Earthy Chats Podcast

Outdoor Learning School & Store/CBEEN, and Stoked on Science
  • 5.0 (1)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED MONTHLY

Join us for wide-ranging chats with outdoor and environmental educators about best practices, changing trends, and new insights about the outdoor learning and enviro. ed. fields. Long-time educators Ian Shanahan and Jade Berrill from the Non-profit Outdoor Learning School & Store facilitate the cross-pollination of ideas. Join the discussion!

  1. 1D AGO

    Garden-based education

    Have you thought about starting a garden to use in your teaching? What if you’re in an urban area? Perhaps you’re working on a shoe-string budget. How can you get started and, most importantly, keep a garden going once the initial excitement fades? These are some of the questions and challenges that Noel Cibulka and the team at KidsGardening tackle on a daily basis. Noel joined us to talk all things school gardening, including specific tips on how to integrate math into garden-based education.  Guest: Noel Cibulka Adapted from the Kids Gardening website: Noel Cibulka started with KidsGardening in the summer of 2022. As Educational Content Manager she helps develop KG’s annual garden-based educational content strategy, co-developing original educational materials, overseeing the editorial calendar and supporting the content marketing plan. She also supports the KidsGardening Community with resource vetting and engagement. Growing up in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, Noel developed a deep appreciation for the natural world while swimming, hiking, gardening, and foraging for fruit with family and friends. She holds a BA in Creative Writing from University of Southern California, where she developed a passion for informal education, teaching poetry workshops at 32nd Street School/USC Magnet.  Mentioned in episode: KidsGardening Math in the Garden (book) Math in the Garden e-Course  Related resources: The Everyday School Garden Sowing the Seeds of Wonder Jardiner à l’école

    56 min

  2. JAN 30

    Winter tips and insights

    Jade is our resident chionophile (look it up), so she popped over to the other side of the mic for this episode about outdoor learning in places where winter is cold and snowy. There’s talk of winter mystery bags, using snowflakes as lessons prompts, connections to literacy, and the importance of movement. We also get into the nitty gritty of clothing and ways of ensuring that everyone has access to the right gear when temperatures drop below freezing. Also, how do chickadees’ brains change in the winter? Mentioned in episode: Dressing for the Weather diagram from Christina Pickles A Walking Curriculum Related resources: The Big Book of Nature Activities Sitting with Nature: An Educator’s Guide to Sit Spots Dirty Teaching: A Beginner’s Guide to Learning Outdoors

    37 min

  3. 11/21/2025

    Outdoor learning for assessment and social-emotional learning

    Prepositions matter in this episode, specifically that three-letter word ‘for.’ What is outdoor learning ‘for’ assessment? How can we facilitate outdoor learning ‘for’ social-emotional learning (SEL)? Teacher, writer, podcaster, and regular sit-spot practitioner Lauren MacLean of Teach Outdoors joined us to talk assessment and SEL in the context of learning outdoors. We also got into the weeds regarding British Columbia’s competency-based assessment framework as well as documenting learners’ progress on a continuum.   Guest: Lauren MacLean From the Teach Outdoors website “I was born and raised in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada by my two amazing parents. My brother, sister, and I grew up playing in the ditches and wetlands in the summer and exploring the snowy mountains in the winter.   I now live in Port Moody, BC. It’s still on the West Coast of Canada, just a bit further up the Burrard Inlet. My family lives at the top of Heritage Mountain where we enjoy taking our two young toddlers and energetic dog on forest hikes.   I am very grateful to be living and learning on these lands which lie on the traditional, unceded territory of the Coast Salish people since time immemorial.”   Mentioned in episode: Teach Outdoors Teach Outdoors Podcast CASEL Wild Learning (Rachel Tidd) Related resources: Sitting with Nature: An Educator’s Guide to Sit Spots Me and My Sit Spot Me and My Sit Spot for Early Learners Embracing Risky Play at School

    57 min

  4. 07/24/2025

    Indigenous wellness and language learning

    There has been a sharp increase over the past decade in educational resources from Indigenous perspectives. What can we look for when selecting such resources? Which gaps remain, and how do we address them? Launa Payne and Sherrelle Anderson of Rise Up Indigenous Wellness joined us to discuss these questions and offer their insights about learning Indigenous languages, paths to reconciliation, and the power of shared laughter. Guests: From the Rise Up Indigenous Wellness website Launa Payne is a member of Xa'xtsa First Nation. She is an Indigenous Educator with a focus on outdoor education. Launa teaches yoga and mindfulness in addition to Indigenous outdoor camps. Launa is the proud mother of two adult children. She has published two books on Indigenous teachings and connection to the land. Sherrelle Anderson is a member of the Saddle Lake First Nation. She is a Social Worker with a focus on Indigenous wellness. Sherrelle is an Indigenous outreach worker who also teaches a number of Indigenous programs throughout BC. Sherrelle is the proud mother of three school-aged daughters. Mentioned in episode: Health benefits of time in nature Information on integrating Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Heartbeat of the Earth: Connecting Children to Nature through Indigenous Teachings by Launa Purcell A Walking Curriculum: Evoking Wonder and Developing a Sense of Place by Gillian Judson 4 Seasons of Indigenous Learning Resources for Indigenous Learning: Indigenous Language Learning courses 52 Ways to Reconcile: How to Walk with Indigenous Peoples on the Path to Healing by David A. Robertson Teacher Set: Speaking Our Truth — A Journey of Reconciliation

