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As nature educators, we often encounter students and participants who struggle with feelings of unworthiness or anxiety when it comes to connecting with the natural world. In this episode, I share the story of a student I worked with many years ago who had a deep desire to immerse herself in nature, but was held back by past traumas and a fear of rejection from the earth itself.
Through our conversations, I learned the importance of approaching these situations with empathy and an open mind, rather than making assumptions. I share how I guided this student to find her own path to feeling safe and accepted in nature, and the profound transformation she experienced when she finally allowed herself to fully surrender to the experience.
I know many of you out there are also navigating your own complex relationships with the natural world. I hope this episode provides some insight and inspiration for how we can create more healing spaces for ourselves and our communities to reconnect with the earth. As always, I'm here if you ever need a listening ear or want to share your own experiences.
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It feels appropriate in our 150th episode to introduce the Forest Educator Initiative. In the past year and a half I have been discovering areas of nature education advocacy and professional support that could use some development and attention.
It's never easy being a pioneer, and 'field testing' the next generation of nature based education for children and teens and adults around the world, especially when we are reliant on our program funding for our sustenance. Program models, program design, professional networking and of course, effectiveness in outcome delivery are all areas that could use some energy and focus.
It's an exciting time for nature education, and I think we are on the cusp of some major growth if we can get this current 'stage' right!
Thanks for being part of this journey and doing the much needed work you're all doing every day. I appreciate you!
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Working with adult learners in the realm of nature and wilderness skills is profoundly complex. It's a world I've inhabited for many years, and one that has taught me the importance of constantly adapting and evolving my approach. When you've spent the bulk of your career teaching children and young adults, it can be easy to assume that the same methods and strategies will translate seamlessly to an older, more experienced audience. But as I've learned, that couldn't be further from the truth.
The key is to never take anything for granted. Just because someone is an adult, functioning member of society, doesn't mean they possess the foundational skills and knowledge that we might expect. It's a lesson I've had to learn the hard way, through experiences like the stories I share in this episode. When working with adults, we sometimes find ourselves with a stark choice – do I forge ahead with the program, assuming the adult will be able to handle himself, or do I pause and ensure the safety and well-being of the group? It's a decision that underscores the delicate balance we must strike as educators, between respecting the autonomy of our adult students and providing the guidance and structure they may desperately need. I've learned to err on the side of caution, covering the basics with meticulous attention to detail, no matter how tempting it might be to skip ahead. It's a philosophy that has served me well, and one that I hope other nature educators will embrace as they navigate the unique challenges of working with this dynamic and diverse population.
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"Hard Days" are an inevitable part of life as an educator. It is critical that we have effective strategies to cope, whether that's using physical sensations to reset the mind or allowing ourselves to fully feel and process difficult emotions.
In this episode, I'm also addressing the power of community, connection, and finding beauty in the world as antidotes to the darkness. Gathering around a campfire, immersing ourselves in nature, and simply noticing the kindness of others can help restore our sense of purpose and resilience. The barriers we face may loom tall, but by being honest about the challenges and supporting each other through the hard times, we can continue to grow and transform our work in meaningful ways.
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This episode explores a vision of nature education that sees millions of children across the US and the world, in a meaningful and effective way. The barriers that we face loom tall, but they are not insurmountable. We need certain things in place to actually scale our best working models, like funding, resources, advocacy and training/mentoring, and achieving this takes a considerable amount of time and expertise and experience that we are currently missing in our nature educator community.
I discuss the pros and cons of a spectrum of franchises and a few ideas for expanding our goals and beginning to manifest this visionary journey that could transform our world.
Please note: This is part one of a three part series.
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We all have to start somewhere, when it comes to being a Naturalist, or a Tracker, or a Bushcrafter, or a Forest School leader. We get a little training, some time spent honing our crafts and skills, and before we know it, we are suddenly in front of a group of people who are excited to explore and learn from you.
Imposter Syndrome can set in and we can get a little 'Deer in the Headlights' when staring at thirty students and their teachers, frozen in place.
