The Best of Kids Podcasts from May 2017

As we begin to wrap up June 2017, it's time to take a look back at some of the very best episodes from the kids podcast world in May 2017.

Now, if you want to get the background on how I'm using the RadioPublic iOS app to publish these lists, feel free to go back and read my list of the best of kids podcasts from March 2017. (Or if you want to hear what you missed last month, here's the best of kids podcasts from April 2017.)  But otherwise, just know that you can listen to these specific episodes from the RadioPublic app or right here by using the widget below.

There were way more episodes I considered or listened to than the (admittedly arbitrary) ten-episode limit I'm imposing on myself.  So while this is maybe a sampler as much as the "best," strictly speaking, I won't steer you wrong, I promise.  With that, let's begin with the list from May 2017!  (Use this link to listen from the RadioPublic website.)

[P.S.  I don't know why the Brains On elevator piece is still showing up, and why the Ear Snacks and Past and the Curious pieces aren't in the full playlist, but individual links show up below...]

[P.P.S.  If you've stumbled upon this list more than a month after I've posted it, the overall list has probably been updated, but you can stream each episode below.]

(In no particular order)

Sparkle Stories: "Cats New Home" [Another good introduction to a well-loved series of tales from Sparkle Stories.]

But Why: "Why Are Some Animals Pets and Others Are Lunch?" [I think this is an excellent discussion of ethics of pet ownership, a good match for a Short and Curly episode on a similar topic.]

Story Pirates: "Ep. 51: Eat a Spider Day" [I loved this.]

What If World: "Ep. 32 - What If Sharks Had Legs?" [Star Wars and bad puns.  You've heard of dad jokes and dad rock?  This is dad podcast.]

Story Time: "A Longish Tale written by Michael Ryan" [A shaggy dog story, except it features a long-tailed marmoset.]

Good Stuff Kids: "Episode #70 - Frances England" [Always happy to hear kids musicians talk about their work on this podcast.]

Hello, World!

Jamie Johnson Football Podcast: "Episode 9: Jurgen Klopp, Georgia Stanway & Nikita Parris" [I'm more of a Bundesliga guy, but this great for the Premier League fan in your house.]

Wow in the World: "Corn Your Toes and Blast-Off To The Moon!" [Yay for NPR, Mindy Thomas, and Guy Rax.  75% science, 25% silly.]

Ear Snacks: "Extra: Facts! (Steven Drozd)" [Not one but two musician interviews in this playlist.  This one with Steven Drozd is pretty silly.]

The Past and the Curious: "On The Move: Nelly Bly, Henry Box Brown, All Around this World" [Listen to this episode then listen to the Deedle Deedle Dees songs about the people, too!]

The Best of Kids Podcasts from March 2017

I'm a big fan of podcasts, but I'm hardly the only one to note how difficult discovery is with podcasts.  Sure, I've got a comprehensive list of podcasts for kids, a regular review of the top-ranked kids podcasts, and participate in Kids Listen, a group created to support and advocate on behalf of kids podcasts, but with all that it can still be a little hard to jump in.

On top of all that, music has it pretty easy, comparatively speaking -- I can embed YouTube and Vimeo videos, or stream from Soundcloud or Bandcamp, not to mention make Spotify playlists.

So I'm starting something new I hope might change that just a little bit.  I'm going to start a monthly list of podcast episodes, and publish them via an app called RadioPublic.  It's an iOS and Android app that lets you download and listen to podcasts, but also features recommendations, both from RadioPublic employees and guest curators, but also listeners like you.  And me.  So download the app, search for "The Latest Podcasts for Kids and Families," and you'll be notified every time I update this list, which should be monthly.

As for the list itself, a few caveats -- first, while RadioPublic is open-source, and it's pretty easy for podcasts to make the list, if RadioPublic hasn't selected it, or a podcast producer hasn't submitted it, it can't be heard.  Most of the podcasts I would've recommended were there, but there were at least a couple I'd've been interested in featuring which weren't available via the app.  Second, I'm planning on limiting these lists to ten episodes, mostly because as a recommendation feature, I find long lists not optimally helpful.  Obviously, this means that I'm likely to omit some fun episodes each month (and also means I'm limiting myself to one episode per podcast).

My goal with this regularly updating list to get a broad range of types of shows and episodes featured over time.  If your favorite show is missing, let me know!  There's a good chance I'm already familiar with it and couldn't squeeze it in, but maybe you've got an entirely new podcast to share, and I'm all ears for those, too.

With all that said, let's get to the best of kids podcasts from March 2017!  (Use this link to listen from the RadioPublic website.)

(In no particular order)

"The Wind and the Sun" - Stories Podcast: I'm Team Sun, of course.

