Teach Outdoors

Nature Journaling Made Simple: Helping Kids Notice, Wonder, and Connect Nature journaling is much more than drawing outside. In this episode, Lauren sits down with Billie Jo Reid from Pine & Ponder Outdoors to explore how nature journaling helps children slow down, notice the world around them, and deepen their connection with nature. Billie Jo explains that nature journaling combines words, p...

In this episode of Teach Outdoors , Lauren is joined by hope and climate communication expert elin kelsey for a powerful conversation about how we understand and talk about climate change—and what shifts when we focus on possibility instead of only crisis. e lin kelsey's website elin shares the idea of solutions-based journalism , a practice that intentionally highlights responses, innovation...

Today, we’re beginning a brand-new series exploring climate change, sustainability, and environmental learning in BC schools. Over the next few episodes, we’ll dig into what these ideas can actually look like in real classrooms — not as something extra to add onto already full plates, but as a way to deepen the learning we’re already doing through connection, curiosity, inquiry, and meaningful exp...

In this special episode, I sit down with my good friend and colleague April Pikkarainen to share the story behind our first collaborative book, Learning with the Land: A Nature Playbook . We reflect on our early days working together, the experiences that shaped our thinking, and the inspiration that led us to bring this book to life. Together, we unpack the Spiral of Inquiry and how it weaves mea...

What does it really look like to teach self-awareness… outdoors? In this first episode of the SEL Outdoors: One Competency at a Time series, I’m sharing how I scaffold self-awareness with my primary students using simple, meaningful outdoor practices. From picture books like The Color Monster , In My Heart , and Listening to My Body , to nature walks, circle discussions, sit spots, and journaling—...

On this episode of the Teach Outdoors podcast, I’m joined by Josée Bergeron—founder of Backwoods Mama and author of Beyond the Front Door: Embracing Nature for a Happier and Healthier Family. Josée is an outdoor parenting advocate and writer who is passionate about helping families raise children who feel connected to the natural world. Josée’s work has been featured on CBC Radio and referenced in...

Today we’re exploring something that feels simple… but is actually deeply transformative: curiosity . What does it really mean to be curious outdoors — not as a strategy, not as a checklist — but as a way of being? In this episode, Lauren sits down with Dr. David Bryan , an educator and consultant with decades of experience across middle school, high school, university, and independent school lead...

In this episode of the Teach Outdoors podcast, I’m joined by Kelly Shuto —childhood friend, educator, and author of the What Does It Mean to… book series. We sit down to talk about our journey of co-writing the fourth book in her series, What Does It Mean to Care About Nature? , and how our shared history and deep connections to the natural world shaped this collaboration. Our conversation weaves...

Play is often treated as something extra — something we squeeze in when the “real learning” is done. But what if play is actually essential? What if, for many children, play is a sanctuary? In this episode of the Teach Outdoors Podcast , I’m joined by developmentalist, counsellor, and author Dr. Deborah MacNamara to explore the idea of Play as Sanctuary and what true, restorative play looks like i...

In this episode, Lauren sits down with Dr. Mariana Brussoni—Professor at the University of British Columbia, Director of the Human Early Learning Partnership, and lead scientist of the Outside Play Lab at BC Children’s Hospital—to examine the critical role of risky play in schools. Grounded in decades of research, Dr. Brussoni explains what risky play truly means, how it differs from dangerous pla...

In this episode of the Teach Outdoors Podcast , Lauren MacLean is joined by educator, writer, and author Carolyn Roberts , whose work centers on re-storying education through story, land-based learning, and relational ways of knowing. Carolyn invites us to slow down and reconsider the stories that shape our classrooms, our relationships, and our responsibilities to land and community. Together, La...

Thrive Outside is back this January for its second year! This 5-week online group coaching program helps teachers build confidence and clarity in outdoor learning—through routines, curriculum connections, planning support, and weekly collaborative sessions. Early bird pricing is open now at $127 until December 19, 2025 , before increasing to $177. You can absolutely use Pro-D or PAC funds, and I’d...

Today I’m chatting with Dr. Louise de Lannoy from Outdoor Play Canada —someone I’ve admired for years. I first heard Louise speak at Take Me Outside in Banff and later at the Breath of Fresh Air Summit, and every single time I hear her talk, I leave feeling both grounded and fired up. Outdoor Play Canada has been leading the research, advocacy, and national conversation around kids’ right to real,...

