Podcast
Short & Curly
Hosted by ABC Australia · EN
Short & Curly is the fun and educational ABC Kids and Family podcast that makes philosophy and ethics easy, entertaining, and thought-provoking. Hosted by Molly Daniels, Carl Smith, and philosopher Eleanor Gordon-Smith, the show explores big questions for kids about right and wrong, fairness, truth, knowledge, logic, beauty, and art.
Perfect for kids aged 8–12, Short & Curly is loved by families, parents, and teachers worldwide. One of the best kids shows for curious minds, it inspires learning, laughter, and big ideas that help children learn how to think, not what to think.
Created by the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), trusted makers of award-winning children's content.
Binge this free educational ABC kids podcast series on the ABC listen app (Australia) or wherever you get your podcasts worldwide
Classroom Resources: Listen to the podcast in the classroom or as homework and use these resources to explore and expand upon the diverse themes and subjects covered in the show.
31episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
BITES – Being forced to step out of your comfort zone?
Yesterday00:03:12Tap to summarizeIt feels soooo nice staying in your comfort zone – it's so comfortable there! But stepping and stretching outside your comfort zone is an important part of life. Is it right when schools or parents push us to do things outside our comfort zone, before we’re ready? Or is a gentle push sometimes the only thing that will get us moving?
Transcribe →BITES – Is it fair if siblings get the same things at different ages?
2d ago00:03:41Tap to summarizeIt was supposed to be the greatest day of Carl’s life – finally, his parents said he was old enough to go on the big dipper ride at the fun park. But! Carl’s parents let his little sister go on the ride the same day! Is it fair that she only had to wait to be 8-years-old, but Carl had to wait to be 10? How do we tell the difference between something being truly unfair, and something just... making us feel jealous?
Transcribe →BITES – Getting annoyed when people don’t say your name properly?
3d ago00:02:45Tap to summarizeNames are really important things – they form such a big part of our identities. But for people with less common names, or names with uncommon spellings, it can get really exhausting constantly correcting people's pronunciation. How important is it that we pronounce people's names correctly, and how annoyed can we be when people get ours wrong?
Transcribe →BITES – Do adults-only areas discriminate against children?
4d ago00:03:54Tap to summarizeThere are heaps of seemingly cool places that kids aren’t allowed to visit – fancy resorts, or sometimes even rock concerts. Most of the time we accept these rules, but are they actually unfair? And if we were to let kids into adult places, would we have to start letting adults in kids' spaces?
Transcribe →BITES – What is the meaning of life?
5d agoTap to summarizeThat’s right Curly Crew, we’re going there. We’re answering the big kahuna, the ultimate question – what is the meaning of life? No spoilers here! But it definitely involves snacks, I reckon.
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INTRODUCING Wait... They Did What!?
Apr 1600:01:54Tap to summarizeWait... They Did What!? is the question you’ll be asking after travelling back through modern history with comedian Tilly Oddy-Black. We’ll unearth the weird, wild and outright scandalous stuff people did in the olden days... like letting kids buy fireworks, banning bikinis on the beach, putting blood-sucking leeches on sick people, and riding in cars without seatbelts. It’s the podcast that will make you feel just a little bit smarter than your parents and grandparents. New episodes out every Monday on the Kids tab of ABC listen.
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A fairy tale by the campfire – is it okay to scare kids into being good?
Mar 3100:22:08Tap to summarizeAt Camp Short & Curly, the marshmallows are toasty, the swings are wild, and Molly’s Amazing Cool Book Club is about to begin — but her stories? YIKES! From creepy sea witches to thumb-chopping tailors, why were some old fairy tales so weird and scary? A quick warning: this episode includes some old fairytales which are pretty gross, dark and scary sometimes – they even mention violence and death. If you’re not in the mood for that, it might be a good idea to listen to a different episode instead.
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The Emperor’s New Clothes - the nudie musical edition
Mar 3100:24:03Tap to summarizeIn this epic musical retelling of The Emperor’s New Clothes, Molly and Carl take you deep into a kingdom where following fashion rules and telling the truth is harder than it looks. There’s a sneaky tailor, an emperor who’s obsessed with her wardrobe, and a whole crowd pretending to see invisible clothes — until one brave kid says what everyone’s thinking.
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Little Red Riding Hood - Why are wolves always the baddies?
Mar 3100:20:56Tap to summarizeWhy are wolves always the villains in old European fairy tales? And is it OK to stereotype animals, or people for that matter? To investigate, Molly, Carl and Eleanor head off on a fairytale research trip to the snowy forests of Germany. But their adventure takes a spooky turn when they get lost on the way back to their hotel in the woods, with just one little torch to guide them...
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Rumpelstiltskin – is it OK to break a promise?
Mar 3100:23:03Tap to summarizeShort & Curly's world-famous investigative journalist Molly Daniels uncovers a juicy fairytale scandal full of royal drama, magical gold, and a very peculiar little man named... Rumpelstiltskin. But things get serious too— what if a promise you make is made under pressure? Do you still have to keep it?
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