After doing fifty interviews with incredible educators and also fifty solo 'spotlight' episodes, I thought it was worth a moment to share some of my biggest 'aha' moments, surprising discoveries and also where this podcast might be going in Year Two.       Doing two episodes a week has been an honor and a privilege, and also exhausting at times, too!    I am not sure how I managed it, some months, but I'm very glad I did! The field of nature education is growing exponentially, and there are...

It's never easy to be 'the first' in a pioneering effort.  There is always a constant push to communicate the value, and the need, and the positive outcomes to people who may not even know they are missing out on something amazing and important.    Each generation that follows has it a little easier, because they are arriving and standing on the foundations that the first pioneer laid, for the benefit of future generations of students and educators. For the past four years, Carol Sanchez...

I've always been drawn to areas that are desolate, open and devoid of human presence, and this episode explores the power of our desert landscapes through my own stories and experiences.     Deserts are far more than sand and cactus, and most people speed through them as fast as humanly possible.   There are gifts to be found if we learn how to approach these unique places in ways that change us inside forever. Join the Forest Educator...

Sometimes, nature education can be 'up close and personal', like a walk in the woods, or picking raspberries.  Sometimes, it's more about paradigm shifts, technology strategies and learning to avoid being manipulated by intellectually dishonest players in our current systems.    In this conversation with author and educator Jeff Share, we talk about some of the fundamental problems around climate change and effective messaging, shifting narratives, and educational leadership that begins in...

According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 1 out of 5 U.S. children ages 3-17 has a mental, emotional, behavioral or developmental disorder. Anxiety disorders are the most common psychiatric conditions in children and adolescents, affecting nearly 1 in 12 children and 1 in 4 adolescents. This means that it's almost a certainty that if you are working with children, teens or adults, you're getting a fair number of children or teens in your programs who are struggling...

I am pretty sure I would have enjoyed my high school chemistry classes more if they had been taught by my guest Peter Kindfield, who shares his methodology and approach in outdoor learning.  His experiences demonstrate again how important our work is, for all of us in this field, and to discuss these topics, because I believe we are piloting the future models of early childhood, elementary and middle school education. It's a natural 'next step' to give ourselves opportunities to go deeper...

One of the very first challenges educators have today is finding a way to connect with students, and then inspiring them to engage with the activities and experiences offered because THEY want to, not because they HAVE to.   Without that key ingredient, we can't really go anywhere.  Full stop.   If you have experienced difficulty with this, you will know exactly what a problem it is, and how excruciating it is to be in it, for everyone involved.  Sometimes, we get lucky and don't have this...

Many Forest School Leaders begin their educational nature journey in the fields of Bushcraft, and ancestral skills.  Some come from a background in public education, while others get their start in Special Education.  Others still come from an occupational therapy or mental health background.  All seem to respond to the needs of children, and a desire to help them grow and thrive. Most of us don't really want to 'start a business' with all that it entails, but we usually don't have a...

In every program, just like in life, there are things that are clearly defined, established and understood, and then there are the 'grey areas'.  These are places where expectations can grow, issues can be unmet and problems can hang out, in the twilight gloom of our nature school or forest kindergarten. Left unchecked, these grey areas can create enough friction and frustration that it can sometimes tear apart our programs or our communities, and have tremendous negative impact for all...

It's not uncommon at the end of a meaningful nature program to see one person who is still sitting at the campfire, reluctant to leave.  The impact to our participant's lives can be significant, and it's difficult for some to return to their everyday lives, which can be lonely or filled with unsatisfying relationships.    Nature work often intersects with community building, personal growth, health and even healing mental and emotional trauma, which, for Forest Educators, means we usually...

The field of nature education is incredibly diverse, and this can make designing good staff training programs difficult, especially for new program directors or leaders. What are some of the problems that come up when we try to deliver and download a lot of information to people in a short period of time?  How do we emphasize important topics and make them 'sticky' so they will be clear if needed?   How do we evaluate our current staff training and know if they are working well, or could use...

One of the goals of this podcast is to shine some light on the accomplishments and hard work of amazing naturalists and educators like Amy Butler.  Her tireless work in the northern heart of Vermont has led to nature based programs for youth, wonderful staff training, public school partnerships and a thriving North Branch Nature Center. In our conversation, Amy shares details about her book 'Educating Children Outdoors', which is a guide for teachers and educators to achieve outstanding...

