Welcome to The Middle School Mind Podcast! This podcast gives a voice and an online outlet for my son to talk about (almost) anything and (almost) everything that is on his mind. My son has a variety of interests spanning: Movies, TV, Anime, Books and Theater. I’m here to serve as his co-host, his sounding board, webmaster, audio engineer, and SEO guru so this website and podcast can be seen and heard by someone (aside from his mom). I’m also there to make sure we stick to a relatively coherent ...more
As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. After months of deliberation and soul-searching Father and Son publish their last and final episode of The Middle School Mind podcast. After nearly 18 months and over 35+ episodes, on this episode: We say goodbye to our listeners We talk about what's next for Son We hear from some of our past guests Of course we get a little silly And we play one last game So sit back, relax, grab the Kleenex and stick around for our very spec...more
The Middle School Mind podcast is taking a little break as we get into the holiday season and look out for new episodes from us in the new year. In the meantime, we wanted to share some other great kids and family podcasts to our listeners. On this week’s Feed Drop, we wanted to share a very inspiring episode from A Step Ahead Tutoring Services' podcast, Hot Topics!. On this episode of Hot Topics!, we meet Sydney Fowler, a teen entrepreneur of a Single Soul online clothing boutique for teens. Sy...more
The Middle School Mind podcast is taking a little break as we get into the holiday season and look out for new episodes from us in the new year. In the meantime, we wanted to share some other great kids and family podcasts to our listeners. On this week’s Feed Drop, we wanted to share a recent episode of The Geeky Dad Podcast where the Geeky Dad and the Multiverse Kids visit New York and check out a Star Wars exhibition this fall. We hope you enjoy it as much as we have. You can find The Geeky D...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind podcast, we talk about tween gift ideas this holiday season with our own spin with wrong answers only. This is our attempt at sarcasm to talk about gifts parents and loved ones should NOT buy the tweens on their gift list this holiday season. We rate these tween gift ideas on a scale of 1 to 5 empty presents, with 5 empty presents being a really bad gift and 1 empty present being a great, super useful gift. Father and Son talk about the following tween g...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind, we talk about how Son learned the basics of football by playing Madden NFL 22 on XBox One. Many middle school students are not into sports and Son is one of them. However, many kids have to attend sporting events to support their siblings, friends and family. Son’s older sister is in the color guard at her high school and she performs during halftime at the home football games. Rather than complaining about going to the games or sitting in the stands bo...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind, Son has a special guest, Raphael, who is here to talk about stage fright and how they prepare for theater performances. They talk about the process to get into a show starting with the audition workshop, the audition itself, call-backs, practices, opening night and all the feels associated with the closing show. Audition Workshops The workshop is like the pre-audition audition. You are generally divided by age and taken through singing, dancing and runn...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind, we continue our review of Halloween candies that are safe for kids with peanut and tree nut food allergies. Halloween is a fun time for kids, and since we have family members with severe food allergies, we hand out peanut and tree nut free candies on Halloween. On this episode, we pull random allergy-safe candy from a hat and we taste test each candy and tell you if we would Keep this candy, Trade this candy or Chuck this candy. Here are the allergy-fri...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind, we review Halloween candies that are safe for kids with peanut and tree nut food allergies. Halloween is a fun time for kids, and since we have family members with severe food allergies, we hand out peanut and tree nut free candies on Halloween. On this episode, we pull random allergy-safe candy from a hat and we taste test each candy and tell you if we would Keep this candy, Trade this candy or Chuck this candy. Here are the candies we review on this e...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind podcast, Son compares and contrasts his experiences with 6th grade and 7th grade so far. Here’s what we cover on this episode: We are no longer charting in Anguilla as one of the top kids and family podcasts :( Respect your teachers, kids. Teachers are people too! 6th Grade and 7th Grade comparisons Education and learning Homework expectations Teacher personalities Overall enjoyment —----------------------------...