Nature Path Podcast Nature Path Podcast

How can you create authentic outdoor learning experiences? In a beautiful pine forest in South western Finland we take a walk with Dr Simon Beames, Senior Lecturer in Outdoor Learning at Edinburgh University, Simon was in Finland to give a keynote talk “Educating Generation Z” at www.Ulos2017.fi, Finland’s largest outdoor learning conference, a part of Suomi/Finland 100 year celebrations.

Why do we create outdoor programs and how does the environment affect the practice we do? We wander along sandy paths and compare the outdoor learning and education traditions in Canada, Scotland and Finland.

Simon has created “Outdoor Journeys” and is the author of Adventurous Learning: A Pedagogy for a Changing World.

Björn Ylipää from Måltidsvision tells how nature influences his work and the importance of nature in his life. Indeed, nature is his source of creative inspiration. Björn creates stories based on the tastes of the landscape and immerses his customers in a multi-sensory journey through the seasons of northern Sweden. He poses questions that connect sounds, tastes and textures from the natural environment. Björn still has strong connections to the culture and lands of Norrbotten which heavily influence his food projects around the world.

You can buy Björn's new book smak av norrsken "Taste of the northern lights" from www.smakavnorrsken.se his storytelling by food is found on www.maltidsvision.se

Martina Uotinen from The Finnish Society for Nature and Environment talks about their exciting project "Natur & Språk" in this edition of the Nature Path Podcast. The project works with language immersion (Swedish and Finnish) in camp schools in outdoor settings. Find more information on the project and their methodology handbook in Swedish: http://naturochmiljo.fi/malgrupper/lager/natur_sprak/

Join adventurer Tim Cope on his journey from studying law in Australia to living a life of exploration. Tim has travelled the world by bike, rowing boat, on foot and by horse. A significant influence was his wilderness guide studies in Finland. Tim tells how Finnish “Erä” traditions have influenced his approach to travelling the world.

How can one engage in unfamiliar landscapes? How does nature influence the psychology of the people who live off the land? Tim shares his experiences of exploring northern boreal forests and slowly travelling through the vast expanse of steppe and desert between Mongolia and Hungary. Expeditions that have taken many years of travel to complete: www.timcopejourneys.com

What is your favourite season? Do you know why? What do different seasons mean to you? We meet delegates from The 8th World Environmental Education Congress; educators from 4 continents talking about their favourite season. This edition is a teaser for a full length discussion about outdoor learning from WEEC2015 coming in the next edition.

Nature Path is a series of podcasts exploring people’s relationship to nature and the outdoors. In this edition on a windy autumn day we meet the individuals behind the LINC project which uses outdoor learning in cultural and natural landscapes as one method of immigrant integration. www.liu.se/linc