Welcome to the Forest Educator Podcast hosted by Ricardo Sierra. Join Ricardo as he engages in enlightening conversations with educators from across the globe who are revolutionizing nature-based education. Drawing on his 35 years of experience in wilderness education, Ricardo shares practical insights, tools, and best practices to inspire and support forest educators and camp staff worldwide. Tune in twice a week for interviews with passionate educators and skill spotlights that delve into the challenges and triumphs of the field.
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This episode unveils the 'Natural Advantage,' a powerful yet often overlooked framework for forest educators and individuals alike. It's built on three pillars: fostering deep nature connection, developing vital life skills, and nurturing authentic human bonding. By integrating these elements, individuals can build a robust inner foundation, leading to profound personal growth and stronger communities, with nature programs serving as a potent catalyst for this transformative process.
Some of my favorite ages to work with are middle schoolers, anywhere from 10-14 years old. Some may say those ages are some of the most challenging, but I really like that age group for so many reasons. I love to help them find their passion and excitement, and to watch them build an inner foundation for themselves and a personal belief that they know who they are, and begin to believe that they can do hard things. In this episode, I'm exploring the different developmental ages and stages during...
The first rule about 'bonding' is like Fight Club: "Never talk about Bonding." At least to your students. (Because it's awkward and weird.) But honestly, so many of the benefits of nature-based education present in the same exact way - basically invisible to most people who aren't paying close attention. This episode explores ideas around mentoring, teaching, bonding, relationships, and even some staff management/training/hiring concepts too. We get into the nuances of these concepts, why it's s...
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 Patreon!...
An aspect of nature education that I believe is greatly overlooked is the ability and benefit it gives young people to 'Do Hard Things'. This happens when we learn to climb a steep hill, climb a tree, master carving knife safety or learn to think of others in our groups! It happens when we learn to be safe and respectful about campfires. It happens when we begin our studies in wild foods, birds, animal tracks, trees or bushcraft skills. (This list could be very, very substantial!) All of these h...
If you've ever tried to talk about the meaning and value of an experience in nature with someone who's never experienced something similar, it can feel like talking to a brick wall. Our insights, and sense of wonder, or magic can sound ridiculous when spoken out loud. It can be painful when something we share has so much value to US, but completely is misunderstood by our listeners. The problem isn't with us, or with everyone else, but it's built into the language of our culture, and with the ve...
Going behind the scenes and into the mind of a public school Earth Science teacher was a journey filled with insights about why education is so different from school to school. The diversity of students and the environment/location has a lot to do with these differences, but often I forget how the unique skills and philosophy of the teachers is a factor that should not be underestimated. Danny Rosenstein shares his journey, from New York's inner city urban schools to alternative schools in the H...
Fear of being uncomfortable lurks behind almost every outdoor experience when we are first learning to deal with nature's 'moods'. The purifying intensity of cold scours the world when it moves across our landscape, unstoppable and pervasive. All the animals, trees, birds, insects and plants respond in different ways to survive, including all of us human mammals too. Dealing with the mental aspects of cold is part physical preparation, part mental adjustment and part acceptance and gratitude for...
It's not uncommon for nature educators to have experiences that defy easy explanations, like the appearance of birds, deer, squirrels or mice in one of our forays into the wild with students. The presence of humans who are quiet and respectful seems to attract wild creatures sometimes, leading to connections that have a powerful impact on our lives. John and I talk about the importance of program names, the influence and visions of native elders and how mentoring changes lives. Website: TheTrack...
The most impressive takeaway I get from every encounter I have with Tony, Molly and Trackers Earth is the fact that everyone seems so normalized and nonchalant about their accomplishments in connecting thousands of students each year with nature and imagination. Their network extends from Portland Oregon to Seattle Washington to the north, and the California Bay Area to the south, and until recently, Denver Colorado to the east. The programs are day camps in the summer and after school programmi...
I know there's a universal reality that 'change is the only constant', but it's also human to try to enjoy stability for as long as possible, especially if it's a pleasant experience. Once it occurs, we transition, we adapt and we hope for continued stability in the new landscape. This is an ongoing phenomenon, and it's come to this podcast as well. In this episode, I share these changes as well as the 'why' they are important, especially now. These strategic shifts are aimed at helping us move ...
As nature educators, we often encounter students and participants who struggle with feelings of unworthiness or anxiety when it comes to connecting with the natural world. In this episode, I share the story of a student I worked with many years ago who had a deep desire to immerse herself in nature, but was held back by past traumas and a fear of rejection from the earth itself. Through our conversations, I learned the importance of approaching these situations with empathy and an open mind, rat...
It feels appropriate in our 150th episode to introduce the Forest Educator Initiative. In the past year and a half I have been discovering areas of nature education advocacy and professional support that could use some development and attention. It's never easy being a pioneer, and 'field testing' the next generation of nature based education for children and teens and adults around the world, especially when we are reliant on our program funding for our sustenance. Program models, program desig...
Working with adult learners in the realm of nature and wilderness skills is profoundly complex. It's a world I've inhabited for many years, and one that has taught me the importance of constantly adapting and evolving my approach. When you've spent the bulk of your career teaching children and young adults, it can be easy to assume that the same methods and strategies will translate seamlessly to an older, more experienced audience. But as I've learned, that couldn't be further from the truth. T...
"Hard Days" are an inevitable part of life as an educator. It is critical that we have effective strategies to cope, whether that's using physical sensations to reset the mind or allowing ourselves to fully feel and process difficult emotions. In this episode, I'm also addressing the power of community, connection, and finding beauty in the world as antidotes to the darkness. Gathering around a campfire, immersing ourselves in nature, and simply noticing the kindness of others can help restore o...