In this episode, I chat with Court Rustemeyer , an Alberta teacher, outdoor educator, and National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow who was also recognized as EECOM’s Outdoor Educator of the Year . Court’s passion for connecting students to nature runs deep. We talk about the inspiration behind his new book, Mentorship in the Wild , and what mentorship really looks like in outdoor learning — fr...

Welcome back to The Teach Outdoors Podcast! In this inspiring episode, host Lauren MacLean sits down with Devon Karchut , a pediatric physiotherapist and founder of Nature Play , an outdoor play and therapy program in Calgary. Devon has spent 15 years helping children move, grow, and thrive — and she’s a fierce advocate for the power of outdoor play in supporting healthy development, regulation, a...

In this episode of Teach Outdoors , Lauren sits down with Ontario educator Hailey Furster , the inspiring face behind The Early Years Inquirer on Instagram and Teachers Pay Teachers. With a passion for Kindergarten and early literacy, Hailey brings her belief that “Learning Happens Everywhere” to life through inquiry-based, community-connected, and outdoor learning experiences. Together, we explor...

In this episode, I welcome back Kyra Stephenson , Nature-Based Learning Coach at Anna Murray-Douglass Academy in Rochester, New York. One year ago, we first talked about how she brought a nature-based learning (NBL) program into a public PreK–6 school. Now, entering Year 4 of the program , Kyra shares how it has continued to grow, adapt, and root itself deeply in her school community. Kyra gives u...

September is a month of beginnings—new classrooms, new routines, and new opportunities to build relationships. In this episode, I sit down with Elsa Medina and Alisa Paul to talk about slowing down at the start of the school year and putting community first. Together, they share practical routines and activities—like creating names with loose natural materials, morning greetings, and reflection ci...

In this heartfelt and reflective episode, we dive deep into what it really means to nurture resilience, perseverance, and empathy in outdoor learning spaces. We explore how small steps – like starting with just 30 seconds at a sit spot – build stamina and belief in our ability to do hard things. Using learning continuums from Natural Curiosity (2nd Edition) , we look at what growth looks like when...

What does it mean to regulate with our students instead of for them? In this episode, I sit down with educators Alisa Paul and Elsa Medina to explore co-regulation through a social-emotional learning lens—grounded in nature. We share real stories about feeling dysregulated as teachers, what it means to model honesty with students, and how the land itself can become a co-regulator. Together, we ref...

When a generous donation of mystery plants arrived at our school — unlabeled and unidentifiable — our outdoor classroom turned into a full-blown botanical detective case. In this episode of the Teach Outdoors Podcast , I share the hilarious, humbling, and deeply rewarding journey our students and I took to figure out: What exactly is growing in our garden? From digging into field guides and sketch...

Welcome back to another inspiring episode of Teach Outdoors ! Today, we’re joined by Stephanie Aleksiuk, founder of Thimbleberry Learning , environmental educator, and certified mindfulness instructor based in Calgary. I had the pleasure of meeting Stephanie recently at the National Outdoor Learning Conference in Banff , and the moment we started talking, I knew she needed to be on the show. In th...

In this reflective episode, Lauren shares her experience at the 2025 National Outdoor Learning Conference in Banff — a gathering filled with powerful stories, emotional connections, and inspiring practices in outdoor education. From sitting in circle with Elders to trying blind contour drawings and engaging in climate action conversations, Lauren takes us inside the sessions that moved her — and t...

In this episode of the Teach Outdoors podcast, we explore how outdoor education can foster Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) with two incredible guests. Camille Simone Edwards, a DEI practitioner with over 14 years of experience, and Dan Kriesberg, a veteran environmental educator and co-creator of Diversity Education in Nature, join us to discuss how nature can be a powerful spac...

In this episode, I’m sharing some BIG news—I’ve joined the Run Wild My Child Creative Team! I’ve followed them for years, drawn so much inspiration from their work, and now I get to be part of this incredible global community helping families get outside with ease. I’ll tell you all about my journey to becoming a team member, what this means for my writing, and why I’m so excited to contribute. I’...