Play It Forward

Welcome back to Season 4 of Play it Forward. We're starting the season with special guest, the co-founder of Bounce Inc., Ant Morell. Bounce Inc. is a fast-growing play movement taking the world by storm. Their indoor play experiences are enjoyed by toddlers through to adults, making a claim for not just healthier living, but more fun-filled enjoyment too. On today's podcast we discover how the creator of this innovative play phenomenon took bouncing from the backyard to the world.

To borrow Richard Louv's words in describing our guest today “David Sobel is one of the pioneering voices in the children and nature movement.” And you can easily see why, by simply looking at his contribution. David has made it his mission to educate and advocate for the preservation of children's nature connection by sharing his experience as a father of two, his countless keynotes, articles and seven books…including one of Lukas' all-time favourites, Wild Play. In this compassionate chat about children and parenting, Lukas and David talk about the importance of dream life, how to best support childhood and authentically connecting with our children. https://www.davidsobelauthor.com/about-david-sobel https://paulhoweshepard.wordpress.com/ https://www.booktopia.com.au/magical-child-joseph-chilton-pearce/book/9780452267893.html

Dr Sandra Duncan wants children to experience the miracle and magic of childhood through intentionally designed indoor and outdoor play space environments. She is an international consultant, author of six books, and designer of two educational furniture collections. She has designed and taught university courses on early learning environments, collaborating with architects, interior designers and educators to create extraordinary places and possibilities for children and students of all ages. In this lovely chat between friends, Lukas and Sandra talk about how childhood is an endangered experience, understanding the process of children's exploration, creating environments that support a positive childhood experience, and so much more! https://sandraduncan.com/ https://www.gryphonhouse.com/books/details/rethinking-the-classroom-landscape http://erikachristakis.com/author/the-importance-of-being-little/ https://futurestrongeducation.com/kathryn

Dr Stuart Brown is the founder of the National Institute for Play, with an interesting background in researching homicidal, violent, and antisocial behaviours that link to play deprivation in childhood. He is a published author who speaks, consults, and educates organisations, corporations, universities, and public policymakers about the importance of play in our lives and the unexpected, serious consequences of neglecting play. In this charming and intriguing episode, we're talking about play deprivation, increased mental health challenges in children and the major changes in generational play. https://www.nifplay.org/ https://www.bookdepository.com/Play-Stuart-Brown/9781583333785 https://www.ted.com/talks/stuart_brown_play_is_more_than_just_fun

Our next guest is one of Australia's most personable and loveable personalities. Andrew Daddo is an actor,TV/radio and podcast host, celebrity speaker and maybe best of all, he is an accomplished author. One of 5 siblings, a father of 3, a fisherman and a golfer…Lukas and Andrew have an entertaining chat about unstructured play, the art of storytelling, parenting challenges and a whole bunch more. https://www.andrewdaddo.com/ Scary Funny Play Research - https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236986868_Scaryfunny_-_A_qualitative_study_of_risky_play_among_preschool_children https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/golf/id1534972519 https://www.subaru.com.au/great-australian-detour

Our next guest is the Assistant Director at Play Australia and loves helping people rediscover the value and power of play. Kieran Brophy has spent most of his career in the health promotion and sport industries, is a children's book author and illustrator, and his favourite past time is playing at home with his three kids.   Lukas and Kieran catch up in a delightful and passionate play-makers conversation about the 1000 Play Streets Movement, overcoming the stigma of children playing in the streets, and practical steps in supporting a healthy childhood. https://www.playaustralia.org.au/ https://www.playaustralia.org.au/1000-play-streets https://playingout.net/ https://www.playgroundfinder.com/

Our next guest is award-winning animator and Queensland local Joe Brumm. His popular cartoon Bluey has done an extraordinary job in capturing the day-to-day challenges and joys of parenting through a playful, validating, and accessible animation for the entire family. In this awesome chat between two dads, Lukas and Joe talk about playful parenting, our own childhood versus the modern childhood experience, addressing parental challenges, and a whole bunch more. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1068768/ https://ludostudio.com.au/ https://iview.abc.net.au/show/bluey

