The Middle School Mind’s “Make Your Own Kid Podcast” Summer Series
Summer is in full swing and many kids are attending camps, summer school, visiting their local swimming pools, and going on much-needed family vacations. The summer is also the perfect time for kids to start their own podcasts. The father-and-son-hosted podcast, The Middle School Mind, is releasing a three-episode series from June 27-July 11 to show kids how easy it is to start their own podcast.
According to our Kids Listen survey of podcast listening habits, nearly half of the families surveyed listen to kids' podcasts for fun and entertainment. The survey also revealed that nearly 8 out of 10 listeners are “just listening” (rather than also doing other things at the same time.)
“Even though studies show that kids enjoy listening to podcasts, we discovered that there were relatively few independent podcasts created by kids, for kids. The ones our research found were no longer active while others were short-lived projects associated with school projects. Making a podcast with my 11-year-old has been an amazing experience,”
says the co-host and producer of The Middle School Mind podcast.
“The podcast gives my son a voice to talk about his thoughts and interests while providing a level of anonymity that’s important for kids to have.”
The father of this creative duo says he started The Middle School Mind with two goals:
- Produce a listening-worthy podcast, and
- Keep costs at a minimum since 11-year-old interests can change quickly and he didn’t want to get stuck with hundreds of dollars of podcasting equipment he no longer needed.
With a trusty Chromebook and a Blue Snowball microphone in tow, the duo began riffing on topics ranging from world-building on Minecraft, learning about cyberbullying from the school resource officer, and rage-quitting a calm game like Animal Crossing. The two found the pod-making process enjoyable and the publishing process easy with the hosting platform Anchor and other free tools like Pexels and Canva.
The Middle School Mind is an independent podcast that’s worthy of kids’ time.
“Each time we hit that record button, my son and I have a real conversation for 30–40 minutes where we are both fully engaged. When you think about all the screens, apps and TV shows you have to compete with to get and keep your child’s attention, the time we spend making the podcast is truly valuable.”
The two have enjoyed this time spent together so much that they want to share how easy and relatively inexpensive it is to make their own podcast, so they designed a three-episode summer series called “Make Your Own Kid Podcast” available for free starting June 27. Each episode in the series walks listeners through the process of starting and launching the first episode:
- Episode 1: Dad and son talk about their reasons for podcasting and ask the listeners to plan their first episode.
- Episode 2: Highlights the sign-up process on Anchor, recording the first audio segment, building the episode, including music and transitions on the Anchor platform, and how to create amazing-looking podcast artwork using free tools like Pexels or Canva.
- Episode 3: Walks listeners through the editing process and the final steps before launching their podcast on Anchor including additional steps to publish it on other platforms like Apple, Google or Amazon Music.
Finally, they talk about their own personal experiences — to help manage the expectations of future podcasters. The series comes with a step-by-step guide including screenshots to help listeners with the podcast creation process.
The duo is so passionate about kids’ podcasting that they are giving away two new Blue Snowball microphones to their listeners!
Listeners who leave a positive review for The Middle School Mind can reach out to the show’s creators to provide their contact information and a link to their review to be enrolled in the drawing. The drawing ends on August 1, 2022, when the two lucky winners will be announced!
Bonne Chance!
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Dad (not his real name), is the co-host and producer of The Middle School Mind podcast with his 12-year-old son, who is the founder and host of the show. The two started the show as a way to give his son a platform for his tween thoughts and ideas while maintaining the privacy and anonymity that every superhero wants and values. Dad can be reached via e-mail at:
middleschoolmind.podcast@gmail.com.
