Parents' Guide to The Past and the Curious: A History Podcast for Kids and Families

Podcast History Independent Average run time: 30 minutes
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Common Sense Media Review

Lakshmi Hutchinson By Lakshmi Hutchinson , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 7+

Fun and engaging history podcast for the whole family.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 7+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 8+

Based on 2 parent reviews

age 9+

Based on 1 kid review

What's It About?

Each episode of THE PAST AND THE CURIOUS weaves together stories of people and events in history, often in an unexpected way. Stories that at first seem to be about fashion or bicycle racing are also about the women's suffrage movement. Background information and context are always clearly provided, so you don't need any prior knowledge about the topic. "Quiz time" takes place in the middle of the episode, and it's a great way for the host to share fun facts in quiz form. Every episode ends with a song that's related to the topics covered in the episode, performed either by the host or a musical guest.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 2 ):
Kids say ( 1 ):

If you're after a thoughtful and engaging history podcast for kids and adults alike, you can't go wrong with this one. The Past and The Curious manages to inform and entertain, using well-told stories to give listeners insight into people's lives throughout history. The host, Mick Sullivan, does a great job of connecting the stories, quiz questions, and music around a theme. The podcast really makes you think about whose stories get told, why it's important to learn about the past, and how learning about history can be fun.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the types of stories chosen for The Past and The Curious. What makes them relevant or interesting to us today?

  • Why have some groups' stories traditionally been left out of history books? Why do you think their stories are less well known?

  • Why is it important for us to learn about people and events so far in the past? How do these stories help us shape our future?

Podcast Details

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