In Episode 4, Season 3 of Play it Forward, Lukas welcomes Neurodivergent Consultant Christina Keeble into the Wearthy studio. With a strong interest in Autism, Christina has multiple degrees, is a published researcher and the co-founder of diagnostic and therapeutic services, National PEKE Centres. Christina's mission is to empower and educate others to understand neuro-differences. In this insightful episode, Lukas and Christina chat about supporting neurodivergent children and the community, the stigma around neurodiversity and meeting children where they are at. https://christinakeeble.com/ https://www.pekecentre.com.au/

Our next guest on Play it Forward is the eclectic and magnetic Dr Arne Rubinstein. Arne is an expert on Rites of Passage and adolescent development with 30 years' experience as a medical doctor, counsellor, mentor, speaker and workshop facilitator. His programs and seminars are designed to support boys and girls in successfully making a safe, healthy transition to adulthood. In this episode that could have easily gone for a few more hours, Lukas and Arne chat about adversity in childhood, Rites of Passage for all stages of life, reframing masculinity and a whole bunch more. https://ritesofpassageinstitute.org/ https://ritesofpassageinstitute.org/product-category/resources/books/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rC5GR3Q1ZWI – Dr Arne's TEDx Talk https://parenttv.com/experts/dr-arne-rubinstein

Play it Forward Trailer by Poly Studios

In Episode 2, Season 3 of Play it Forward, Lukas reconnects with Professor of Psychology Emerita at Notre Dame University, Darcia Narvaez. In 2020, Darcia was identified as one of the top 2% of scientists worldwide. She is an award-winning author and the founder of educational outreach project, The Evolved Nest Initiative. Lukas and Darcia chat about the wellness-informed pathway versus the trauma-inducing pathway, the importance of connecting to the natural world and the healing power of play. https://darcianarvaez.com/ https://breakingthecyclefilm.org/ https://evolvednest.org/ http://richardlouv.com/books/vitamin-n https://ecoattachment.dance/ http://kindredmedia.org/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYFv1BZL-mjBJKz5L485EQg - Evolved Nest Initiative https://soundcloud.com/evolvednest/sets/evolved-nest-podcast-series - Evolved Nest Podcast

We are back for Season 3 of Play it Forward and our next guest is a popular household name, especially with parents of boys - the wicked and wonderful Maggie Dent. Maggie has written a bunch of books, graced the stage worldwide and changed the lives of so many parents and children. In this beautiful chat between old friends, Lukas and Maggie talk about valuing children for where they are at, supporting our kids through anxious episodes and returning to school. “It's not the child who's wrong, it's the system.” https://www.maggiedent.com/ https://www.maggiedent.com/shop-category/books/ https://monadelahooke.com/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Dweck

Ellen Sandseter has influenced Wearthy playgrounds since the very beginning. She defined the 6 categories of risky play and her commitment to the research of children's right to free play has changed the lives of countless children. A Professor at the Department of Physical Education and Health at QMUC, she has a master degree in sport sciences from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences and a PhD in Psychology from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. And lastly, she is the author of one of the best named research papers in history - Scary Funny: A Qualitative Study Of Risky Play Among Preschool Children. Lukas and Ellen have a delightful discussion about the research behind risky play, the evolution of risk and the thrill-seeking benefits, and how to support our capable children through inviting more risk in play. https://ellenbeatehansensandseter.com/ https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236986868_Scaryfunny_-_A_qualitative_study_of_risky_play_among_preschool_children https://rethinkingchildhood.com/

Our next guest is someone I had the honour of standing alongside on the TEDx stage in Brisbane earlier this year. Maggie James is a music therapist with 18 years' experience in paediatric healthcare and has worked extensively in intensive and palliative care. She believes that music provides a meaningful connection with the dying child, and the death of a child should be with dignity and love. Her TEDx talk named Dying Young in the Arms of Music, moved many people to tears – an absolute must watch. Lukas and Maggie share so many beautiful and heartfelt moments in this episode. They talk about the role of music as therapy, how music provides an opportunity to play, and honouring children and their families through music in their child's last moments. Plus, so much more. https://www.ted.com/talks/maggie_james_dying_young_in_the_arms_of_music https://www.austmta.org.au/ https://www.childrens.health.qld.gov.au/?s=music+therapy https://hummingbirdhouse.org.au/

