Okay Wildlings, we'll level with you. We tried. We really tried to petition for the extension of summer vacation.

We gathered our most compelling evidence: the Feeding Ben Stuff crew got together to plumb the depths of the finest pool games in the land, Evan perfected his gnarliest kickflip at Woodward Skate Camp, and, to the delight of teachers everywhere, we had a tête-à-tête to determine the very best and brightest books in the summer reading catalog!

Alas, we are but a simple kids podcast. Perhaps the real victory was the fun with friends and family that we had along the way?

One thing's for sure: we've made this Endless Summer Episode for all of you, Wildlings, to commemorate and celebrate the frolicking freedom of the season!

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 23 Intro
01:20 - Pool Games
09:16 - Riddle Clue
09:38 - Summer Reading
18:02 - Skate Camp
20:00 - Joke Time
20:42 - Call for Submissions
21:09 - Cryptid Corner: Blobs!
25:39 - Riddle Answer
26:01 - Preview of Episode 24
26:12 - Credits + Call for Reviews + Word of Mouth
26:43 - Bloopers

Cryptid Corner includes audio from the single "The Blob", written by Burt Bacharach and Mack David, performed by The Five Blobs, and released by Columbia Records in 1958.

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What do you know, Wildlings? It’s the 22nd episode of Wild Interest! Join us on our quest as we interview quantum physicist Dr. Shohini Ghose about the history of her quark-y field and her own personal journey of discovery along the path! Then, ready your blindfolds and prep your palettes – it’s time for another installment of Feeding Ben Stuff, featuring Louise! Plus, Nichole shares a special report about the 2026 World Cup and all the enchanting soccer cheers from around the globe. Finally, we pay tribute to the late, great Dr. Jeff Meldrum, renowned anthropologist, professor, and lifelong Bigfoot researcher by returning to the very first Cryptid Corner EVER!

And, we’ve got a super special new segment called “We Made It All Up!”, an improvised storytelling collaboration between three different schools from across the US! Starting the story off are 6th graders from Rocky Heights Middle School in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. They passed their part of the story to 8th graders at Rocky Heights, who then sent all their recordings to the 5th graders at St. Veronica Catholic School in Cincinnati, Ohio! Finally, our Penpal by Podcast collaborators, the 5th grade class at Crow Agency Elementary in Crow Agency, Montana, brought the whole made-up journey to an end!

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 22 Intro
01:27 - Dr. Shohini Ghose
11:19 - Riddle Clue
11:34 - World Cup Fever!
16:49 - Favorite Sound
18:06 - Call for Submissions!
18:34 - Feeding Ben Stuff: Louise's Turn
28:18 - Joke Time
29:10 - We Made It All Up!
32:56 - Grandparent Stories: Nichole's Grandma
44:05 - Cryptid Corner: Bigfoot with Dr. Jeff Meldrum
53:12 - Riddle Answer
53:30 - Preview of Episode 23
53:42 - Credits + Call for Reviews + Word of Mouth!
54:13 - Bloopers

For more quality content from students at Rocky Heights Middle School and St. Veronica Catholic School, check out 2025 NPR Student Podcast Middle School Honorable Mentions “A Late Start Would Be Smart”, “Are You Smarter Than AI?”, “Mystery Unknown!”, and “The Flaws of School – Should Schools be Improved to Fit Students’ Needs?”

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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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