In this episode, we dive into issues of training, commitment, overcoming our fears, gaining confidence and experience and much more.
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Today's guest interview is with my wife and partner Trista Haggerty, who draws upon the deep connection with the land and nature to facilitate healing and inner growth. Her experiences in deep earth initiations, forged in sacred sites all over the world with own mentor Helena Shik provide insights that are often unique in the 'mystics' community.
We discuss some of her work with Hawk Circle Staff and Apprentices over the years, as well as her 'nature based' approach with her own children. Our discussion covers Initiations, Sacred Journeys and the importance of caves for transformation, to name a few topics.
It is a true gift and honor for me to share the wonderful insights and magic of the person I live with here at Hawk Circle!
Her new book 'When the Dark Mother Calls' is available on Amazon, and you can read more of her story of her incredible journey there!
Book Link on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/When-Dark-Mother-Calls-Initiatory-ebook/dp/B0CKTYFK4K/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1697520625&sr=8-1
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If you are an educator, or a camp counselor, or a program leader or wilderness instructor, there is a not insignificant percentage of the time where you are 'winging it'. We could dress it up, and call it 'creative problem solving' or 'lesson adaptation' to make it sound more professional, but yeah, you are sometimes making things up as you go along.
We have to do that, because at any given time, our students, the school or program administration, or the weather can dictate that immediate change is necessary and we have to scrap what we were doing and figure out some other way to get the job done.
Winging it does sound a little flippant, and 'fly by night', but there is a spectrum of methodology and approach that has on one end a shady, risky, possibly dumb or ill-thought out way of doing it, and on the other side, a safer, generally well considered loose plan that has a lot of leeway as far as implementation and structure. The Bad Way and the Good Way, in other words.
Since you're already winging it anyway, I thought I'd weigh in on some best practices, share some stories, and offer insights into this powerful, often beneficial and innovative program approach. I hope to help out the new educators who have never done this before, and maybe give some more experienced educators and leaders some good ideas as well.
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Well, it's election time, and we are surrounded by examples of fear based social media posts, television ads, internet ads and all kinds of different things vying for our attention and trying to get us to take some kind of action.
The logic goes something like this: "Well, if they are spending millions of dollars on these ads, they must work, right?"
Well, yes and no. It all depends on who you want to attract with your messaging, and that is where it can get complicated!
This episode is a deep dive into why Fear-based messaging can sometimes be very effective, when it can be damaging to your reputation, and how to make stressful topics easier to understand and actually build trust and positive connections.
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I've noticed a common theme in many of the Facebook forest school groups I'm a part of. People are constantly asking where they can get the right training to start their own nature programs, and they're seeking suggestions for activities and crafts to do with children.
As an educator, I emphasize the importance of providing children with real challenges and activities that build practical skills, rather than relying on contrived or disconnected experiences. I encourage you to focus on process-oriented, lifestyle-based activities that allow children to connect more deeply to the natural world. It's also crucial for us, as educators, to have our own practical experiences to draw from. While it can be challenging, I believe that by following our passions and interests, we can create meaningful and impactful nature programs for the children we serve.
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This is a first hand account of Grant Adkisson, who spent days preparing for Hurricane Helene on his farm and nature program Corylace Cove in Mars Hill, North Carolina. This event was catastrophic to communities throughout the Carolinas and Tennessee, and Grant shares what it was like during the storm, and then discovering how widespread and life changing this event has had for thousands of people throughout this region.
Grant talks about why he and his partner Sara chose to continue to offer nature education programs a week or so after the storm, when it was safe and communications and travel was possible, and how their work has adapted to support their emotional needs after experiencing the trauma that follows a natural disaster.