In Episode 16 of Season 2, Lukas has a philosophical chat to big-thinker Dr Greg Mews. Greg is currently teaching and researching in Landscape Architecture at Queensland University of Technology. He also lectures at Technical University of Berlin, Yale University, University of Canberra, University of Kassel, and University of NSW. Greg has received several high-profile research scholarships, eleven work-related awards and is about to publish his next book entitled "Transforming Public Space through Play" with Routledge. He is the Founder of Urban Synergies Group, an Urban Thinkers voice for UN-Habitat and fellow Co-founder and Director of the Australian Institute of Play. In this high-level episode, Lukas and Greg talk about play from a new materialist perspective on childhood. They discuss what matters in life, the way we think, tell stories and produce worlds within the world. An episode not to be missed! https://urbansynergiesgroup.org/philosophy/keypeople/about-gregor/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dPjrg7Nwsg - TEDx Talk https://urbansynergiesgroup.org/publications/

In Season 2, Episode 15 of Play it Forward, Lukas welcomes the amazing Michelle Mitchell into the studio. Michelle is an award-winning speaker, bestselling parenting author and has been termed ‘the teenage expert' by the media for her compassionate and grounded advice for parenting tweens and teens. In this heart-warming chat, Lukas and Michelle delve into the challenges our youth are facing, the role of parents in children's lives and how to support and encourage young people to thrive. https://michellemitchell.org/ https://www.facebook.com/michellemitchellspeaker https://www.instagram.com/michellemitchellspeaker/ https://parenttv.com/experts/michelle-mitchell

On the next episode of Play it Forward, Lukas chats to the Unplugged Psychologist Brad Marshall. Brad is the Director of the Internet Addiction Clinic @ Kidspace where he's helped hundreds of families struggling with internet, screen and gaming addiction. He is an author, well-respected presenter and frequent consultant on various television channels. In this informational chat between two fathers, Lukas and Brad talk about how screens impact well-being, what parents can do about it and a bunch of interesting stats around children and the digital world. https://unpluggedpsychologist.com/books/ https://www.instagram.com/unpluggedpsychologist/ https://www.facebook.com/unpluggedpsychologist

Hyahno Moser was our very first Play it Forward guest and now he's back for round two of an in-depth chat about PLAY. Hyahno is a father, a husband, an adventure and nature lover, and an advocate for neighbourhood play for all. Hyahno's commitment to children's right to play has sparked a revolution in nature play in Australia as he works tirelessly to make his region the most playful city in the world. In this beautiful catch up between two friends, Lukas and Hyahno talk about their favourite topic: children in nature, plus various play-based initiatives, and how you can apply new knowledge to support children within your community. https://www.facebook.com/ausIplay/ https://www.australianinstituteofplay.com.au/ http://richardlouv.com/books/last-child https://bit.ly/3kP8SI8 - Childhood Summit 2021

In Season 2, Episode 12 of Play it Forward, Lukas chats to “America's Worst Mom” Lenore Skenazy. Lenore is a mother from Queens who caught the public eye after letting her 9-year-old son catch the subway, alone. She founded a book and blog called “Free-range kids” and co-founded Let Grow school programs and parent empowerment, in her quest to give kids back some old-fashioned independence. In this high-energy episode Lukas and Lenore talk about overcoming fears and cultivating courage in parents, common myths about what children are experiencing, giving kids agency and freedom, plus a whole bunch more. https://letgrow.org/program/the-let-grow-project/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVxRCcowgqU https://letgrow.org/program/play-club/ https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21594937.2021.1878774 https://www.adi.org/journal/CurrentIssue/CurrentIssue.pdf https://letgrow.org/free-chapter/ https://www.freerangekids.com/guide/ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-07/logan-children-playing-outside-in-neighborhood-first/100268152

