Dr. Kendrick is currently the Director of Field Experience at the Werklund School of Education at the University of Calgary. She was a K-12 classroom teacher for nineteen years specializing in Physical Education, English and Language Arts. One of Dr. Kendrick’s main research areas focuses on compassion fatigue, burnout, and emotional labour in Alberta educational workers. Dr. Kendrick is the co-producer of the Ed Students in Conversation podcast series on voicEd Radio Canada and developer of the...
Mar 02, 2025•40 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Colin Harris speaks with Dr. Jenellen Good about issues like climate change, technology, and eco-spirituality. They discuss how these issues are communicated, both societally and educationally, and the role these issues play within the education system. Dr. Good is currently the Department Chair of Communication, Popular Culture and Film at Brock University in Ontario. She is also a professor at Brock University researching the role of communication in how people relate to the “natural environme...
Dec 19, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Ian and Sofía share a short message of thanks as well as a preview of what's to come. In short, longtime partner organization Take Me Outside will be taking over the show and creating all forthcoming new episodes. Everything on your end will stay the same: old episodes will remain exactly where they are, and new episodes will start populating on this same channel. Thanks for tuning in, and enjoy the new episodes coming your way!
Oct 17, 2024•1 min•Ep. 63
With Max Fawcett of Canada’s National Observer What sorts of narratives about the energy transition are out there? Which ones are developed in good faith and which ones are developed in bad faith? Why is it important that we find the right balance between optimism and urgency? How can we have effective conversations with people who are resistant to the energy transition? Journalist Max Fawcett has long been on the energy beat, and he shares his insights on which narratives to embrace and which o...
Apr 03, 2024•31 min•Season 1Ep. 62
With Claire Underwood of the University of Cincinnati’s Artlitt Center for Education, Research, & Sustainability and Children, Youth, Environments (CYE) Journal What does empathy look like in young children? How can we nurture it? When do we just need to step back and let children sort through the complexities of the natural world? Claire Underwood recently participated in a Community of Practice centred on using a Two-Worlds Approach to develop an empathy model for young children. This work...
Feb 16, 2024•41 min•Season 1Ep. 61
With Douglas Tallamy of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware and Homegrown National Park What is Homegrown National Park and what does it look like? How can we all do our part — at home — to contribute not just to conservation but also restoration? From where does the fixation on “the perfect lawn” originate? Why is it so important to shift to a mindset of seeing properties as functional and not just decorative? Following the release of Nature’s Best Ho...
Nov 21, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 60
With Heather Holm of Pollination Press and www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com Which common species of native bees can be readily observed in your community? Why do wasps often fly under the radar when it comes to their impact as pollinators? What are some quick and easy tips for observing bees and wasps? Heather devotes much of her time to observing, photographing, documenting, and attracting bees, wasps, and other pollinators. She has also published several books on these remarkable insects. We ar...
Nov 03, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 59
With Jess Kaknevicius of Project Learning Tree What is our responsibility to forests? How can educators help the uninitiated forge connections with forests? Why are tree-light areas still perfectly suitable places for learning about forests? In what ways can we plant the seeds for developing a conservation mindset? Jess helps us unpack these concepts, while sharing some guiding questions from PLT’s Forest Literacy Framework. There’s also talk of Moon Trees , thinking seven generations ahead, spi...
Sep 18, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 58
With Lorraine Johnson of Project Swallowtail and lorrainejohnson.ca Why is the concept and practice of ‘regeneration’ such an important companion for ‘sustainability’? What opportunities and challenges exist for folks in urban areas who wish to restore native plants? How about in rural areas? Which questions and misconceptions about pollinators and native plants continuously arise? Lorraine Johnson has spent decades creating habitat for native pollinators, while writing numerous books on this im...
Aug 30, 2023•41 min•Season 1Ep. 57
With Rebecca Rolland of Harvard Graduate School of Education and Harvard Medical School What is “rich talk”? Why is the outdoors such an ideal setting for having meaningful conversations with children? How can we discuss with kids weighty topics like climate change without overwhelming them? Drawing on research and insights detailed in her book The Art of Talking with Children , Rebecca Rolland connects the dots to outdoor and environmental educators in this lively discussion that also touches o...
Apr 19, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 56
With Jayne Black of Green Schools Rock , Project WET , and Project WILD How can educators engage Pre-K learners in outdoor and environmental learning? What are some pitfalls to avoid when working with this age group? Why is student-led learning so impactful? Jayne has worked hard to foster her young learners’ environmental literacy while taking major steps to make her school healthier and more sustainable. This involves the use of outdoor learning spaces, including two school gardens where wonde...
