Educated by Nature

In this episode of Campfire Conversations, Daniel Burton talks with Rhys George, Arts Team Leader and Media Specialist at Bold Park Community School about finding a natural balance between Nature and Technology and how educators can reframe their thinking when it comes to technology as a tool in a nature based setting.

Celebrating success and achievement comes naturally in our task-oriented society. We feel pride when we complete a challenge, overcome adversity or master a skill. However, we often need reminders about the importance of acknowledging the process and celebrating when things don't go quite to plan, but we continue on anyway. Our tag line at Educated by Nature is, ‘Resilience through Connection'. We strive to support children (and adults) develop resilience as a core skill that supports us when things don't go as planned. One way we do this is by celebrating and honouring failure. In this episode of Campfire Conversations, entitled ‘Celebrating the Friction' Daniel Burton (Co-founder of Educated by Nature) and Nadia Robinson (Nature Playworker) discuss the importance of supporting children to persevere through tough times. They consider how adults working with children are able to support children in these moments, rather than rescuing them when the going gets tough. When adults sit with children in those uncomfortable feelings and use language that honours the process or acknowledges frustration, we build the child's capacity to persist and not give up. Please note: this episode was recorded in 2016, and our program structure has since changed. We are still passionate about celebrating frustration but now focus on 6-12-year-olds. For more information, or to make a booking, please visit our website at www.educatedbynature.com.

In this episode of Campfire Conversations, Trudi Bennett and Daniel Burton discuss why FIRE is one of their key passions and an important aspect of Educated by Nature programs.

In this episode, Nature Educator and Mentor Trudi Bennett explores the role digital technology can play in supporting the development of skills, self development, confidence and coordination.

Trudi and Daniel discuss the importance of mentoring in our community and the role mentors play. It takes a whole village to raise a child, mentors of multiple ages and experiences are important, and mentoring can even happen backward through age groups. A key skill for mentors is deep listening. What does it mean to truly listen and what impact does that have on children? Who are the mentors in your children's lives, who make up your 'village'? Please note: this episode was recorded in 2016, and our program structure has since changed. We are still passionate about multi-age learning, and now run all family programs for 6-12-year-olds. For more information, or to make a booking, please visit our website at www.educatedbynature.com.

There are some simple ways that encourage new learning to be retained and embodied in children's understanding. Learning in the outdoors is one of them. Trudi Bennett talks with Juliet Robinson, author of Dirty Teaching, about using simple engagement techniques, such as outdoor storytelling, in classroom lessons. Juliet talks about the potential of finding maths in nature for playful and memorable classroom lessons. http://creativestarlearning.co.uk

Asset-based community development is a tool that can be used to see potential in young people. Trudi Bennett interviews, Scottish Youth Worker, Neil Young on how providing opportunities for teenagers to be involved in decision making leads to empowerment. St Paul's Youth Forum, Board of Trustees, is 50% youth who have the power to make real change, including giving feedback on staff appraisals, accepting grant applications and distributing funds. Neil explains the change that can happen in powerless communities when youth are valued.

Trudi Bennett recently visited Claire Warden in Scotland on Mindstretchers' International Study Tour of nature kindergartens. During the tour, the group visited the Cranog Centre and explored some primitive skills from the Iron Age. Claire and Trudi discuss the importance of linking with cultural heritage as part of developing relationships in nature connection practices.

Trudi recently visited Claire Warden in Scotland on Mindstretchers' International Study Tour of nature kindergartens and the International Association of Nature Pedagogues' conference. In this video, Claire clarifies the meaning of ‘nature pedagogy', highlighting how we all need to work together to bring nature connection to children across the world no matter where we are on the continuum of nature pedagogy practices.

A very important part of the Educated by Nature kitbag is the humble hut (cubby, fort, den, hide-out… it goes by many names). As Nature Connection Mentors we see the multi-faceted role of a cubby and its ability to connect children, build community, inspire creativity and be a platform for real play. In this episode, Daniel and Trudi share their excitement for cubbies and the inspiration they take from Professor David Sobel and his 7 Nature Design Principles.