At Wearthy, we are in what feels like our first steps down the never-ending trail of impacting early childhood development, so we are welcoming into the studio a couple of game-changers from the United States who have come together to make a huge impact in connecting more children and communities with nature. Sarah Milligan-Toffler is the president and CEO of the Children & Nature Network. She is an award-winning nature lover with decades of experience building relationships and establishing vision for improving equitable access to nature for people of all backgrounds and abilities. Dr Robert Blaine is the executive director of the National League of Cities Institute on Youth, Education and Families. Originally pursuing a musical career and becoming conductor for the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra, he is now conducting strategies for cities, towns, villages, children, youth and families to thrive. Lukas, Sarah and Robert enter a delightful and informative conversation about how nature connection increases the wellness of communities, every child's right to outdoor play and envisioning a better life for our children…plus so much more!

Our next guest wants you to create a homegrown national park…and it's not as daunting as it sounds. Our philosophy at Wearthy is creating environments for children to thrive, so who better to have on the show than someone who researches thriving environments as a profession. Doug Tallamy is a professor in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, he has authored around 100 research publications and has taught insect related courses for 40 years. One of his books, Nature's Best Hope was also a New York Times best-seller. In this eye-opening episode, Lukas and Doug talk about the necessity of nature, restoring biodiversity, the food web, how to get children caring for plants and lots more! https://homegrownnationalpark.org/ https://bit.ly/3hT8zf9 - purchase Nature's Best Hope and Doug's other books https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Tallamy

In Season 2, Episode 9 of Play it Forward Lukas has a super play-focused chat to award-winning architect Natalia Krysiak. Natalia specialises in the design of child-oriented and community environments focusing on health and well-being, has published a tonne of research, spoken on stages across the globe and founded ‘Cities for Play' which aims to inspire and promote strategies for playful cities. In this child-focused, thought-provoking discussion, Lukas and Natalia talk about designing for and appreciating the childhood experience, cultural barriers in free-range childhoods, play rangers and a whole lot more. https://www.citiesforplay.com/ https://www.citiesforplay.com/child-friendly-neighbourhoods https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalia-krysiak-9b72a354 https://twitter.com/nataliak_au https://www.instagram.com/citiesforplay/

In Season 2, Episode 8 of Play it Forward Lukas sits down with playwork evangelist and film-maker, Erin Davis. Erin directed and produced the incredible short documentary, The Land, a film about adventure play that's been affectionately described as “a horror film for hover parents”. She is also a producer on the Playwork podcast, she's a mum, and the Wearthy team think she's awesome! In this playful episode they chat about supporting kids through playwork, getting beyond the junkyard with adventure playgrounds, reframing risky play and a whole lot more. https://www.newday.com/film/land - watch The Land and receive a 40% discount, enter the code WEARTHY at check out https://www.playworkpodcast.com/ https://casholman.com/ http://www.imaginationplayground.com/images/content/3/2/3239/playwork-primer.pdf https://www.popupadventureplay.org/category/jill-wood/ https://www.cityofberkeley.info/adventureplayground/

Richard Louv was the name on our podcast guest list we were dreaming of since we launched Play it Forward in 2019. For us, there is no one who has brought more attention to the problem we face with children spending so little time outdoors. Richard is a journalist and author of many titles, including Last Child in the Woods, Vitamin N and Our Wild Calling. His books have helped launch an international movement to connect children, families and communities to nature. In this moving episode, Lukas and Richard talk about connecting to ourselves and environment, the nature-deficit physiology, imaginative hope and a whole bunch more. http://richardlouv.com/ https://www.davidsobelauthor.com/ https://www.childrenandnature.org/ https://artistsandclimatechange.com/2020/08/20/solastalgia/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Buber