Apr 09, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 55
With Zachary Fox-DeVol and Clare Marder of We The Children What can educators do to spark young children’s interest in climate change? Why is it important to bring levity and lightness to discussions about environmental crises? How can we do this without giving learners false optimism? Student-podcaster Zach and teacher-mentor Clare discuss these questions, while sharing climate/waste solutions that inspire them as well as offering practical advice for young people and their educators. We also t...
Mar 31, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 54
With Jesse Hildebrand (and friends) of Exploring By the Seat of Your Pants and Nature For All Why do personal nature stories move us so much? In what ways does meaningful nature storytelling connect to conservation of wildlife and wild places? Is it enough to focus on the wonder of nature or do we have to communicate its benefits to humans explicit? In the midst of Nature For All’s Storytelling Festival Love Fest , we share nature stories and get to the heart of engaging people’s hearts and mind...
Feb 15, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 53
With Chad Carpenter and Lori York of the Vancouver School Board In which learning settings is two-eyed seeing most impactful? What are the core components of the LEAF Framework? How is it informed by the First People’s Principles of Learning ? Chad and Lori are actively engaged in two-eyed seeing through their implementation of the LEAF framework with students from K to 12 across all subject areas. They share their insights and learning stories, which include botanical explorations in bogs, crea...
Jan 30, 2023•46 min•Season 1Ep. 52
With Kerry Crofton of Less Screen More Green and the Global Health Alliance Why is it so challenging to find a healthy balance between digital time and outdoor time? How can educators address digital overload and excessive screen time? What role does mindfulness play in this discussion? Dr. Kerry Crofton walks us through research — including some from her team at the Global Health Alliance — and shares her experiences supporting educators in this timely exploration of the upsides and downsides o...
Jan 05, 2023•37 min•Season 1Ep. 51
With Chenoa Egawa and Keith Egawa of North Atlantic Books What is the role of storytelling in today’s fast-paced, digital-heavy world? Why is tone so important when exploring ecological threats with young people? How can stories by adapted for older and younger audiences? Siblings Chenoa Egawa and Keith Egawa wrote and illustrated the book The Whale Child, which combines Pacific Northwest Indigenous teachings with hope, humour, and clear-eyed honesty about various ecological challenges facing th...
Dec 21, 2022•45 min•Season 1Ep. 50
With Allan J. Hesse of AJH Comics & Cartoons How can comics and cartoons be used in climate change education? In what ways can humour be used to lighten otherwise heavy subject matter? Why is it so important to be honest with young learners about difficult truths? Conservationist and cartoonist Alan Hesse has embarked on a quest to engage students with climate change through visual storytelling centred on his original creation Captain Polo — an intrepid Polar Bear who travels the world hearing s...
Nov 29, 2022•40 min•Ep. 49
With Ian Allan of the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomah What are some common misconceptions about trees? How can we foster meaningful experiences with them? In which situations does anthropomorphizing work and not work? Arborist Ian Allan spends most of his time among trees in the 200 hectares of the Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Wilderness Area that he manages in New South Wales, Australia. He has amassed a treasure trove of stories and insights about the woody giants that surro...
Nov 08, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 48
With Andra Yeghoian of Ten Strands and the California Environmental Literacy Initiative What does a trauma-informed classroom look like? How does trauma relate the climate crisis? Why is it important to implement a solutions-based approach to teaching climate change? Andra Yeghoian takes us on a deep dive of her work, including the 4-Cs framework (campus, curriculum, community, and culture) and the HEARTS framework, while also sharing examples activities and learning sessions that incorporate a ...
Oct 20, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 47
With Ernesto Rodriguez of Nature in the Classroom What is Attention Restoration Theory? Why do fractals in nature calm us and improve our focus? How can educators incorporate images of nature into lessons? Nature in the Classroom (NitC) installs crystal-clear images of trees (often with the sun peeking through the branches) on classroom ceilings, much to the benefit of educators and learners. NitC’s Founder and Executive Director Ernesto Rodriguez joined us to unpack the reams of research in med...