"49: Ronald Reagan and the Pineapple Paradise" - Story Pirates: Presidential Fan Fiction should be a holiday every year.

"#12 - BFG" - Buttons & Figs: All about the BFG!

"Marlow's Metamorphosis" - Storynory: Hearing the human Marlow act like a dog while Astropup gets to make human-like asides.  Win!

"S2E8: The Iceboy Cometh" - The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian: Back with the main storyline of the kids from the Explorer Troop.  Very strong LOTR vibe to this one...

"The ups and downs of elevators" - Brains On!: All about elevators, including the crazy one in the Brains On! offices.

"Part One: The Welcome Wall from the 'The Violet Crown (How to Be Super, Book 1)' Original Audio Story Series" - Sparkle Stories: The start of a new story series - an adventure set in modern-day Austin, Texas that sounds perfect for fans of Percy Jackson & the Olympians.

"The Case of the Whale Shark Party with Rafael de la Parra" - Tumble: I think they should name the whale shark Stefan.

"How Do Piano Keys Make Sound" - But Why: It's a But Why episode about music -- of course I'm going to include it!

"08.1 - On the Road - Part 1" - Shabam!: Mixes the overarching story -- kids on the run from a zombie-like outbreak -- with the history of transportation of all types.

Kids Listen: A New Advocacy Organization for Kids' Podcasts

If you've read this site over the past two or three months, you'll note that I've devoted no small amount of attention to podcasts created specifically with kids in mind.  From charts to reviews to bemoaning the poor state of discovery for kids podcasts, I've written about this comparatively new art form.  I've even attempted to provide a relatively comprehensive list of podcasts for kids.

The thing that struck me most forcefully while I immersed myself more deeply in the field was its similarity to independent (especially non-folk) kids music of ten or maybe fifteen years ago -- it's populated by a small group of talented creators who may feel isolated, face challenges in getting their work out in front of the broader world, and deal with the attitude of "they make podcasts for kids?" on a daily basis.

So that's why I'm very glad to be part of the founding membership for Kids Listen, an advocacy organization for kids' podcasts, which launched this morning.  You can read the entire announcement, but the goal is to build community amongst producers, advocate for growth of medium itself, and help develop standards and ethics for an audience for whom those standards and ethics are particularly important.

On top of that, the list of founding members are a starter pack of kids podcasts worth your family's time.  They include popular podcasts Brains On, Ear Snacks, Tumble, Sparkle Stories, Book Club for Kids, Story Pirates, and The Show About Science.  And it includes me, who's spent much of the past fifteen years advocating for high-quality audio entertainment for kids and families.  (And who's also attempted a podcast or three in my time.)

You as a parent or interested family member probably won't be that interested in the formation of an industry group other than having a vague hope that it's successful in its goals and there are even more podcasts created specifically for kids and families.  But I do hope you'll be interested in taking a minute (literally, like, a minute) to fill out this survey on your family's podcasting habits.  It would be tremendously helpful in giving the group some idea of who's listening and how.

And if you're a musician -- don't worry, I'll continue to write reviews, post videos, and conduct interviews in the kids music field.  But I hope you'll think about whether podcasting might be yet another way to share your creative output with the world...

Top Kids and Family Podcasts (May 2016 Chart)

Last month I debuted a chart of the top-ranked audio podcasts.  Nearly a month has passed since that effort, and I thought it was time to check in and see how much it had changed.

As it turns out, to some extent, yes, but not dramatically so.  Many of the kid-focused podcasts that were at the top of the iTunes and Stitcher kids and family charts in April are there still, but others dropped out of one or the other, while other podcasts found their way.

Before I provide the list, I should note again that this is a blunt instrument, combining pure rankings from two fairly opaque charts, and for a variety of reason should not solely be used as a measure of quality.  But I do think it's interesting to see which podcasts are breaking through in some way to more than a niche audience.  (Results compiled from Top 100 podcasts on iTunes and Stitcher "kids and family" charts on Thursday, April 12, 2016.  Podcasts that appear on both charts are listed with numbers; remaining podcasts only appeared on one list.)

Also: pssst.

1.  Brains On
2. (tie) Stories Podcast
2. (tie) Storynory
4. Tumble
5. Story Pirates
6. Story Time
7. Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd

Others (listed alphabetically): 1001 Classic Short Stories and Tales, Activated Stories, Adventures in Odyssey, Barefoot Books, Book Club for Kids, But Why, The Children’s Corner, Classics for Kids, Family Folk Tales, Little Stories for Tiny People, Molly and the Sugar Monster, Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome, Podcast Kid, Spare the Rock Spoil the Child, Sparkle Stories, The Story Home, That Story Show