In Season 2, Episode 6 of Play it Forward, Lukas chats to one of the UK’s biggest advocates for getting more kids outside, Matt Robinson. Matt is the Scotland Director of Learning Through Landscapes, a UK charity that promotes children's outdoor learning and play through improved use of school playgrounds. In this highly informative episode, Lukas and Matt talk about how education and the outdoors shapes children. They also discuss moving away from traditional playgrounds to nature-based child-inspired environments and what to do if you’re looking to maximise the green space at your school or centre. Plus, so much more! https://www.ltl.org.uk/ https://www.ltl.org.uk/understanding-risk/ https://www.internationalschoolgrounds.org/conferences https://www.playscotland.org/ https://www.playwales.org.uk/eng/

Season 2 of Play it Forward is getting more inspiring with every episode! In this delightful conversation between two parents, Lukas has a beautiful chat with Dr Kaylene Henderson. Kaylene is a medically trained child health specialist and one of Australia’s leading parenting experts. Their paths first crossed earlier this year as contributing authors of the Parent TV book, “Parents, this is the one thing you need to know.” In this warm and thoughtful discussion, Lukas and Kaylene talk about the value of play and downtime, meltdowns and respecting play, building trust with the children in your world, and a whole lot more. https://www.facebook.com/drkaylenehenderson https://drkaylenehenderson.com/ https://parenttv.com/ https://www.adoseofawesomeness.com/

Lukas welcomes back into the studio, the glorious Dr Claire Warden for another in depth chat about kids and nature. Claire loves nature, she advocates for children spending more time in it and she is just the kindest lady! Claire is also the Founder of Scotland’s first nature kindergarten, she leads the debate on outdoor play and outdoor learning, she is the author of many books on learning through nature, and is the Founder of the International Association of Nature Pedagogy. In this delightful episode Lukas and Claire talk about valuing the unmeasurable in nature play, including children in playground design, honouring children’s time and freedom and a whole heap more. https://mindstretchers.academy/collections/floorbook-approach https://mindstretchers.academy/collections/books https://www.facebook.com/groups/naturepedagogy

In Season 2, Episode 3 of Play it Forward, Lukas welcomes Principal of Berrinba East State School, Super Steve Kanowski into the studio for a deeply inspiring chat about Steve’s unique approach to education. During a time when many people were practicing caution within the community, he decided to be brave by implementing outdoor learning and loose parts play - the results were incredible. As a leader within his school, he has shown his commitment to childhood development by creating an environment to foster exploration and challenge, not only in his students but also within his faculty. Lukas and Steve talk about the inclusivity of loose parts play and its impact in low socio-economic areas, empowering children with risk-mitigation strategies, outdoor play contributing to children’s well-being and language skills, collaborating with kids in goal setting, the massive role of a diverse community in education, and a whole lot more! https://berrinbaeastss.eq.edu.au/ https://www.facebook.com/BerrinbaEastSS/ https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-11-05/outdoor-lessons-at-primary-school-quell-student-bad-behaviour/12848326

In Season 2, Episode 2 of Play it Forward, Lukas invites his partner in play and Wearthy Co-founder, Vanessa Ritson to co-host a really special episode with the luminous Dr Vanessa LaPointe. Dr Vanessa is a mum, registered psychologist, parenting educator, best-selling author, international speaker, and a regularly invited media guest. Her passion is in walking alongside parents, teachers, care providers, and other big people to really see the world through the child’s eyes. Lukas and both Vanessa’s talk about how play can guide children in the changing world, the force of nature, love not fear-based parenting, filling children’s connection cup, the decrease of play and increase of mental health issues in children, empowerment through role play and so much more! https://drvanessalapointe.com/ https://drvanessalapointe.com/books/ https://www.instagram.com/dr.vanessalapointe/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCx1bU-W_MzhMv9ZR_7JgR1g

To kick off Episode 1 Season 2 of Play it Forward, Lukas co-hosts with Wearthy Landscape Architect Dan Rimes as they welcome the remarkable Tim Gill into the studio. Tim has a master’s degree in psychology, he is the director of Play England, an author, independent scholar, advocate and consultant on childhood, and his work cuts across public policy, education, urban design, and play-work. Tim has an impressive media presence and consults to the Major of London on sustainable development. In this highly informative episode, Lukas, Dan and Tim talk about the freedom we owe children, making whole neighbourhoods child-friendly, car dominance in urban areas, risk in play, kids learning from failure, taking action to open up the horizon of childhoods, and a whole lot more! https://rethinkingchildhood.com/ https://www.bookdepository.com/Urban-Playground-Tim-Gill/9781859469293 https://www.playengland.org.uk/ https://www.architectsofarcadia.com.au/about/people/ https://www.studioludo.org/who-we-are