Sep 30, 2022•37 min•Season 1Ep. 46
With Mark Angelo of World Rivers Day When did World Rivers Day begin? How can educators get involved in it? What inspired the children’s book The Little Creek That Could? In what ways do rivers and streams benefit ecosystems, humans, and other life forms? Children’s author and World Rivers Day founder Mark Angelo discusses the value of rivers and streams, the threats they face, what educators can do to mark World Rivers Day, and how communities of learners and educators can collaborate at any sc...
Sep 16, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 45
With Larry Weber of Kollath-Stensaas Publishing What is phenology? How does phenology-based teaching work? How does it compare to textbook-based teaching? Naturalist, author, and retired teacher Larry Weber used a phenological approach to teaching for over 25 years with his middle school students, and it opened up endless opportunities for learning and growth. While he adhered less to state standards, Larry was able to help his students foster life skills, much to their benefit. Larry joined us ...
Aug 30, 2022•33 min•Season 1Ep. 44
With Annie Roth of the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont What is a RELC? How can schoolyards be used in place-based learning? Why is it sometimes important for educators to become co-learners with their students? In this episode, we first hear about Tremont’s RELC as well as the Institute’s approach to supporting learners (educators included) before partaking in a virtual learning session that includes a grounding exercise and an activity called My New Best Friend. We also get into rege...
Aug 20, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 43
With Wendy Nadherny Fachon of Story Walking Radio Hour What is food forest gardening? How can educators leverage it for impactful learning? What does corporative learning have to do with this? Wendy Fachon has her own food forest garden, and she sees great potential for food forest gardening in environmental education. She also shares her insights about nature drawing as a powerful pedagogical tool and tells a story about a serendipitous discovery of Red Mulberry trees. Guest: Wendy Nadherny Fac...
Aug 11, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 42
With Jen Cirillo and Betsy Rosenbluth of Shelburne Farms What is farm to school? Are there any common misconceptions about it? Why is farm to school such an essential part of the educational journey? In this lively discussion, Jen and Betsy walk us through the three Cs of farm to school, how educators can better incorporate it into their teaching (without taking up too much extra time!), the core values underlying the practice, and the ways our current food system reinforces injustice and inequi...
Jul 29, 2022•45 min•Season 1Ep. 41
With Todd Ormiston of North Country School and Camp Treetops How do students benefit from place-based learning? In what ways does it foster ruggedness, resourcefulness, and resilience? Why is it helpful for adolescents to bear witness to life cycles of fellow living things? While many educators and learners in public education systems are constrained by standardized tests and fixed learning outcomes, those at the North Country School in Lake Placid, New York, USA, have the freedom to adjust thei...
Jul 26, 2022•32 min•Season 1Ep. 40
With Day Sanchez of 2e Minds How do eco-anxiety and ecological grief differ? What can educators do to address them with their learners? Why is solarpunk such an effective counter-narrative? Day Sanchez does extensive work in the realm of eco-emotions, so she has many important insights about how to navigate these often-turbulent waters. We know that doom-and-gloom framing leads to apathy in most people, and though it is essential to tell the truth, we must balance difficult truths with active ho...
Jul 15, 2022•46 min•Season 1Ep. 39
With Jane Ji of Springbay Studio and Grace Sadler of the Science Teachers’ Association of Ontario How can gamification be used to connect young learners with nature? In what ways do the virtual world and real world overlap? Why is competition such an impactful tool in education? What does this all have to do with managing eco-anxiety? Jane Ji of Springbay discusses the conceptual underpinnings of her iBiome and League for Green Leaders before teacher Grace Sadler shares her and her students’ exp...
Jun 29, 2022•43 min•Season 1Ep. 38
With Jane Hiller of the Environmental Education Association of South Carolina and South Carolina Green Step Schools What is student-powered learning? Why is it so impactful? In what ways can mentorship be most effective? How can mentors help teach in-service teachers? What is the key to sustaining environmental projects year after year? The Green Step Schools program in South Carolina, USA has been running for almost two decades, allowing students and teachers to experience such projects as verm...
Jun 17, 2022•40 min•Season 1Ep. 37
With Susanne Heaton of Motivated By Nature Why are an increasing number of doctors prescribing national park passes to patients? How does stress impact our bodies? What evidence supports the practice of forest bathing (shinrin-yoku)? Why is the “happy gardener” more than a stereotype? Drawing on copious amounts of sound research, Susanne Heaton discusses the healing benefits of direct, multi-sensory interactions with nature, while offering suggestions for how environmental educators can better c...
May 30, 2022•42 min•Season 1Ep. 36
