesting Things with JC #1173: "Astrobiology and Extremophiles" – Microbes that thrive in extreme environments may hold the key to life beyond Earth. Learn how extremophiles are shaping our understanding of the cosmos and space exploration.

JC 1/21/25 JC 1/21/25

1169: "How Language Connects Us"

Interesting Things with JC #1169: "How Language Connects Us" - Language is more than words—it’s the thread that connects humanity. From Proto-Indo-European roots to ancient scripts, discover how our words preserve shared values, link cultures, and echo across generations.

JC 1/16/25 JC 1/16/25

1164: "David Attenborough's Life on Earth Premieres"

Interesting Things with JC #1164: "David Attenborough's Life on Earth Premieres" – January 16, 1979, marked the debut of "Life on Earth" a series that redefined nature documentaries worldwide.

JC 1/6/25 JC 1/6/25

1154: "Pronoia"

Interesting Things with JC #1154: "Pronoia" - Is the world secretly on your side? Discover the electrifying concept of pronoia and how it might transform your outlook on life.