In our final episode of Play it Forward for 2020, Lukas speaks to one of the greatest leaders in childhood development research, Dr Peter Gray. Peter is the author of Free to Learn, has written many articles for Psychology Today and is a research professor of psychology at Boston College. We wanted our last episode for the year to be a special one, and this didn’t disappoint! Lukas and Peter talk about prescribing childhoods, mental health in young people, the decline of empathy and creativity in children, the internal locus of control, and so so much more! https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/experts/peter-gray-phd https://www.booktopia.com.au/free-to-learn-peter-gray/book/9780465084999.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coMXLy8RBIc https://letgrow.org/

In episode 26 of Play it Forward, Lukas connects with playground designer Cody Goldberg over in Portland, Oregon. Cody started out working in the mailroom at ADIDAS, moved his way up through the ranks and is now running the incredible non-profit Harper’s Playground, building inclusive playgrounds and changing the lives of children every day. Cody’s story is a heartfelt reminder that all children deserve the right to play. Lukas and Cody chat and get excited about play as human development, open classrooms, universally accessible play spaces, leaving children behind for them to discover their intrinsic motivator and removing the ego from playground design. Oh and turtles in Portland! Plus, so much more… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bXUfYqScIE https://www.harpersplayground.org/ https://www.facebook.com/harpersplayground/ https://www.unicef.org.au/Upload/UNICEF/Media/Our%20work/childfriendlycrc.pdf https://www.playcore.com/drstuartbrown https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/play-mountain/

In Episode 25 of Play it Forward, Lukas chats to the creative goddess Emmaline Carroll Southwell. Melbourne native and mama of 3 with a background in acting, Emma recently landed a book deal from a viral TikTok video about her special family mission statement. Lukas and Emma talk about how her home-schooling lockdown experience turned into a creative journey of hope, challenge, imagination and play. Be sure to check out Emma’s incredible floor art she created with her children during lockdown in Melbourne. https://www.instagram.com/emmalinecarrollsouthwell/ https://influence.co/nofilter/emmaline-carroll-southwell-tiktok-book-deal-our-family-pledge

In Episode 24 of Play it Forward, Lukas chats to the insightful Allison Davies about how our brains dictate our behaviours. Alli is a Neurologic Music Therapist, Educator, incredible storyteller and mama of two based in Tasmania. She runs a private music therapy practice centred around the areas of early childhood intervention, special educational needs, autism spectrum disorder, juvenile detention, youth engagement - to name a few! Lukas and Alli delve deep into the predictability and safety of music, how melody + long term memory + emotions = our connection to music, the perception of autism, demand avoidance, ADHD functioning, the importance of outdoor sensory breaks, physical safety vs brain safety, understanding neuro-types and a whole bunch more! allisondavies.com.au https://www.facebook.com/allisondavies.com.au https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI2gnxFjSOWqm3lXtSmV4kQ https://www.instagram.com/allisondavies.com.au/ https://www.booktopia.com.au/adhd-a-hunter-in-a-farmer-s-world-thom-hartmann/book/9781620558980.html https://www.thomhartmann.com/articles/2007/11/adhd-disorder-or-difference

In Episode 23 of Play it Forward, Lukas welcomes the inspirational Claire Warden into the studio! Claire is the Queen of Nature Pedagogy with so much valuable insight and experience in strengthening children’s relationship with nature. Claire is an author, lecturer and consultant across the globe with her own nature kindergarten’s in Perth and Kinross in Scotland. She also runs an incredibly extensive online resource for anyone interested in connecting more children with their environment - Mindstretchers Academy. Lukas and Claire share plenty of laughs in this delightful episode and also chat about Claire’s virtual nature school, changing the language we use in early education, bruises as medallions of adventure, encouraging empowerment and agency in children, desired behaviour in a natural play space, and so much more! https://www.claire-warden.com/ https://www.naturepedagogy.com/ https://www.facebook.com/groups/naturepedagogy

