In this episode, we’re chatting with education consultant Dr. Claire Warden about the importance of nature connection, nature pedagogy and her kindergarten, Achlone Nature Kindergarten in Scotland.
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In this episode, we are thrilled to be chatting with one of Australia’s favourite parenting authors and experts, the perfectly named, Queen of Common sense, Maggie Dent. We chat about getting kids off screens, the importance of failing, and self worth and how to support boys in their big emotions and the importance of a well-timed fart.
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In this episode, we wrap up the crazy year that was 2020. From expansion plans, to coronavirus, a podcast, online courses, awards and rapid growth, we chat about what’s happened in the Wildlings world this year. And a recap of some of our favourite guests this year.
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In this episode, we’re chatting with Pasi Sahlberg, author, Professor of Education Policy and Deputy Director of the Gonski Institute at the University of New South Wales about inequality in the australian education system, some of the excellent things happening in the Finish education system and how we can help rebalance this inequality.
👉 Raising Wildlings delves deep with Pasi about
His journey that led him to where he is today
The Gonski Institute of Australia and his work there
Equitable Education Systems and what that looks like in Australia
The Australian education funding system
The discrepancy of compulsory instruction hours in schools around the globe
Finnish education initiatives that would translate well into the Australian education system
The importance of play in schools, and how language and educational regulation can make a difference to how play is perceived.
How to communicate the importance of play to principals in schools
It’s been a rough year across the globe and particularly rough on parents. With lockdowns, quarantines, working from home, schooling from home, financial and health concerns, we thought it was a good time to get Rebecca Branstetter on Raising Wildlings.
Rebecca is a school psychologist, speaker, and author on a mission to help children thrive by supporting school psychologists, educators, and families.
She is the founder of The Thriving School Psychologist Collective, an online community dedicated to improving mental health and learning supports in public schools, as well as the co-creator of the “Make It Stick Parenting” course, which provides parents tools to build their child’s social-emotional learning, and the “Peace of Mind Parenting” course to support families during distance learning – so she is the right woman for today’s questions!
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In this episode, we’re talking to Nathan and Anita from the Homeschool Project Podcast to hear their perspective on the most common questions we homeschoolers get asked. How do we manage financially, what type of curriculum should I follow, what made you start homeschooling and the most common question of all, what about socialisation?! A few months ago, I had the pleasure of speaking with Anita and Nathan, hosts of The Homeschool Project Podcast about Forest Schooling, Wildschooling and Unschooling. Today, I now have the pleasure of interviewing the beautiful couple. Anita and Nathan are a military family currently residing in Ohio, USA, and homeschooling their 3 beautiful children. They began their podcast at the start of the year to try and help other families new to homeschooling by sharing ideas on homeschooling and some laughs.
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Two weeks ago, we had a lot of fun when Vicci interviewed me about our family's unschooling journey. Today, we’re flipping the table and I will be interviewing Vicci about her family’s journey. We will delve in to her story of how they made the decision to homeschool based on their children’s personality and how, after doing all the research, she took the leap.
This is part four of our series on families that unschool, homeschool, wildschool and world school that will run until the end of the year. Last week we spoke to Lucy AitkenRead about unschooling in a yurt, the school wound and child autonomy. You can head on over and check it out, it’s episode #29.
Wondering if home schooling or unschooling is for you? This series and these stories may help!
👉 Vicci shares with Nicki
1. What the one thing was that made her decide to homeschool
2. How she communicated her thoughts about homeschooling to her partner
3. How her family manages financially
4. How her children are socialised
5. How she fits in self-care
6. Whether she worries about her children falling behind
7. What the future holds and if University an option
👉 Vicci's details
The ocean has always been home for Vicci. Living in South East Queensland has been the perfect backdrop for a life of adventure chasing dolphins and whales on a mission to spread a love for the natural world.
After spending a few years teaching in traditional schools, Vicci's world was soon opened to alternative models of learning, particularly the Forest School philosophy, after the birth of her first daughter. The philosophy embodied many of Vicci's own lifestyle values and seemed to be the perfect blend of world-schooling and wild-schooling.
Vicci's passions and expertise lie in marine education, respectful communication, child empowerment and educational freedom of choice.
Vicci is available as a guest speaker and to run workshops and consultations Australia wide.
👉 Wildlings Forest School Contact Details
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If you enjoyed this episode and the Raising Wildlings podcast generally, we have a favour. Please take two minutes to subscribe, and to write a rating and a review. You can do that on Apple Podcasts right now by clicking here. If you are an Android user, you can follow the podcast on Spotify here and Google Podcasts here. Those actions will help the podcast reach more people, and we would be truly grateful. Thank you so much.
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We’re really excited to be chatting to Off-Grid and Unschooling mama and activist, Lucy AitkenRead. We discuss how unschooling allows you to stand back and watch your child bloom and how unschooling your own children can heal your own school wounds. We’ll also chat to Lucy about how to show up as your authentic self in business and her new book 30 Days of Rewilding.
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Whittling wood is one of the most calming and meditative crafts we do at Forest School. If you’ve ever taught in a classroom, you wouldn’t believe the calm, focus and engagement you’ll find in a whittling circle of usually rambunctious children. It has to be seen to be believed.
In this episode we talk about all things whittling: how to keep children safe when using pocket knives, which knives we recommend, how to take care of your knife, which wood to whittle, what to make and how old children can be to start whittling – the answer might just surprise you.