This episode explores a vision of nature education that sees millions of children across the US and the world, in a meaningful and effective way. The barriers that we face loom tall, but they are not insurmountable. We need certain things in place to actually scale our best working models, like funding, resources, advocacy and training/mentoring, and achieving this takes a considerable amount of time and expertise and experience that we are currently missing in our nature educator community. I d...
We all have to start somewhere, when it comes to being a Naturalist, or a Tracker, or a Bushcrafter, or a Forest School leader. We get a little training, some time spent honing our crafts and skills, and before we know it, we are suddenly in front of a group of people who are excited to explore and learn from you. Imposter Syndrome can set in and we can get a little 'Deer in the Headlights' when staring at thirty students and their teachers, frozen in place. In this episode, we dive into issues ...
Today's guest interview is with my wife and partner Trista Haggerty, who draws upon the deep connection with the land and nature to facilitate healing and inner growth. Her experiences in deep earth initiations, forged in sacred sites all over the world with own mentor Helena Shik provide insights that are often unique in the 'mystics' community. We discuss some of her work with Hawk Circle Staff and Apprentices over the years, as well as her 'nature based' approach with her own children. Our di...
If you are an educator, or a camp counselor, or a program leader or wilderness instructor, there is a not insignificant percentage of the time where you are 'winging it'. We could dress it up, and call it 'creative problem solving' or 'lesson adaptation' to make it sound more professional, but yeah, you are sometimes making things up as you go along. We have to do that, because at any given time, our students, the school or program administration, or the weather can dictate that immediate change...
Well, it's election time, and we are surrounded by examples of fear based social media posts, television ads, internet ads and all kinds of different things vying for our attention and trying to get us to take some kind of action. The logic goes something like this: "Well, if they are spending millions of dollars on these ads, they must work, right?" Well, yes and no. It all depends on who you want to attract with your messaging, and that is where it can get complicated! This episode is a deep d...
I've noticed a common theme in many of the Facebook forest school groups I'm a part of. People are constantly asking where they can get the right training to start their own nature programs, and they're seeking suggestions for activities and crafts to do with children. As an educator, I emphasize the importance of providing children with real challenges and activities that build practical skills, rather than relying on contrived or disconnected experiences. I encourage you to focus on process-or...
This is a first hand account of Grant Adkisson, who spent days preparing for Hurricane Helene on his farm and nature program Corylace Cove in Mars Hill, North Carolina. This event was catastrophic to communities throughout the Carolinas and Tennessee, and Grant shares what it was like during the storm, and then discovering how widespread and life changing this event has had for thousands of people throughout this region. Grant talks about why he and his partner Sara chose to continue to offer na...
The search for knowledge sometimes involves tedious, patient work when it comes to understanding the diet of our distant ancestors. It can involve charcoal analysis at a microscopic level from campfires from 10,000 BC. It can involve the scrapings of carbonized food remains from pottery shards that are clues to what was eaten or used medicinally. It's not particularly flashy or exciting like demonstrating fire by friction to a group of fifth graders, but Max Gordon actually does both. Max founde...
John returns to the Forest Educator Podcast to share more of his unique journey into nature and tracking. John's work with youth led him to upstate New York, in the Northern border area, where he learned about communicating with bears. (Very helpful to know when you work with youth in the wild!) In each place where he traveled, he found elders who shared powerful experiences that changed how he saw and connected with the natural world. These events helped John tremendously when working with dive...
John returns to the Forest Educator Podcast to share more of his unique journey into nature and tracking. John's work with youth led him to upstate New York, in the Northern border area, where he learned about communicating with bears. (Very helpful to know when you work with youth in the wild!) In each place where he traveled, he found elders who shared powerful experiences that changed how he saw and connected with the natural world. These events helped John tremendously when working with dive...
I always knew when I was in an 'initiatory experience', because my peaceful, stable, predictable life would suddenly be turned upside down. It is not a pleasant experience, generally, and I would be forced to let go, grow, learn, and expand. Sometimes, the initiation started due to a relationship, or sometimes, community pressures. Other times, it happened more physically, with pressure or forces that left me with no other options. No amount of bargaining, discussion or denial would bring relief...
There are lots of times when we as educators face the task of creating a positive nature experience with less than ideal situations. Running forest school sessions in urban schools near a football pitch, or an abandoned lot is not always what we were thinking we were getting into when we envisioned being nature educators or went through our training! In this episode, David Fisher and I explore some of these challenges and how they might be mitigated both on an individual or community level and a...
When I created the Hawk Circle Wilderness Camp back in 1989, I started with a goal to offer something 'real' to students & campers. I began to scour my knowledge and imagination of how our ancestors were connected to the land in visceral, intrinsic ways, from the moment of birth to their very end of life. I sought to add these elements, or threads of understanding, one strand a time, in a way that would feel natural, unassuming, without a lot of drama or fanfare or 'calling attention to ours...
There are a lot of 'ingredients' in most forest educator programs that make up the bulk of the experiences. Crafts. Skills. Games. Challenges. Free Play. Exploration. (and more). Viewed as a recipe, they would be the big items in whatever dish you're making. They'd take up a lot of space in the pot or pan, and they would get the most attention. But there are also the smaller ingredients in the mix, that are often completely overlooked and seldom thought about, that are critical to making the dis...
The one question I get asked about most is about program design, curriculum and activities for older children, teens and young adults. There are lots of good ideas and content out there that covers nature/science combos, or nature/language arts or nature/creative arts, and those are awesome. In this episode, I share some of the things I've learned over the more than three decades of working with young people and how 'work projects' can have incredible and valuable life skills and long term outco...
