Welcome to summer, Wildlings! Hit the waves with Nichole as she guides you through the ups and downs of her rafting adventure on the Colorado River in Cataract Canyon! Get nostalgic for the past school year as we listen back to the best moments created by our Penpal by Podcast student podcast groups all the way from Crow Agency, MT, to Brooklyn, New York! Evan elucidates the lore behind La Lechuza in Cryptid Corner - it's a real hoot! Haadiyah from South Africa interviews her grandma, Hunter from California reflects on his favorite sound, and back home on the range (in the studio), there's a funny little Animal Call to be identified!

Not to mention some hilarious jokes and one doozy of a riddle. So grab a snack, tell a friend, stay curious and, as always: keep it WILD!!!

Parents: visit our website to help your kids contribute jokes or favorite sounds, or to send us a message.

Timestamps for this episode are available below.

00:00 - Episode 21 Intro
01:20 - Cataract Canyon
09:26 - Animal Call
10:39 - Joke Time!
11:29 - Penpal by Podcast
20:04 - Riddle Clue
20:26 - Animal Call Reprise
21:23 - Cryptid Corner: La Lechuza
24:34 - Favorite Sound
25:17 - Call for Submissions!
25:44 - Animal Call Reveal
28:00 - Grandparent Stories: Haadiyah's Grandma
33:15 - Riddle Answer
33:56 - Preview of Episode 22
34:25 - Credits + Call for Reviews + Word of Mouth!
34:56 - Bloopers

Archival audio in Animal Call:
Rice, Jeff. Audio file copyright 2010, the Western Soundscape Archive at the University of Utah J. Willard Marriott Library, http://westernsoundscape.org & Public Domain recordings from the National Park Service.
Musical segments performed by Daca (Henry Payne Reeves) include "I'm Ridin' Old Paint" and "Old Chisholm Trail", from the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress.

Archival audio in Cryptid Corner:
Snippets from "El Pajaro Gigante de Robe" by Los Campeones de Raul Ruiz, published by Freddie Records, & "El Tecolotito" as performed by Ricardo Archuleta, from the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress.

Archival audio in Grandparent Stories:
Snippets of “Mannenberg” by Abdullah Ibrahim, 1974.

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Hey Wildlings, lace up your cleats and let's hit the pitch, it's time for Episode 20 of Wild Interest, "Red Cards & Redheads"!

Ever wonder who came up with red cards in soccer? Or why some people are redheads even though their parents aren't? Well, it's a red letter day, because we've rolled out the red carpet for our new friends, brother and sister duo Miles & Nico! They tell us all about their love for "The Beautiful Game", their favorite players EVER, and the roots of the yellow and red card penalty system in soccer. Then, they discuss their own roots as redheads and how and why the trait for red hair gets passed down through generations!

We also join Wild Interest collaborator Trey Lander at Fantasy Lane Studios in Atlanta, GA, to hear all about how he's turned his love for music into a career full of inspiration! And, stay tuned for some exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of us cutting tracks in the booth!

Plus, we've journeyed to the highlands of Scotland to follow one of the biggest fish tales of all time - the Loch Ness Monster! And, for Grandparent Stories, we hear from Philip in Maryland as he interviews his grandma!

Not to mention some hilarious jokes, a mind-bending riddle, and a fantastic favorite sound. So grab a snack, tell a friend, stay curious and, as always, keep it WILD!!!

Parents: visit our website to help your kids contribute jokes or favorite sounds, or to send us a message.

Timestamps for this episode are available below.

00:00 - Episode 20 Intro
01:43 - Redcards with Miles & Nico
11:24 - Riddle Clue
11:40 - In the Studio with Trey Lander
23:38 - Favorite Sound
24:50 - Cryptid Corner: The Loch Ness Monster
31:00 - Joke Time!
31:45 - Call for Submissions
32:10 - Redheads with Miles & Nico
35:39 - Grandparent Stories: Philip's Grandma
38:13 - Riddle Answer
38:36 - Preview of Episode 21
38:47 - Credits + Call for Reviews + Word of Mouth!
39:19 - Bloopers!

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Welcome to our Spring Holiday special! Spring is the season for flowers, baby animals, and major holidays! In this very special episode, we travel the globe to celebrate Easter, Passover, Holi, and Ramadan. We learn about Easter traditions from the washing of the feet to an Easter Day procession in the northern Philippines. We hear the Passover story from musical phenom Alica Jo Rabins, and Simone in Northern California invites us to her family’s Seder dinner. Evan throws colors at a Holi celebration. And we learn about how Ramadan is celebrated from Jakarta to Turkmenistan.