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind podcast, Son welcomes a special guest, Star Wars Super Fan Nate, who is here to talk about the original Star Wars trilogy! Nate is a die hard fan of Star Wars and he gives us a quick synopsis of Episode 4: A New Hope, Episode 5: The Empire Strikes Back and Episode 6: Return of the Jedi. Here’s what we cover in this episode Welcome to our guest, Star Wars Super Fan Nate! Star Wars Super Fan Nate talks about his experience in middle school Son ranks t...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind podcast, Son’s friend, TB, is back to talk about video games nobody plays anymore. These are games that Son and TB have played in the past and the two discuss the replayability, graphics and why these games should get another look. Unravel 2 (2018) - sequel to the original Unravel. It’s a puzzle game with little yarn people that Son and Father play together. Minecraft Dungeons (2020) - it was great to play when it first came out during COVID. But the ...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind podcast and today we welcome “TB”, one of Son’s friends from school. TB is a vegetarian and the boys talk about school lunches and what menu options are available for vegetarians. At the end of the episode we play a quick game thanks to an Instacart quiz on fun food trivia. Son and TB talk about: School lunches need a big change Options for vegetarians range from cheese pizza, grilled cheese sandwiches, sunbutter and jelly sandwiches and tuna subs E...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind podcast, we talk about one of our favorite games on the Xbox One, Gang Beasts. The game has multiple game modes for single and multiplayer local and online contests. The game has Jello-like characters punch and headbutt one another in a battle-royale where the goal is to throw your opponents off the level and be the last-man standing. There are different modes that have up to 8 players battling each other online. This is a game we can pick up for a...more
We are back for season two of The Middle School Mind tween podcast and today we talk about anxiety leading up to the first day of a new school year. Son is starting 7th grade this year and we start the episode talking about our summer. We also talk about school related anxieties that can bring returning students some concerns heading back to school. We wrap up this episode with Father asking Son some Would You Rather questions related to back to school! Topics we cover in our First Day of School...more
New episodes of The Middle School Mind podcast: 7th Grade launch on August 22. We publish new episodes twice a month and cover topics such as middle school life, gaming, and we sometimes have special guests. You can find our podcast, The Middle School Mind, on our website at themiddleschoolmind.com or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music or wherever you listen to podcasts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/themiddleschoolmind/message Support this podcast...more
On this bonus episode of The Middle School Mind kid’s podcast, we found a previously unaired episode about the video game, Pokemon Legends: Arceus for the Nintendo Switch. We hope you are having an amazing summer and we want to let you know that we are back later in August for season two. Son wants to talk about more school and life as he heads into the 7th grade! In the meantime, here’s what chat about on this episode: How Pokemon Legends: Arceus game works What this open-world game is all ab...more
This summer, we want to show tweens how easy it is to make your own podcast for kids! The Middle School Mind is launching a three episode series to guide you step by step to create your own tween podcast. If you enjoy listening to The Middle School Mind podcast for kids and you’ve wondered how easy it is to make your own kid’s podcast by kids for kids, we are here to help. Making your own podcast is easy, fun and does not cost a lot to start. We are here to show you step by step how we make The ...more
This summer, we want to show tweens how easy it is to make your own podcast for kids! The Middle School Mind is launching a three episode series to guide you step by step to create your own tween podcast. If you enjoy listening to The Middle School Mind podcast for kids and you’ve wondered how easy it is to make your own kid’s podcast by kids for kids, we are here to help. Making your own podcast is easy, fun and does not cost a lot to start. We are here to show you step by step how we make The ...more