In this episode I share how I began adding 'rites of passage' elements into my summer camps, class trips and skills programs & activities, with an emphasis on the practical nuts and bolts aspects to these topics.     I also share how I got started in leading 'Coming of Age' programs for boys entering young adulthood, and how it evolved to working with parents as well. There is a noticeable shift in my own students and staff that occurs when I hold a space for this kind of awareness, and...

When you think of a 'nature school', most of us don't think of Newark, New Jersey.   It's incredibly urban, and set in a world that is almost completely dominated by human engineering.    To make a nature program work, it helps to start small, and to throw away the idea of 'what a nature school should look like'. This concrete jungle is where Chantel Zimmerman began her education journey.    She eventually left the public sector to create a successful nature program called The Sensory...

We're talking about The Hero's Journey this episode, and how it relates to the work we do as Forest Educators.    The Monomyth has a multitude of stages that are easily recognizable when we know what to look for, whether we are working with elementary age students, middle schoolers, high schoolers or adults.     The Hero or Heroine undergo many ordeals, trials and tasks in their journey into the unknown.   They encounter beings who might be allies, or become enemies, and discernment comes...

There are over 250 PRESCHOOLERS in the US who are either suspended or expelled from their programs EVERY DAY.    No, that's not a typo.  Two hundred and fifty preschoolers, every day, in America. When our children are struggling, they literally can't attend programs that don't provide an environment that supports them.  When they are kicked out, it creates tremendous stress for parents and those students, to find new programs that WILL address those needs. This means that forest schools...

There are few things that are more universally shared by humanity than comparative mythology and the 'initiatory experience'.   In this episode, we explore the incredible power that Initiations have in our individual and collective psyches, and how we can use this understanding to support our students in their learning and development. We also explore the 'Rite of Passage' ceremonies and how they served multiple functions in a small village or community for tens of thousands of...

How do you create nature programs in a country where virtually everything is cultivated through commercial agriculture and highly impacted landscapes?  My conversation with Jael Nouhet of the Netherlands explores his efforts to plant seeds, trees and plants to create the future forests for children and educators in a few decades! It takes a tremendous effort to create the kind of consensus building, commitment and investment towards a long term vision of a future with nature-connected...

The paths we take in our journey as educators are incredibly diverse and unique to each of us.  We all have different origins, with mentors, teachers, opportunities and our communities all influencing how we do what we do. In this episode, we explore some of the ways we end up in our 'forest educator lanes', and how to change lanes, as well as why it can be incredibly beneficial to ourselves, our families, our students and our professional growth to make a shift.    Join the Forest Educator...

Deep in the concrete jungle of spanish style homes, freeways, urban sprawl and mini-malls, there are naturalists who know the canyons, coastal foothills and estuaries hidden throughout the city.    It's here among the live oaks and agave that children learn about acorns, lizards, animal tracks, and other aspects of California wildlife.  I had all kinds of flashbacks to my own childhood throughout this conversation with Madlen Sarkisyan, who co-founded The Children's Forest School based in...

This episode is an exploration of some of the critical issues we encounter as nature based educators when we enter the public education system.  The road to Forest Education for all seems to point to a relationship with public schooling, and it's been my experience that going in with our eyes wide open is a great strategy.  I use several analogies for the massive bureaucracy that makes up the public system, including The Cargo Ship and the Sail Boat, and The Borg from Star Trek, (You too,...

You all know I like a good analogy, so I'm going to say that the duo of Marika and Angela reminds me of the heroes of my comic book days, when I was a collector.  I'd mow lawns for my neighbors, and then ride my bike six miles into town to buy my week's new issues.  One of my favorites was the Marvel Team-Up comic, where two heroes who don't usually 'hero' together do what they do best, and take care of business.  Spider-Man and Daredevil.  Wolverine and Iron Fist.  It was a 'golden age' of...

This episode is a conversation with Jonny Walker, a poetry, creative writing and language arts educator from London/Uk.  We explore how 'traditional' or classical education benefits when we incorporate nature based approaches that deliver powerful outcomes for students and schools.  He shares about the need for direct experience and full contact with nature for awakening and expanding the outer and inner world of his students, which leads to inspiration, depth and courage, which are all...

It's one thing to learn wilderness skills, and it's another thing entirely to integrate them into our lives in meaningful ways.  This is the path that Dariya and Jefferie are walking, with the added ingredients of a newborn child and teaching both online and in-person classes! We talk about their desire, no, their NEED to live in a way that reflects their values, with drinking only spring water, eating locally, and incorporating wild foods and movement into their lives as well. Walking...