    46 min

  5. 04/11/2025

    Nature and heritage interpretation: yesterday, today, and tomorrow

    With Parker McMullen Bushman of the National Association of Interpretation and Ecoinclusive How has the field of interpretation changed in recent decades? What opportunities do digital tools open up for interpreters? Where can we look for guidance in telling uncomfortable stories and reconciling with difficult truths? NAI Board President Parker McMullen Bushman covers all of these questions and reminds us why nature and heritage interpreters can have such a major influence on individuals and the public at large. Guest: Parker McMullen Bushman is the Chief Operating Officer of Inclusive Guide and founder of Ecoinclusive Strategies. She is also the Board President for the National Association for interpretation. Listed by Outside Magazine in 2022 as one of the 20 Most Influential People in the Outdoor Industry, Parker is a dynamic speaker and facilitator who engages audiences in new thinking around what it means to be a diversity change-agent and create dynamic organizational change. Parker’s background in the non-profit leadership, conservation, environmental education, and outdoor recreation fields spans over 24+ years. Parker has a passion for equity and inclusion in outdoor spaces. Her interest in justice, accessibility, and equity issues developed from her personal experiences facing the unequal representation of people of color in environmental organizations and green spaces. Parker tackles these complex issues by addressing them through head-on activism and education.  Websites and Projects Inclusive Guide: https://www.inclusiveguide.com/ Personal: https://cparkermcmullenbushman.com/ Ecoinclusive: https://www.ecoinclusive.org/ Summit for Action: https://www.summitforaction.org/ Kweenwerk: https://www.kweenwerk.com Mentioned in episode: NAI’s Legacy magazine: https://nai-us.org/nai/_resources/publications/Legacy_Magazine.aspx Story about “Stone Lagoon” on Yurok Tribe lands: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=30898#:~:text=On%20April%207th%2C%202022%2C%20the,within%20the%20State%20Park%20system Resources for nature and heritage interpretation: The National Park Classroom: A Guide to Designing Project-Based Learning Adventures The Big Book of Nature Activities — A Year-Round Guide to Outdoor Learning Heartbeat of the Earth: Connecting Children to Nature through Indigenous Teachings Animal Track Pack: Coyote, Deer, Squirrel, Hare, Owl, Crow (replicas) Enhanced Educator Outdoor Learning Kit Various nature guides … and many more *Episode edited by M. Angel Goñi Avila *Episode originally recorded in Summer 2023

    30 min

  6. 02/11/2025

    Fireside Chat: Truth and Reconciliation — where to start?

    In our first fireside-chat episode, we hear from multiple voices to unpack different aspects of Truth and Reconciliation. The idea here is to invite curiosity, reflection, and discussion. We’ve heard from many folks over the years that they’d like to learn more but aren’t quite sure where to start. We hope that this episode serves as an invitation to get started, no matter what your starting point is.  Resources for Indigenous Learning: 4 Seasons of Indigenous Learning (virtual course) Indigenous Language Learning (virtual courses) Braiding Sweetgrass Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults Natural Curiosity, 2nd ed. Unreconciled Heartbeat of the Earth Sila and the Land Walking Together … and many more Read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s 94 Calls to Action here.  Related episodes of Earthy Chats: Episode 3: Braiding Ktunaxa knowledge into learning Episode 6: Reconnecting with the Land through a child’s eyes Episode 12: Natural Curiosity through an Indigenous lens Episode 14: Awakening to the lessons of the Land

    36 min

  7. 12/13/2024

    Learning through a watershed lens

    Ian and Jade are back for this two-part episode! In Part 1, the co-hosts begin to unpack the use of watersheds as an integrating context for learning (AKA, watershed education). In Part 2 starting at the 12:45 mark, we return to an episode of the Talking with Green Teachers podcast from the spring of 2022 wherein Ian and guest David Ramsay discussed these questions:  What is watershed education? Why is it a critical component of place-based learning? How can we engage students of all ages in learning through a watershed lens?  Water is a remarkable storyteller. All we have to do is listen to what it has to tell us.

    39 min

  8. 02/16/2024

    Episode 20: Learning in, about, from, and for nature

    What are some common barriers to learning in nature? How can we shift the paradigm whereby learning about nature is prioritized? What are some key lessons we can learn from nature? How does learning for nature also benefit learners? Here's what else we dove into in this Earthy Chat: the purpose of environmental education and education as a whole transitioning from “sage on the stage” to “guide on the side” escaping the cycle of mediocrity getting beyond the “I-don’t-know-enough-about-nature-to-teach-it” mindset how we can learn from nature more effectively antidotes to perpetual student boredom lessons from Anne of Green Gables embracing reciprocity as a guiding principle how to be a “solutionary” Guest: David DenHartog is the Lead Strategy Consultant for the Green Schools National Network. He has been a classroom teacher, principal, school coach, and educational entrepreneur. Fostering deep learning has been at the core of David's work, both with his own students and in the role of educational coach. Recognizing that collective self-efficacy is the most powerful driver of student success, David strives to help build mindsets that embrace excellence while strengthening relationships. Through his national exposure to the education landscape and his work around the world, David recognizes that deeper learning practices and global competencies such as collaboration, character, citizenship, communication, critical thinking, and creativity form the essence of an excellent, forward-thinking educational environment. To learn more about Green Schools National Network (GSNN), visit https://greenschoolsnationalnetwork.org/.

    54 min
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About

Join us for wide-ranging chats with outdoor and environmental educators about best practices, changing trends, and new insights about the outdoor learning and enviro. ed. fields. Long-time educators Ian Shanahan and Jade Berrill from the Non-profit Outdoor Learning School & Store facilitate the cross-pollination of ideas. Join the discussion!

Information

  • Creator
    Outdoor Learning School & Store/CBEEN, and Stoked on Science
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    33
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2021 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Earthy Chats Podcast

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