This summer, we want to show tweens how easy it is to make your own podcast for kids! The Middle School Mind is launching a three episode series to guide you step by step to create your own tween podcast. If you enjoy listening to The Middle School Mind podcast for kids and you’ve wondered how easy it is to make your own kid’s podcast by kids for kids, we are here to help. Making your own podcast is easy, fun and does not cost a lot to start. We are here to show you step by step how we make The ...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind, Son talks about his perfect summer day and summer vacation ideas. Son is extremely fortunate to spend a lot of time over the summer at his grandparent’s lake house. We talk about his perfect summer day and his favorite part of summer vacation is watching the 4th of July Fireworks show on the lake. We also talk about an article from IDtech.com on Summer Vacation Ideas for Tweens. We talk about a few of these suggestions from the list and our ideas to che...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind podcast for tweens, we finish up our Ask a Teacher session with Mom, Aunt and Cousin! We have a great time laughing at some of the silly answers on this episode. Mom has been a middle school teacher for 26 years while Aunt has been teaching middle school for 27 years. Cousin is new to education and has been teaching for one year. On this episode, we ask the teachers about: If you changed your job, what would it be? What did you want to be when you wer...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind podcast for tweens, we share some exciting news and Son’s guest segment on The Ten News podcast for kids! Son and Ryan Willard, head writer, of The Ten News talk about summer blockbuster movies! Ryan was a guest on episode 1.15 Ryan Willard on our show earlier this season. You can find Son’s episode on The Ten News here! We also want to wish everyone a very safe and happy Memorial Day holiday in the United States and want to recognize all the men and wom...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind podcast for tweens, Son gets into the minds of middle school teachers to get their perspective on teaching middle school students. This is a family affair as middle school educators, Mom, Aunt and Cousin, join us on the show! Mom has been a middle school teacher for 26 years while Aunt has been teaching middle school for 27 years. Cousin is new to education and has been teaching for one year. We ask the teachers about: What made the teachers purs...more
On this very special episode of The Middle School Mind kids podcast Son interviews Ryan Willard, head writer, of The Ten News podcast. Ryan and Son talk about delivering news for kids age 8-12 on The Ten News podcast. Ryan and Son talk about their love of podcasting Our guest reflects on his life as a middle schooler Ryan and Son talk about life in the media Ryan talks about the importance providing news to kids Son asks Ryan what his dream interview and dream event to report on ...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind podcast, we get awkward. Son brings up three awkward situations for us to discuss and we bring up two bonus awkward situations to review. What does it mean to be Awkward? To start our episode, Son brings up a really far-off example of an awkward situation that has never happened and will likely never happen. Son highlights three examples of awkward situations Potty talk - do you pee in the middle urinal? This article from metro.co.uk highlights the ...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind podcast for kids and tweens, Son talks about his interest in Dungeons & Dragons and his first-time experience playing D&D. We talk about what Dungeons & Dragons is and how you can work with your party to build a new world and see how your character and your character’s choices play out throughout the game. We talk about in-person versus web-based game play and we can’t just can’t stop talking about Jeff Bezos. Thank you for all your support. ...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind podcast, Son introduces us to ASMR. Neither of us know what ASMR is and we go to our friends at youtube to help us find out! 1. What is ASMR? Wikipedia defines ASMR as Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR), sometimes auto sensory meridian response. It is a tingling sensation that usually begins on the scalp and moves down the back of the neck and upper spine. A pleasant form of paresthesia, it has been compared with auditory-tactile synesthesia a...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind podcast, we've had lots of fun making this show over the last few months. This episode is all about you and we are counting down the Top 10 Listener Cities based on the data we get from our podcast provider. We wanted to understand who is listening to our show and find out a little more about where our listeners are from and here's the top 10 cities where our listeners come to us from: 10. Bulverde, Texas 9. Three Way Tie Bellevue, Washington Houston,...