In this episode, I’m chatting with Nicki about how her family ended up going from a teaching family to an unschooling family with two home businesses. This is part two of our series on families that unschool, homeschool, wildschool and world school that will run until the end of the year. Wondering if home schooling or unschooling is for you? Then this is the episode for you.
👉 Vicci & Nicki Discuss
What the one thing was that made her decide to homeschool
How her family manages financially
Socialisation
How Nicki 'convinced' her husband to homeschool (note: she didn't!)
How she gets self-care time
Whether she worries about her children 'falling behind'
How her children will be prepared for University if they're homeschooling
👉 Nicki's Details
Vicci Oliver and Nicki Farrell are adventurous nature play makers, risk-takers, children’s rights advocates and the co-founders of Wildlings Forest School. We are the hosts of the ‘Raising Wildlings’ podcast and we put the dirt back in childhood.
During any Wildlings Forest School program, you are likely to find Wildlings up trees, sliding down mud slides, whittling with pocket knives, lighting fires and building rafts. We let kids, be kids - because children can’t learn to protect nature if they’ve never had a childhood in it.
Wildlings Forest School Contact Details
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👉 Did You Enjoy This Episode?
If you enjoyed this episode and the Raising Wildlings podcast generally, we have a favour to ask. Please take two minutes to subscribe, and write a rating and a review. You can do that on Apple Podcasts right now by clicking here. If you are an Android user, you can follow the podcast on Spotify here and Google Podcasts here. Those actions will help the podcast reach more people, and we would be truly grateful. Thank you so much.
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Kelly is an Aussie who helps parents fall in love with homeschooling via blogging, summits, and courses. She's a wife plus mum of five never-schooled children. With no fixed address, their long-term travel provides endless adventures and ways of connecting with people and the world. Kelly is also the creator of the Fearless Homeschool and the host of the Australian Homeschool Summit, both of which are unbelievable resources for those families who need some support and encouragement when starting your homeschooling journey.
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Whittling wood is one of the most calming and meditative crafts we do at Forest School. If you’ve ever taught in a classroom, you wouldn’t believe the calm, focus and engagement you’ll find in a whittling circle of usually rambunctious children. It has to be seen to be believed.
In this episode we talk about all things whittling: how to keep children safe when using pocket knives, which knives we recommend, how to take care of your knife, which wood to whittle, what to make and how old children can be to start whittling – the answer might just surprise you.
In a 2011 study by Planet Ark on Childhood interaction with nature 1000 parents were surveyed. One of the disturbing findings was that only 20% of children today are engaged in tree climbing. It appears that children just don’t climb trees anymore. This is unsurprising as we have seen the dramatic changing face of our educational settings with things such as soft-fall and height restrictions severely impacting the ability for children to climb anything, let alone a tree.
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In this episode, we get some tips and tools from Social Worker and Author, Jessica Sanders about how we can help our children love their bodies, accept who they are and help process their emotions.
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In this episode we break down three of the barriers that often hold centres and educators back from starting a Forest or Bush School program. Bush or Forest Kindy’s are growing in popularity, and for good reason. There are plenty of educators who are almost ready to take the plunge, but there is something holding them back. Well today we are going to discuss three barriers that may be making the process of even thinking about starting an Forest School session entirely too difficult!
In a 2011 study by Planet Ark on Childhood interaction with nature 1000 parents were surveyed. One of the disturbing findings was that only 20% of children today are engaged in tree climbing. It appears that children just don’t climb trees anymore. This is unsurprising as we have seen the dramatic changing face of our educational settings with things such as soft-fall and height restrictions severely impacting the ability for children to climb anything, let alone a tree.
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Today's episode is a little different. Join us as we take a trip to Tasmania, to Nature Be In It, run by the ever passionate, Kara Spence, where we will hear what the children of Howrah Primary School and their educators love about her Forest School programs.
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Did you spend much of your childhood climbing trees? Did you know that 1 out of 4 Australian children have never climbed a tree and that this quintessential childhood experience is banned in most of our educational settings? In this episode talk about why sharing the view with birds from the branch of a tree is so beneficial for children!
In a 2011 study by Planet Ark on Childhood interaction with nature 1000 parents were surveyed. One of the disturbing findings was that only 20% of children today are engaged in tree climbing. It appears that children just don’t climb trees anymore. This is unsurprising as we have seen the dramatic changing face of our educational settings with things such as soft-fall and height restrictions severely impacting the ability for children to climb anything, let alone a tree.
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In this episode we chat with Occupational Therapist Kaya Lyons of Active OT for Kids about how Child Development occurs naturally through play, connecting & exploring. We discuss trauma and the impact on development and interactions and how therapy can and should be integrated into daily life.
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In this episode, we’re talking about nature playgroups, why we’re so passionate about them, and some of the misconceptions people might have when they go to attend one. So, wondering if Little Wildlings Nature Playgroup is for you? In this episode, we answer that question.
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In this episode, we’re chatting with conscious parenting expert Katherine Winter- Sellery from Conscious Parenting Revolution, about non-violent communication, habitual parenting responses and how many of us haven’t learnt how to question what comes out of our mouths in response to our children’s behaviour. We also discuss childism, how labelling children can harm them, and why it’s important to break our negative views of children.
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In this episode, we bring you five parenting hacks on how we foster a family environment that helps raise children who are more independent, and why autonomy is the end goal.
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In this episode we learn about Democratic Education and the theory of the Play Cycle from Educator and Parent, Mathilda Element, from Pine Community School in Brisbane. We chat about the key concepts behind democratic education and consensus decision making that underpin the values at Pine Community School, as well as the importance of multi-age play and the details of a child’s Play Cycle.
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