Grant shared the following organizations that can support his surrounding communities in their time of need:
This is fundraiser for ROAR (Rural Organizing and Resilience)
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=4C7WGWM48AW8A&source=url&ssrt=1727826032215
And this is the page for their mutual aid hub. They need chainsaws, splitters and logging chains, ropes and winches donated or bought.
https://ruralorganizing.wordpress.com/2024/10/01/marshall-mutual-aid-hub-is-open/
Walnut Fire Dept in Marshall NC
They were the only swift water rescue in the county and still going hard working out of personal funds and donations(volunteer rescue squad)
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?campaign_id=F9WPZZVQU34Z4&source=url
Grant and Sara's Nature Program Corylace Cove website: https://www.corylacecove.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/corylacecove/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086887186054
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The search for knowledge sometimes involves tedious, patient work when it comes to understanding the diet of our distant ancestors. It can involve charcoal analysis at a microscopic level from campfires from 10,000 BC. It can involve the scrapings of carbonized food remains from pottery shards that are clues to what was eaten or used medicinally. It's not particularly flashy or exciting like demonstrating fire by friction to a group of fifth graders, but Max Gordon actually does both.
Max founded the Lionman School of Rewilding and offers programs in nature awareness, earth living skills and crafts in New York, New Jersey and Florida, but his passion extends both forward to future generations while also looking back to the distant past to see our trajectories of human evolution. Our conversation dives into cave art, Utzi the Iceman, wilderness school administration life and even medieval biology.
Website: https://lionmanrewilding.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lionmanrewilding2
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lionmanrewilding/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LionManReWilding
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lionman-school-of-rewilding/
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John returns to the Forest Educator Podcast to share more of his unique journey into nature and tracking. John's work with youth led him to upstate New York, in the Northern border area, where he learned about communicating with bears. (Very helpful to know when you work with youth in the wild!) In each place where he traveled, he found elders who shared powerful experiences that changed how he saw and connected with the natural world. These events helped John tremendously when working with diverse and unique cultures in the American Southwest, Hawaii, Sweden and Brazil.
With every story and conversation, I find myself learning and reflecting about my own connection to nature and self. I find myself thinking about them often, and it's amazing how they go deeper each time, with new meanings and insights that enrich my understanding of the world and my place in it. I am grateful for the opportunity to share these recordings with forest educators everywhere, for a world in need of more peace, more dreaming and new ways of living on the earth.
Website: https://thetrackingproject.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetrackingproject/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTrackingProject/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetrackingproject
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John returns to the Forest Educator Podcast to share more of his unique journey into nature and tracking. John's work with youth led him to upstate New York, in the Northern border area, where he learned about communicating with bears. (Very helpful to know when you work with youth in the wild!) In each place where he traveled, he found elders who shared powerful experiences that changed how he saw and connected with the natural world. These events helped John tremendously when working with diverse and unique cultures in the American Southwest, Hawaii, Sweden and Brazil.
With every story and conversation, I find myself learning and reflecting about my own connection to nature and self. I find myself thinking about them often, and it's amazing how they go deeper each time, with new meanings and insights that enrich my understanding of the world and my place in it. I am grateful for the opportunity to share these recordings with forest educators everywhere, for a world in need of more peace, more dreaming and new ways of living on the earth.
Website: https://thetrackingproject.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetrackingproject/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTrackingProject/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetrackingproject
Forest Educator Bonus Content Page:
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Join the Forest Educator Patreon!
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I always knew when I was in an 'initiatory experience', because my peaceful, stable, predictable life would suddenly be turned upside down. It is not a pleasant experience, generally, and I would be forced to let go, grow, learn, and expand. Sometimes, the initiation started due to a relationship, or sometimes, community pressures. Other times, it happened more physically, with pressure or forces that left me with no other options. No amount of bargaining, discussion or denial would bring relief.
I learned that when I started feeling that kind of feeling, I was going on a ride and it wasn't 'optional'.
It was never at an optimal time, either.
Right now, there are millions without power, and hundreds of thousands of people dealing with the aftermath of torrential rainfall, unbelievable winds and the scouring roaring of floodwaters unleashed. This event is a marker, a milestone, even, in the lives of those who have experienced this historic storm, and they are in the middle of an 'initiation'.
Understanding what is happening is the key to better decision-making, problem-solving, mental health care and finding our way back to our center, and then finding a path forward.