For decades, Adventure Playgrounds have provided platforms for children to act out those things ‘playing' on their minds. Play in unstructured environments, were children are asked to make their own rules, challenge themselves, develop the community themselves allows children to mentally process big feelings, worries, concerns and on a subconscious level, make sense of the world around them. The children who visit Play:Ground, ‘a big grassy square full of junk' in New York City have an opportunity to build, construct, create and PLAY in a landscape that allows them freedom to explore both the physical and emotional world. “Violence in the adult world leads children, quite properly, to play at violence. How else can they prepare themselves emotionally, intellectually, and physically for reality?” Peter Gray

The Anarchy Zone isn't your prettiest looking playground, at least in the eyes of an adult, but it allows a greater freedom for children's play. Trudi Bennett talks with Rusty Keeler (one of the founders of the Anarchy Zone) and Alex Cote (Lead Playworker, Ithaca Children's Garden) about the effect of an environment not focussed on aesthetics on children's creativity. The Ithaca Children's Garden's mission is to cultivate environmental stewardship, and they believe the best way to do that is getting kids outside, having fun in the natural world. www.ithacachildrensgarden.org

Ep 17 – Tinkering School – Gever Tulley, Founder of the Institute of Applied Tinkering – Trusting Children What happens when we truly trust children and believe in their capabilities. On their recent visit to Tinkering School overnight camp in Half Moon Bay, San Francisco, Trudi Bennett and Daniel Burton met with Founder of the Institute of Applied Tinkering, Gever Tulley and discussed why it is so important for children that adults trust them. Their discussion surrounds concepts that supports Educated by Nature's philosophy and reasoning behind having tools at all of their programs. Brightworks a part of the Institute of Applied Tinkering Check out their website and like them on Facebook to help them continue their amazing work! www.sfbrightworks.org www.tinkeringschool.com www.appliedtinkering.org

Daniel speaks with Nature's Theatre about the power of stories. Stories have the potential to empower children and teenagers, inspire action and live within a heart indefinitely. http://www.naturestheater.org http://www.educatedbynature.com

Ep 15 - Brightworks – Hugo, Junior Collaborator – Children as mentors While visiting Brightworks Tinkering School in San Francisco Daniel Burton met with Hugo, a junior Collaborator whose role it is to mentor younger visitors to the centre's school holiday summer camps. Hugo gives Daniel some advice on the best way to go about starting up a tinkering school and why it's important to have a role model when learning how to use tools. Daniel and Trudi were so impressed with Hugo's confidence, awareness, maturity and mentoring ability that they were thrilled when he agreed to be a part of this video blog series. It's so important that we remember to give space to the voices of children and acknowledge their ability to be teachers themselves. Brightworks empowers children in wonderful ways, their junior collaborator program is just one of many. Check out Brightworks a part of the Institute of Applied Tinkering Check out their website and like them on Facebook to help them continue their amazing work! www.sfbrightworks.org www.tinkeringschool.com www.appliedtinkering.org

Tool use amongst children, especially young children, can cause concern, apprehension and even fear in adults. Daniel Burton meets with Karen Dwyer-Meadow (Tinkering School Manager), Brightworks San Francisco, and discusses the background of the school's procedure behind working with tools. They cover the reasons why it is important to guard against adult fear impacting on our children's ability to explore new skills, develop independence and find empowerment through new experiences. Their discussion surrounds concepts that supports Educated by Nature's philosophy and reasoning behind having tools at all of their programs. Brightworks a part of the Institute of Applied Tinkering Check out their website and like them on Facebook to help them continue their amazing work! www.sfbrightworks.org www.tinkeringschool.com www.appliedtinkering.org

Join Trudi Bennett as she speaks with Dan Corcoran, Samuel Bowman and Rachael Witt from the Wilderness Awareness School in Duvall, Washington. The facilitators of the weekend Survival Basics Course share their reasons of why survival skills are important to them as human beings in a modern age.

Join Daniel Burton and Trudi Bennett at Wolf Camp and the Conservation College by Lake Sammamish, Seattle. They reflect on their experience at Chris and Kim Chisholm's family day camp of Survival Skills and Fire by Friction. Daniel and Trudi discuss how modern children have lost some independence skills and how they might integrate survival education with building personal responsibility.