In Episode 22 of Play it Forward, Lukas chats to the incredible Dr. Mariana Brussoni. Mariana is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics and the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia (UBC), and an investigator with the British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute and the BC Injury Research & Prevention Unit. Mariana also conducts research on children’s outdoor and risky play, adult attitudes related to children’s risk taking and safety, and designing supportive outdoor play environments. She has published her research extensively and her work was featured in CBC’s the Nature of Things 2019 documentary, The Power of Play. Mariana’s immense knowledge on risk in play and her expression that caught Lukas’s attention, “safety doing harm”, meant they would both have plenty to talk about! Lukas and Mariana discuss injury prevention, the importance of risk, memorable childhoods, failure leading to innovation and resilience, well-being in children, the 17-second rule and a whole lot more! Also, be sure to search through the amazing resources on the below websites. Enjoy! https://brussonilab.ca/ https://www.outdoorplaycanada.ca/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/freedom-learn/201404/risky-play-why-children-love-it-and-need-it

In Episode 21 of Play it Forward, Lukas welcomes fellow playground designer Rusty Keeler into the studio. Inspired by European Steiner schools and wanting to give children the adventure of free play, Rusty is an established designer, artist, author, and international mover and shaker on the childhood scene for the past 30 years. Lukas and Rusty talk about changing our external environment to adjust our internal environment so we can say yes to children more. They also chat about adventure play, loose parts, regulating ourselves to reduce fear-based parenting, supporting fearless play, and inspiring the internal yes! https://rustykeeler.com/ https://rustykeeler.com/books/ https://www.facebook.com/rustykeelerdesigns https://www.cityofberkeley.info/adventureplayground/

A milestone podcast episode (20!!) with a milestone guest. Lukas met Adam Bienenstock at the Children & Nature Network Conference in California 2019 and they hit it off instantly. As a Playground Designer and general funny guy, Adam does incredible work with getting children into nature. Adam is one of Lukas’s greatest inspirations and mentors. In this long distance catch up over a drink, Adam shares stories about being asked to design the baby panda exhibit at Toronto Zoo, and a table-meeting with Greenpeace, Developers, Nature Play Advocates and an NRA Member. Adam’s honesty and sarcasm is refreshing and contagious in this delightful episode where he and Lukas chat about the importance of connecting with the right people for optimal childhood development, how nature provides the perfect backdrop for risk and play, and how removing sensory engagement increases risk of injury. https://www.naturalplaygrounds.ca/ https://www.facebook.com/BienenstockPlaygrounds/ http://www.outdoorclassrooms.com/ https://www.boldpark.com/

In Episode 19 of Play it Forward, Lukas invites Brent Stokes into the studio for an informed and passionate conversation about the early education sector in Australia. Brent is the GM of the Australian Childcare Alliance Queensland, a not-for-profit member funded organisation that acts as the voice for over 850 early learning services, employing approximately 14,000 early childhood educators. Lukas and Brent talk a bit about policy and childcare subsidies during Covid, the sense of community and support in early education, ‘schoolifying’ early learning, the extraordinary value of early educators and a whole lot more. https://qld.childcarealliance.org.au/ https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/filling-emotional-cups-feat-sandi-phoenix/id1489276838?i=1000472744057 https://www.maggiedent.com/

In Episode 18 of Play it Forward, Lukas welcomes a familiar face into the studio, sustainability expert and children’s advocate Heather Kerr. Heather has over four decades of early childhood education experience and wears many hats at Melbourne community-run family and children’s centre Bubup Womindjeka. Heather is a proactive driving force in bringing more sustainability to children’s and educator’s lives. Bubup Womindjeka means ‘Welcome Children’ in the language of the traditional custodians of the land, which quite perfectly reflects Heather’s philosophy and her life’s work in early childhood development. In another engaging episode, Lukas and Heather discuss the stillness we can learn from being with children, authentic connections in sustainability, selfless acts of community, sensory experiences in nature and the limitless magic of loose parts play. Heather + Lukas - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eH3YR-9eE34 Bubup Womindjeka - http://www.bwfcc.org.au/ To contact Heather - heatherkerrhome@yahoo.com.au