Timestamps for this episode are available below. Parents: visit our website to help your kids contribute jokes, favorite sounds, or send us a message: www.wildinterest.com/submissions

Timestamps:

[00:00] Intro

[1:24] Holi: Festival Of Colors

[4:12] Ramadan: Turkmenistan To Brooklyn

[6:04] Ramadan: Rustam In Jakarta

[7:52] Easter: Washing Of The Feet With Fr. Jeffery Ott

[12:30] Easter: Santuario de Chimayo With Patricia Trujillo-Oviedo

[23:00] Easter: Lola Lita In Manila

[26:23] Passover: Alicia Jo Rabins

[32:23] Passover: Simone Invites Us To Her Seder

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Ah, February! Already one month into the New Year, and we've got so much to share with you! Professional spoken word artist Jim Weiss stops by the studio to spin some yarns and talk shop with Evan. Mr. Weiss has narrated countless stories from Tall Tales to Greek Mythology, and U.S. History to Classic Fables. You've probably heard his version of The Tortoise and the Hare - it's pretty epic!!! Plus, get ready for the most dramatic reading of a cereal box...maybe ever? Speaking of drama: steel your nerves and brace your tastebuds - it's another edition of Feeding Ben Stuff! This time, it's Nichole's turn. Tune in to find out what never-before-heard-of-flavor-combination they invent this time! Then, get ready for a real cool treat!!! Introducing: SNOW ICE CREAM! That's right, we go to our test kitchen (and our backyard) to bring you a wonderful wintertime recipe that's sure to be a new favorite! We have a Grandparent story from Blake in Cary, Illinois and his Grandma, who grew up on a farm in Kansas! And, get ready for one of the original supernatural mysteries as Cryptid Corner explores the treacherous Bermuda Triangle! Plus, we share a few tricks for remembering how many days are in each month. You know, because February! Not to mention hilarious jokes, a mind-bending riddle, and a fantastic favorite sound. So grab a snack, tell a friend, stay curious and, as always, keep it WILD!!!

Parents: visit our website to help your kids contribute jokes or favorite sounds, or to send us a message.

Timestamps for this episode are available below.

00:00 - Episode 19 Intro
01:35 - Jim Weiss Spins His Yarns
11:58 - Animal Call!
12:22 - How Many Days in a Month?
15:02 - Riddle Clue
15:29 - Favorite Sound
16:21 - Call for Submissions!
16:48 - Feeding Ben Stuff Part III: Nichole's Turn
29:08 - Animal Call Reprise
29:57 - Grandparent Stories: Blake's Grandma
33:47 - Animal Call Reprise Part II
34:28 - Joke Time!
35:25 - Snow Ice Cream!
40:34 - Animal Call REVEAL
41:11 - Cryptid Corner: The Bermuda Triangle
46:10 - Riddle Answer
46:36 - Preview of Episode 20
46:49 - Credits + Calls for Reviews + Word of Mouth!
47:22 - Bloopers!

***

To hear more of Jim Weiss's storytelling, head to:

jimweiss.com & welltrainedmind.com

Animal Call samples clips from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology | Macaulay Library, by Allen, Gunn, Johnson, Maia, and Patterson; and "Intergalactic" by The Beastie Boys, © Capitol Records and Beastie Boys, 1999.

wildinterest.com

Hey Wildings, welcome to the New Year! If you're wondering what all the fuss is about, you've tuned into the right frequency! We have our very own supernatural elder, none other than Bobby the Bigfoot, join us in the studio for a very extensive, expansive, and enlightening look at the tradition of marking another trip around the Sun, aka the birthday of The Year?! We talk other new beginnings, like resolutions (got any, wildings?) and what it's like to move. Evan's got a real feisty Cryptid this time - don't call it a Marmot! And, we're graced by the cosmic presence of astronomer Wendy Freedman, who chats Dark Matter, Dark Energy, the EXPANDING UNIVERSE, and, oh ya, the new project she's working on called the Giant Magellan Telescope that will be able to see the very first starlight. Yeah, we're starting the year off right, Wildings - so grab a snack, tell a friend, stay curious and, as always, keep it WILD!!!

Parents: visit our website to help your kids contribute jokes or favorite sounds, or to send us a message.

Timestamps for this episode are available below.

00:00 - Episode 18 Intro
01:19 - Reelin' in the (New) Years with Bobby the Bigfoot
12:42 - Favorite Sound
13:31 - Call for Submissions
13:58 - The Expanding Universe with Wendy Freedman
23:51 - Riddle Clue
24:19 - New Year's Resolutions
26:19 - Joke Time!
27:07 - Cryptid Corner: The Barbegazi
29:25 - Unpacking the Big Move
33:08 - Grandparent Stories: Naomi and Levi's Grandmother Nonna
40:07 - Riddle Answer
40:40 - Preview of Episode 19
41:32 - Credits, Call for Reviews, and Word of Mouth
42:05 - Bloopers

wildinterest.com

Buckle up buttercups! In this thrilling Wild Interest, we mic Evan up for the first HUGE rollercoaster ride of his life. Listen to Evan shriek as he whips around Candymonium, the tallest, fastest, and longest coaster at Hershey Park. Then listen to Nichole harangue Evan for being too short to go on a zipline by himself. (Typical big sister behavior.) Finally, hear them both shout to the treetops as they whizz along the longest zipline in Central America. Brooklyn’s PS 66 gets in the mix with a mind-bending riddle; Dean in New Paltz, NY interviews his grandma; and Gianna in New Jersey shares her favorite sound. Oh, and there’s even a Cryptid who rides rollercoasters. Leave it to Evan.

