Vertical Playpen

Romy Alexandra joins Phil to discuss her introduction to the world of Experiential Learning and then shares clear explanations of both the Experiential Learning Cycle and the Experiential Learning Styles.  You can get in touch and follow Romy at the following; LinkedIn - Romy Alexandra Instagram - @trainingbyromy FB - Romy Alexandra: Experiential Learning Trainer Email - info@romy-alexandra.com

The Training team (Chris, Lisa, Rich and Phil) talk about the different forms of documentation Challenge Course professionals should be aware of, including; - Local Operating Procedures (LOPs) - Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) - Inspection Reports - Challenge Course Portfolios This episode is supported by Sticker Mule - stickermule.com

Rachel Hailey of Rachel Hailey & Associates Consulting joins us on the podcast to talk about her early experiences with the outdoors, the work she does consulting on DEI topics and her hope for future generations. Find more about Rachel here: rhaileyconsulting.com

Todd Brown (Director of Challenge Course Services, High 5) and Ian Doak (Assistant Director of Challenge Course Services, High 5) discuss with Phil the process of a new installation of a challenge course;  - What our program design process looks like - How to budget for a new program - How to find the perfect location - Training considerations when building a challenge course Learn more about our...

Phil chats with fellow facilitator and podcaster Leanne Hughes about how she began in facilitation, her advice for emerging professionals and how we describe the work we do; Facilitator vs Trainer vs Educator.  Find Leanne's podcast by searching First Time Facilitator and find more information about her work on her website: www.leannehughes.com    

Todd Brown (Director of Challenge Course Services, High 5) and Ian Doak (Assistant Director of Challenge Course Services, High 5) discuss with Phil the process of an inspection of your challenge course; how to prepare for the inspection, what to expect on the day, and some best practices/pitfalls our inspectors have seen. Learn more about our inspection services here: high5adventure.org/challenge-...

Phil is joined by his hometown connection Andrew Jillings to talk about his journey in experiential education, the benefits of both experience and certifications, and his winter reading list. Find out more about Hamilton College's Outdoor Leadership Program here: hamilton.edu/offices/adventure

When making your activity agenda it can be helpful to intentionally pick activities that can help you read your group. In this episode we explore what some of these activities are and their benefits. In order to better explore this concept, Phil calls up 8 of his facilitator friends to ask them what activities they use and why. These facilitators are: - Chris Damboise (Director of Training and Tea...

Bob Ryan (Director of Safety and Risk Management at Project Adventure) chats with Chris Damboise (Director of Training and Team Development at High 5) about his introduction to the adventure industry, his work with writing standards and his program recommendations based on his risk management experience.

Chris, Lisa and Phil talk about High 5's ACCT certification process including how to prepare, why you might want a certification, what the process looks like, and common pitfalls we see as examiners. Chris also introduces the concept of Education - Preparation - Illumination - Certification.  

In this episode, Phil and Jim are joined by Adam Ames (Type A) to discuss his experience being trained by Jim, the impact it had on him and the visual art piece that resulted from their experiences. Check out Type A's Team building (Align) here - typea.us/align    

Lisa and Phil discuss the concept of Risk Homeostasis Theory and how it presents itself in adventure programming and challenge course operations. Books referenced in this episode are: Target Risk by Gerald J. S. Wilde - download a free digital copy here: riskhomeostasis.org/links-to-target-risk The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande  

Sherry Bagley (AEE Executive Director) discusses her journey to leading AEE, all of the great ways to volunteer for the organization and the future of experiential education. The upcoming AEE International Virtual Conference info can be found here: aee.org/2020-international-virtual-conference

Chris, Lisa and Phil discuss a concept that is a large part of High 5 trainings and also features in some of our books; The Thinking Practitioner. It can be applied to both challenge course operation as well as adventure activities and leads to more confident and competent practitioners.

Hutch Hutchinson (Senior Lecturer at Boston University Questrom School of Business) shares his road to working in Experiential Education, his love of the AEE community and the history of Outdoor Education based on his dissertation "Crafting an Outdoor Classroom: The Nineteenth Century Roots of the Outdoor Education Movement".

Katherine Conway (AMIGOS) discusses the importance of experiencing different cultures, conflict resolution strategies and gap year programming. Find more about AMIGOS here: amigosinternational.org

In this episode Phil discusses the 4 primary neurochemicals that elicit happiness; Endorphins, Dopamine, Serotonin and Oxytocin, as well as activities that you can use with your participants to help participants experience them. Disclaimer: Phil is not a neuroscientist.

In this special episode we reached out to educators and asked them "What Inspired You To Become An Educator?" This is an inspirational and moving compilation of some of their responses. Thank you to all educators!

Ross (Hulbert Outdoor Center) sat down with Phil to discuss the "magic" of working in outdoor education, making an impact on clients and relating to the mission of the organizations you work for. Learn more about Hulbert here: https://alohafoundation.org/hulbert/

In this episode Phil reads a blog he wrote back in 2018 titled "Finding Pinecones" which highlights the importance of being flexible with your agenda, reading your group's needs and enjoying the small moments.

Scott, founder and CEO of the Children's Mental Health Network discusses the importance of advocacy and connection, gives some advice to educators regarding student mental health and shares what gives him hope for the future of child and family services. You can find more about CMHN and Scott here: cmhnetwork.org

Welcome to Vertical Playpen! The podcast all about Adventure and Experiential Education! Join us as we interview experts in our field and give tips and advice utilizing our decades of experience. If you are an educator in any way, this is the podcast for you. Thanks for listening!

Michelle joins Phil (while at the ACCT conference) to discuss how she got her start in experiential education, the importance of making connections and her parenting advice on coping with a world full of screens. Find her website full of resources here: training-wheels.com

The Training team give takeaways from their first in-person trainings while using COVID-19 protocols and discuss what participants can expect from attending our new workshop "Gathering Again - Adventure Activities with Physical Distance".

Rohan (Director of Training) joins Phil to discuss the importance of asking "why?", his role on the Board of ACCT and variations on traditional low elements. Check out Challenge Works - challengeworks.com