In Episode 17 of Play it Forward, Lukas welcomes nature play hero and lovely human Daniel Burton into the studio for an inspiring chat about children in nature. Daniel is the Co-Founder of Educated by Nature and he lives and breathes being a nature connection mentor to children, parents and educators across WA and the globe. They delve into rites of passage, nature/community/self connection, choosing the bush over a playground, adult barriers to play, climbing trees, and trusting the competence of children. https://educatedbynature.com/ https://www.facebook.com/EducatedbyNature https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/educated-by-nature/id1451467921

In Episode 16 of Play it Forward, the delightful Angela Hanscom joins Lukas in a discussion about rich sensory outdoor play. Angela is the Founder of Timbernook, a global outdoor play organisation that inspires and challenges children through meaningful play. She has a background in Paediatric Occupational Therapy, is the author of Balanced and Barefoot and her TedTalk is a must-see for anyone passionate about getting more kids outdoors. Lukas and Angela discuss the important reasons for getting children outside, how engaging the senses help lay the foundation for learning and challenges, the outdoors offering endless opportunities for play, loose parts, and exposing children to the sensory experience. https://www.booktopia.com.au/balanced-and-barefoot-angela-j-hanscom/book/9781626253735.html https://www.timbernook.com/ Angela’s Ted Talk - https://www.ted.com/talks/angela_hanscom_the_real_reason_children_fidget_and_what_we_can_do_about_it

In Episode 15 of Play it Forward, Lukas connects with childhood risk advocate Griffin Longley. Griff is the CEO of Nature Play Australia, an award-winning journalist and has graced many local and international stages including TEDxPerth. Lukas and Griff dive into the importance of childhood risk, the primitive brain, cortisol in a digital world, parental objectives and the fear response, actively shaping our community and how nature breaks down our stressors and helps with mental health outcomes. https://www.natureplaywa.org.au/about/staff https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyO2UOFXhcI https://outdoorclassroomday.com.au/about/

In Episode 14 of Play it Forward, Lukas chats to the incredible Teacher Tom over in Seattle. Teacher Tom is one of the world’s leading early educators and his advocacy for children’s right to play and take ownership of their own childhood experience, is admired and inspired by so many in the sector. In an episode you could listen to over and over again, Lukas and Teacher Tom talk about cooperative preschools, transparency between teachers, parents and children, “crunchy granola hippie schools”, the junkyard play experience and risk in high value play environments. http://teachertomsblog.blogspot.com/ https://www.facebook.com/TheTeacherTom/ https://parenttv.com/experts/teacher-tom/ https://fairydustteaching.com/

In a slightly different episode of Play it Forward, Lukas welcomes our youngest guest into the studio – 11-year-old Miss Violet Reed. In our 13th episode, Lukas wanted to hear from a child instead of talking on their behalf. Violet and Lukas discuss the fixed mindsets of children versus using imagination, learning by mistakes, creativity in the playground, loose parts and how adults can give children more freedom to play. https://www.facebook.com/CampHillOSHC/ Violet’s speech at the Childhood Summit 2019 by Nature Play QLD: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxdgAqDXGpI&t=871s

In episode 12 of Play it Forward, Lukas invites the charismatic Nathan Wallis into the studio to chat about early childhood development and answer some questions from parents and educators. Nathan is a renowned neuroscience educator from New Zealand with an amazing ability to translate language heavily influenced by science into a conversational, simple context. Lukas and Nathan delve into the first 1000 days of life and the first born child, how free play and emotional intelligence encourages creativity, innovation and leadership, and how meaningful relationships and certain parenting styles affect our children. https://www.nathanwallis.com/ https://www.facebook.com/nathanwallisxfactoreducation/