Wild Interest

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...

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...

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...

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 pret...

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 begin...

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 a...

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,...

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 th...

Can a podcast hosted by kids be truly awesome? Yes, it can! Wild Interest takes you on an amazing ride through science, fun facts, natural mysteries and more, all hosted by siblings Nichole and Evan. Perfect for your next road trip, school pickup, or anywhere you want to spark a conversation driven by curiosity. Enjoy the magic that happens when kids are inspired by other kids! wildinterest.com

Is music truly the universal language? And what in the world is the Voyager Golden Record doing floating around in space right now? In this episode of Wild Interest, sibling hosts Nichole and Evan continue their sonic exploration by taking a trip to Belize to sit in with drummers carrying on the African Garifuna tradition as they gear up for the epic "Battle of the Drums!" Then, they cha...

Mabuhay Wildings! What in the world does "mabuhay" mean, and how did the Philippines give us both Olympic champions AND the modern yo-yo? This week on Wild Interest, our Philippines Independence Day special is one great big celebration of Filipino life and culture around the world. First up: Nichole says "hi" to Hidilyn Diaz, champion weightlifter and the first Filipino ever to...

Hey Wildlings! Do you believe in rooting for the underdog? What about the under-eagle? And what in the world happened 45 years ago that made everyone believe in miracles? This week on Wild Interest, Evan takes us back to the "Miracle On Ice" when the US Olympic hockey team didn't have a snowball's chance in heck of beating the stronger, faster Russian team — but somehow they di...

How do we perceive the world around us? With our senses, of course! But what in the world are those two mystery senses you may have never considered? In this episode of Wild Interest, Evan gets a closer look at the world of sight with eyeglass merchant Adrien Bouet in Paris, France, and Nichole tantalizes your taste buds while discussing the fantastic world of ice cream flavors with Pete Van Leeuw...

Music is the universal language! But what in the world does it feel like to rock out in the New York subway? And how do bluegrass kids make magic together? In this episode of Wild Interest, prepare to be dazzled by two amazing groups of kid musicians. New York's Retro Rebelles rock out in the subway, and the plucky Carolina bluegrass quartet Young Mountain Magic picks us a tune or two and tal...

Do animals talk? The answer might surprise you! But what in the world are whales actually saying to each other? And how does a whale language even have an alphabet? In this episode of Wild Interest, we dive deep with zoologist and pioneering animal researcher Katy Payne and discover the complex ways whales and elephants communicate. She even does her best whale song impression for us!  Project CET...

Our latest episode is all about the wild, wonderful world beneath our feet. Where does the word “dirt” come from? How do plants get nutrients from the soil? Could getting dirty be good for you? What about eating dirt? Nichole interviews Brandy Hall at Shades of Green Permaculture and learns about the importance of mindful landscape design, and how kids can get involved in healthy soil projects at...

Our seventh episode is all about sound, performance and storytelling. Nichole interviews Taryn Janelle and LeRell Ross of Atlanta’s Synchronicity Theatre who adapted John Steptoe’s 1987 award-winning children’s book “Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters” into a musical theater piece for all ages. Our special correspondent Nicholas drops the needle on some choice selections from his personal vinyl record c...

Hot on the trail of adventure, we track down otters with Jessica Kraft , learn to read the forest with Mark Warren , and learn about how technology is tracking us and what to do about it with McKenzie Funk . Along the way, Bobby the Bigfoot tells us how Sasquatches induce ASMR, and Nichole tells us about the number nine’s magical properties. As if that weren’t enough, she also teaches us a song to...

In this episode we talk to the heroes at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya who rescue orphaned baby elephants, raising them until they can return to the wild. They tell us all about a special baby elephant named Toto . We’re also joined by musician, historian, and creator of the Brooklyn Folk Festival , Eli Smith. He talks about his life in folk music, plays us the same song on two very differ...

Ever wondered what it’s like to be the voice of a bossy guinea pig on a hit TV show? Look no further. We are joined by Sofie Zamchick , the voice of Linny on The Wonder Pets. She tells us about playing Linny (she can still do the voice) and her career as a songwriter , actor, and master marimba player. Nichole introduces a new segment called “Feeding Ben Stuff” where her picky-eater friend Ben tri...

April Fools' and an eclipse in the same month? Wild Interest has got you covered. We get ready for the eclipse with astronomer Mark Lancaster. And we've got the perfect prank for you to play -- all you need is a banana and a paperclip. Nichole talks with Grammy Award-winning artist Tim Maxey about his band Not The Twos and his production and songwriting (for Kendrick Lamar, Summer Walker...

Wild Interest is a kid-created and hosted audio magazine. In this episode, legendary NFL quarterback Jake "The Snake" Plummer talks with guest reporter Justus about making big plays, being nice to people, and life after football. Nichole talks with Dr. Andrew Newberg about what's great about yawning and why some Olympic athletes do it right before they compete. Evan tells us about M...

Wild Interest is a kid-created and hosted audio magazine. In this episode, Nichole tells us everything we need to know about leap years and then geeks out on bees and their wax with beeswax candlemaker Jon Kornbluh . Evan goes deep on his favorite cryptid Bigfoot and speaks to Dr. Jeff Meldrum , professor at Idaho State University and keeper of the largest collection of Sasquatch footprint casts i...