Parents: visit our website to help your kids contribute jokes or favorite sounds, or to send us a message.

Timestamps for this episode are available below.

00:00 - Episode 17 Intro
01:28 - Rollercoasters!
04:18 - Hershey Park
05:08 - Evan's First Big Rollercoaster Ride: Candymonium
07:27 - Riddle Clue from PS 66 in Brooklyn
07:53 - Ziplines!
11:11 - Favorite Sound
11:47 - Call for Submissions
12:14 - Cryptid Corner: Rollercoaster Ghost Riders
15:09 - Joke Time
15:53 - Grandparent Stories: Dean's Grandma
20:14 - Riddle Answer from PS 66 in Brooklyn
20:37 - Credits
20:48 - Call for Reviews & Word of Mouth
21:10 - Bloopers

wildinterest.com

People use language to express themselves, but do you ever wonder how other animals communicate with each other? If they don’t speak like us, how do they convey information? In our first Animal Talk episode we learned about the complex ways animals communicate, and how some species even have their own languages and dialects. In “Paw 2” we find out even more about the amazing world of animal talk, and about the science behind linguistic development in animals. Evan interviews Dr. Irene Pepperberg, research professor at Boston University in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences about her groundbreaking work with Alex the African Grey Parrot. Dr. Pepperberg worked with Alex for 30 years and taught him over 100 English words. Not only was Alex able to communicate with humans, he even asked what color he was when looking at himself in the mirror, becoming the first known non-human to ask a question! Nichole goes beneath the waves with Dr. Aude Pacini from the Marine Mammal Research Program at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology. Dr. Pacini records whale and dolphin song with sophisticated underwater microphones. She was part of an expedition where the world-class cellist Yo Yo Ma played music for whales from the deck of a famous Hawaiian canoe! Evan takes us down to North Georgia with Project Chimps, a chimpanzee sanctuary where over 90 retired lab chimps roam freely on six protected acres of forest. Our hosts are also joined by the very human creator of the Brooklyn Folk Festival, Eli Smith, who plays some banjo for us and talks about the upcoming festival this November 7-9. This episode is jam-packed, but don’t worry, we still found room for favorites like Cryptid Corner, Grandparent Stories, jokes and more. Let’s get wild!

Listen now and have a whale of a time - this episode's a hoot!

Parents: visit our website to help your kids contribute jokes or favorite sounds, or to send us a message.

Timestamps for this episode are available below.

00:00 - Episode 16 Intro
01:36 - Dr. Irene Pepperberg & Alex, the African Grey Parrot
14:03 - Joke Time
14:57 - Cryptid Corner: The Wow! Signal
20:09 - Riddle Clue
20:31 - Deep Listening with Dr. Aude Pacini
27:48 - Favorite Sound
28:35 - Call for Submissions
29:02 - Eli Smith & the 2025 Brooklyn Folk Festival
34:44 - Going Ape at Project Chimps with Caregivers Lauren and Tawnya
44:31 - Grandparent Stories: Papa Artie
48:22 - Riddle Answer
49:00 - Preview of Episode 17
49:13 - Credits
49:45 - Bloopers

The background music in our interview with Dr. Aude Pacini features audio of live performances by Hawaiian musicians Gary Haleamau and Ledward Kaapana, as retrieved from the Library of Congress.

wildinterest.com

Have you ever had that dream where you arrive at school but something’s a little… off? Join us for our Back to School Special where Nichole and Evan experience exactly that. Their plan to squeeze the most out of the final days of summer is thwarted when they doze off by the pool and fall into an unexpected dream that lands them back in the classroom. But this time they’re not students — they’re the teachers! Sharpen your pencils, Wildings: this is learning the Wild Interest way. Prepare to earn your Podcast PhD as our hosts show you an easy way to make ice cream cake at home, and a great prank you can play using a banana. Find out what a palindrome is, and memorize a catchy song that helps you learn the names of all 50 US states. Dive deep into why we have daylight saving time and leap years, and discover the science of solar eclipses from a real astronomer! But wait, there’s more! What’s ASMR? How do you play Concentration 64? How do honeybees communicate? (Hint: they get their groove on!) Kids will come out of this episode prepared to dazzle their schoolmates with scads of new astonishing knowledge — and you’re in store for another hilarious cameo from everyone’s favorite cryptid, Bobby the Bigfoot! Sit back, relax, and let’s get wild!

Timestamps for this episode are available below:

00:00 - Episode 15 intro
02:50 - ASMR
05:40 - Cicadas
07:12 - How Honeybees Communicate
10:25 - Leap Years
12:28 - Solar Eclipses
15:18 - Daylight Saving Time
17:17 - Taste Explained
20:48 - Turkey Facts
23:43 - Ice Cream Cake
25:26 - Sliced Banana Prank
26:47 - Concentration 64
30:28 - Singing a Round: Row Row Row Your Boat
32:09 - Singing a Round: Frère Jacques
34:19 - States Song
36:02 - Palindrones
37:10 - Grammartime
39:30 - Magical Number Nine
42:45 - Fun Facts
44:41 - Nichole Wakes Up From Her Dream
46:22 - Credits
46:46 - Bloopers

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