My heart goes out to the hundreds of thousands whose lives have been shattered, and this episode is for them and all of us who care for them at a distance, who want to support them as we watch their struggle. The power of climate change is here for us all, and the sooner we learn to navigate and understand this new world, the better off we will be as individuals and as part of the natural ecology.
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There are lots of times when we as educators face the task of creating a positive nature experience with less than ideal situations. Running forest school sessions in urban schools near a football pitch, or an abandoned lot is not always what we were thinking we were getting into when we envisioned being nature educators or went through our training!
In this episode, David Fisher and I explore some of these challenges and how they might be mitigated both on an individual or community level and at the professional or association level. We talk about how there are missing elements in our profession right now that could greatly help Forest School leaders to achieve excellent learner outcomes and to remain consistent across the spectrum of unique educational environments.
David Fisher is a teacher, Forest School Leader and Forest School Trainer who provides courses and programs both in the UK and Internationally.
Instagram: @rooted.learning
Website: https://www.rootedlearning.co.uk/
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When I created the Hawk Circle Wilderness Camp back in 1989, I started with a goal to offer something 'real' to students & campers. I began to scour my knowledge and imagination of how our ancestors were connected to the land in visceral, intrinsic ways, from the moment of birth to their very end of life.
I sought to add these elements, or threads of understanding, one strand a time, in a way that would feel natural, unassuming, without a lot of drama or fanfare or 'calling attention to ourselves', etc, because I felt that when people find themselves in the natural world, they have uniquely powerful and authentic experiences that are 'self-created' or discovered.
I believed, and still do, that this form of experiential education is one way to build a powerfully strong identity and connection to the world and self that serves them well both now and in the challenges and trials we find in the days ahead.
This episode explores these themes and how they relate to some of my program design philosophy that has been effective for decades.
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There are a lot of 'ingredients' in most forest educator programs that make up the bulk of the experiences. Crafts. Skills. Games. Challenges. Free Play. Exploration. (and more).
Viewed as a recipe, they would be the big items in whatever dish you're making. They'd take up a lot of space in the pot or pan, and they would get the most attention.
But there are also the smaller ingredients in the mix, that are often completely overlooked and seldom thought about, that are critical to making the dish come together, and work, like salt, or seasonings, or baking powder. When these are missing, it is a big deal.
When it comes to crafting and inviting students to have an 'Experience' in our programs, the little things matter in the same way. Our stories are important, and how we frame the lessons, or time spent together, and our intent, as well.
This episode explores some of these small but mighty 'secret ingredients' that pack a lot of power and energy, especially around the ideas of inspiration, mastery, pushing beyond our perceived limits and the value of focus and attention to detail. These have the capacity to provide some incredibly long lasting impact for students and educators alike.
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The one question I get asked about most is about program design, curriculum and activities for older children, teens and young adults.
There are lots of good ideas and content out there that covers nature/science combos, or nature/language arts or nature/creative arts, and those are awesome.
In this episode, I share some of the things I've learned over the more than three decades of working with young people and how 'work projects' can have incredible and valuable life skills and long term outcomes that pay off in multiple ways.
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It was through Tom Brown Jr and his Tracker School that I came to meet John. It was 1984, on a farm in western New Jersey, and he was an instructor at the school, and spending seven days with him and the rest of the staff and Tom changed the direction of my life in a radical way.
John was pulled to New Mexico in 1986, where he founded The Tracking Project, and began running rites of passage camps for boys and girls, as well as adult trainings and retreats. I was incredibly fortunate to spend time in his Nurturing the Roots Mentoring Program, where he had gathered elders from Australia, Sweden, Hawaii, Mexico, Brazil, and across North America. Learning and connecting with those elders and John and his staff was a revelation that blew my mind, because they held a mentoring space that was unlike anything I had experienced before.
This experience changed the way I tracked animals, connected to nature, taught and led my camps, trainings and programs. It even affected my personal and community relationships
In this first of a series of conversations, we dive into what learning tracking does to us and for us as human beings, and John describes his apprenticeship with some of the best trackers in the world.
Please enjoy Episode #133.
Website: https://thetrackingproject.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetrackingproject/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTrackingProject/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetrackingproject
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