Join Trudi Bennett as she meets Jen Kidder, Education Director of NatureBridge in Olympic National Park, Washington. Jen shares the value of Inquiry Based Learning and how students respond by engaging in science investigations they design and conduct themselves with the support of educators.

Join Daniel as he meets with Ben Klasky, CEO of IslandWood on Bainbridge Island, Seattle. They discuss nature as the first teacher and how when we use the natural environment as outdoor classrooms, truly authentic ‘teachable moments' present themselves and inspire students, naturally.

In this episode, Trudi Bennett discovers blackberries along the waterfront in Seattle. A passing cyclist thought Trudi and Daniel were collecting pokemon which led to a discussion on digital tourism and the similarities to foraging, including the buzz from finding the unexpected.

In this episode, Trudi Bennett and Daniel Burton have arrived in the USA for their study tour of nature connection programs. They introduce the reasons for embarking upon this expedition of nature pedagogy and the opportunities they are looking forward to experiencing and bringing back to Australia.

In this episode, Trudi Bennett introduces her nature connection mentor, Anna Killgrew from Koora Retreat Centre, in the Western Woodlands east of Perth. Anna discusses how true identity and connection can be formed in the wilderness by removing the facades we wear in the city.

In this episode, Trudi chats to Andrew Haskell Salazar (one of Educated by Nature's new Nature Educators and Nature Connection Mentors) about their experience working with a group of children in a local bushland space to develop nature awareness and the skill of tracking.

Trudi and Daniel chat to their mentor Gillian McAuliffe, founder of Bold Park Community School, about the need for both adults and children to have times of stillness. While they use Zentangle to do a mind reset themselves, they discuss how stillness in nature supports learning in a fast-paced world.

Daniel and Trudi spend a ‘whittle' bit of time exploring the reasons why a simple potato peeler is such a common tool at every Educated by Nature program.

Trudi and Daniel have covered themselves in clay on International Mud Day to discuss the sensory risk taking aspects of playing with clay and the benefits of good old fun in nature!

How often to you play in the rain? playing in the rain is not something adults usually do and often we call children out of the rain to prevent them from 'catching a cold'. In this episode of Campfire Conversations, Daniel Burton and Trudi Bennett discuss the concept of Sensory Risk Taking and describe the moments of joy that playing in the rain can bring - the key element required it seems - permission!

Join Daniel and Trudi around the campfire for their first episode of 'Campfire Conversations' as they delve into the world of Nature Connection.

Today, more than ever, our children need to be developing the skills to support resilience development. So, we feel very strongly that children build ‘Resilience through Connection'. As such we develop all of our programs, especially for KIN Village, with resilience in the forefront of our minds.

Bush Inventors' Club provides a space where children feel empowered. A space where children have time and freedom, balanced by boundaries and guidelines to push against to feel secure. A space where we come prepared with tools, equipment, resources and knowledge for ‘just-in-case' opportunities. We come with the mind of a mentor – the sharp eyes, keen ears and sixth sense to anticipate the support a child may need by observing their behaviours, actions, words and all the other languages with which they communicate.

The interactions between self, environment and community are core to Educated by Nature. Developing each of these areas is beneficial, even necessary, for creating resilient and engaged citizens. What better way to encourage this development in children (and adults) than through play? Play happens in many different forms and in different circumstances and it continues to be the best way that children have to make sense of the world and their place in it.

Wilderness Awareness Games tap into the very essence of childhood – PLAY – and provide rich, authentic and engaging opportunities to learn about the world around us, each other and most importantly ourselves. By providing a balance between action and energy, stillness and focus, discussion and reflection, this simple tool in a Nature Educator's kit bag helps to teach skills in the most natural of ways building connection to nature, to community and to self.

At the conclusion of each and every program, the Nature Connection Mentors at Educated by Nature gather for a process of debrief and reflection. We allocate time to honour the process which allows us to delve deeper and unpack the experiences of the program that has just occurred. This assists us in developing the program further in preparation for the next time we meet. This blog, written and read by Daniel Burton, delves into the magic that is created when we truly listen to Children's energy needs!

Here at Educated by Nature we believe that if we are to regain our place within the natural world, if our society is to once again find our connection with the world around us, we need to start by supporting and mentoring children to have the time, space and permission to be in nature and to experience the joys that nature can provide. A blog written by Daniel Burton