In which contexts is nature-based therapy most effective? What does it have to do with attachment theory, stress reduction theory, and attention restoration theory? How can nature help both children and adults (therapists included) stay regulated? Nevin also discusses outdoor risky play, when social-emotional learning is developmentally appropriate, and the limits of some contemporary approaches to assessing and treating mental health challenges. Also, what’s the deal with negative ionization and waterfalls?

Guest: Nevin Harper

Adapted from the Kids These Days website:

Nevin Harper identifies first and foremost as a practitioner of nature-based therapy, wherein he conducts outdoor counselling sessions around his home of Vancouver Island, Canada. As a research professor at the University of Victoria’s School of Exercise Science, Physical and Health Education, Nevin focuses on active engagement of people-in-environments, specifically outdoor, experiential, and nature-based activities. Nevin is also a sought-after speaker, trainer, and consultant around the world.

References:

• Nature-based Therapy
• Embracing Risky Play at School
• Kids These Days
• MINT Lab at UBC
• Bowlby and Ainsworth’s attachment theory
• Universal interventions on mental health: https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/camh.12572
• Imaginative Ecological Education
• CASEL framework
• Psychiatry for Kids (children’s book)
• Plastic Surgery for Kids (children’s book)
• Data on GAD & PHQ9 surveys and medication use are detailed in James Davies’ book Sedated.
• Insights about kids and rough-and-tumble play: https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2003-04408-022
• Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter: https://ellenbeatehansensandseter.com/
• Therapeutic outcomes over the past 50 years: https://www.madinamerica.com/2018/06/psychotherapists-reflect-lack-improvement-psychotherapy/

Have you thought about starting a garden to use in your teaching? What if you’re in an urban area? Perhaps you’re working on a shoe-string budget. How can you get started and, most importantly, keep a garden going once the initial excitement fades? These are some of the questions and challenges that Noel Cibulka and the team at KidsGardening tackle on a daily basis. Noel joined us to talk all things school gardening, including specific tips on how to integrate math into garden-based education.

Guest: Noel Cibulka

Adapted from the Kids Gardening website:

Noel Cibulka started with KidsGardening in the summer of 2022. As Educational Content Manager she helps develop KG’s annual garden-based educational content strategy, co-developing original educational materials, overseeing the editorial calendar and supporting the content marketing plan. She also supports the KidsGardening Community with resource vetting and engagement.

Growing up in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, Noel developed a deep appreciation for the natural world while swimming, hiking, gardening, and foraging for fruit with family and friends. She holds a BA in Creative Writing from University of Southern California, where she developed a passion for informal education, teaching poetry workshops at 32nd Street School/USC Magnet.

Mentioned in episode:

• KidsGardening
• Math in the Garden (book)
• Math in the Garden e-Course

Related resources:

• The Everyday School Garden
• Sowing the Seeds of Wonder
• Jardiner à l’école

Jade is our resident chionophile (look it up), so she popped over to the other side of the mic for this episode about outdoor learning in places where winter is cold and snowy. There’s talk of winter mystery bags, using snowflakes as lessons prompts, connections to literacy, and the importance of movement. We also get into the nitty gritty of clothing and ways of ensuring that everyone has access to the right gear when temperatures drop below freezing. Also, how do chickadees’ brains change in the winter?

Mentioned in episode:

• Dressing for the Weather diagram from Christina Pickles
• A Walking Curriculum

Related resources:

• The Big Book of Nature Activities
• Sitting with Nature: An Educator’s Guide to Sit Spots
• Dirty Teaching: A Beginner’s Guide to Learning Outdoors