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind podcast, we talk about throwback SNES games that are available on Nintendo Switch Online. Son highlights his Top 5 SNES games available on the Nintendo Switch Online. Here’s what we cover on this episode: How to access the SNES games through Nintendo Switch Online Son lists his Top 5 games he plays on the SNES 5. The Peace Keepers (1994) Beat ‘em up arcade game with sweet 80’s music. Son likes to play as Al who looks like Rock and uses a Rocket La...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind kids podcast, Son and I provide an update from episode 1.4 Oculus Quest 2…a VR-yyy Special Episode. Son received an Oculus Quest 2 from his aunts and uncles last Christmas and it’s awesome Pro Tip #1 - quit out of a game before shutting down the headset. Otherwise, you’ll need to reset the headset Oculus Quest 2 games covered in this episode: Vader Immortal: Episode 1 Richie’s Plank Experience - son rates is 10/10 Warhammer 40,000: Battle Si...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind podcast, Son and I talk about our first experience with COVID. We quarantined together in the basement and lived like bachelors. We are doing well and getting back on the road to health. Hope you guys are staying healthy as well! We got COVID :( Son tested positive on at-home COVID test then I tested positive with a PCR test at urgent care Son’s theory is this guy who chose not to wear a mask at a show we attended What were symptoms? Fever wit...more
On this podcast episode, Son ranks his favorite fast food restaurants that kids can relate to Here’s Son’s top 13 fast food restaurants from least favorite to favorite: 13. Chipotle-Chips with lime. Ick! 12. Papa John’s-Tastes great but does not sit well with Son’s tummy. He may be lactose intolerant. We should probably get that checked out. 11. McDonald’s-Coming in at #11, this may be pretty controversial for Mickey D’s. 10. Subway-The good: customizable to your tastes. The bad: their sandwiche...more
On this episode, Son talks about his food allergies to certain tree nuts and certain seeds like sesame and sunflower seeds. We talk about what food allergies are, how he manages his food allergies at school, how he keeps himself safe with his Epipen and that one time he was Epipenned years ago at daycare. Finally, we play a quick multiple choice game about food allergies. In this episode, we talked about: 1. What is a food allergy? There are the "Big 8" allergens that companies in the US must ...more
EPISODE DISCLAIMER: Thanks for checking out The Middle School Mind podcast. On this episode, Son and I talk about the School Resource Officer and his experiences with the School Resource Officer this year. In this episode, we talk about topics like substance abuse, alcohol, smoking, staying safe online and other topics. As always, we keep it clean on The Middle School Mind, but parents may want to listen first if you have younger or a more sensitive audience. Thanks and enjoy the episode! 1. Hap...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind, we talk about the Oculus Quest 2 VR system and why middle schoolers want this system this holiday season. Today's show featured: All I want for Christmas is an Oculus Quest 2 What is Virtual Reality (VR)? What are the popular games for the Oculus Quest? Beat Saber - kind of like Guitar Hero meets Fruit Ninja. Billie Eilish has her special edition Beat Saber music pack. If Eminem released a Beat Saber music pack, you would get a great workout. Ocu...more
1.3 Things That Are Out Episode Show Notes Today's show featured: On this episode of The Middle School Mind podcast, Son and I are joined by Son's cousin, The Magaladon (aka The Mag, Magz). On this episode, we talk about topics, trends and other things that are out. The Mag started us off and said the use of the word "Lit" tops this list. We devoted all of episode 1.2 to Minecraft and now Son claims that the open-sandbox game is now out. The Mag highlighted Mortal Kombat as a wort...more
On this episode of The Middle School Mind podcast, Son and I talk about the open sandbox world of Minecraft. In this episode, we talk about: * Why Minecraft is so popular * Different mobs or characters you can encounter in Minecraft: - Creepers - Villagers - Axolotls - Wolf pups getting shoved into Lava (you monster!) * Differences in playing Minecraft on different formats (PC, Xbox, Switch, Playstation and mobile) * We discover a free online sound board at myinstants.com and have a little fun p...more
This is our very first episode of The Middle School Mind podcast. Today we meet our hosts. For safety and anonymity's sake, we won't use our real names. If we happen to flub our lines in any episodes, you may hear us beep our names out. Dad is a 40-something marketing professional in the plastics industry. While he likes his job and his team, he likes the idea of retiring well before 65. To help him realize his goal, dad likes to focus on personal finance, developing new income streams and learn...more