Forest Educator with Ricardo Sierra | A Podcast for Revolutionary Conversations about Nature-Based Education

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.

Forest Educator Bonus Content Page:

http://foresteducator.com/bonuscontent

Join the Forest Educator Patreon!

https://patreon.com/ForestEducatorPodcast

Connect with Ricardo:

https://www.foresteducator.com/

https://www.theforestboxforkids.com/

https://www.hawkcircle.com/

Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-sierra-5980931/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/the_forest_educator_podcast/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/RicardohawkSierra

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

Forest Educator Bonus Content Page:

http://foresteducator.com/bonuscontent

Join the Forest Educator Patreon!

https://patreon.com/ForestEducatorPodcast

Connect with Ricardo:

https://www.foresteducator.com/

https://www.theforestboxforkids.com/

https://www.hawkcircle.com/

Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-sierra-5980931/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/the_forest_educator_podcast/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/RicardohawkSierra

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/

Forest Educator Bonus Content Page:

http://foresteducator.com/bonuscontent

Join the Forest Educator Patreon!

https://patreon.com/ForestEducatorPodcast

Connect with Ricardo:

https://www.foresteducator.com/

https://www.theforestboxforkids.com/

https://www.hawkcircle.com/

Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-sierra-5980931/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/the_forest_educator_podcast/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/RicardohawkSierra

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:

http://foresteducator.com/bonuscontent

Join the Forest Educator Patreon!

https://patreon.com/ForestEducatorPodcast

Connect with Ricardo:

https://www.foresteducator.com/

https://www.theforestboxforkids.com/

https://www.hawkcircle.com/

Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-sierra-5980931/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/the_forest_educator_podcast/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/RicardohawkSierra

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:

http://foresteducator.com/bonuscontent

Join the Forest Educator Patreon!

https://patreon.com/ForestEducatorPodcast

Connect with Ricardo:

https://www.foresteducator.com/

https://www.theforestboxforkids.com/

https://www.hawkcircle.com/

Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-sierra-5980931/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/the_forest_educator_podcast/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/RicardohawkSierra

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.

Forest Educator Bonus Content Page:

http://foresteducator.com/bonuscontent

Join the Forest Educator Patreon!

https://patreon.com/ForestEducatorPodcast

Connect with Ricardo:

https://www.foresteducator.com/

https://www.theforestboxforkids.com/

https://www.hawkcircle.com/

Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-sierra-5980931/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/the_forest_educator_podcast/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/RicardohawkSierra

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/

Forest Educator Bonus Content Page:

http://foresteducator.com/bonuscontent

Join the Forest Educator Patreon!

https://patreon.com/ForestEducatorPodcast

Connect with Ricardo:

https://www.foresteducator.com/

https://www.theforestboxforkids.com/

https://www.hawkcircle.com/

Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-sierra-5980931/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/the_forest_educator_podcast/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/RicardohawkSierra

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.

Forest Educator Bonus Content Page:

http://foresteducator.com/bonuscontent

Join the Forest Educator Patreon!

https://patreon.com/ForestEducatorPodcast

Connect with Ricardo:

https://www.foresteducator.com/

https://www.theforestboxforkids.com/

https://www.hawkcircle.com/

Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-sierra-5980931/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/the_forest_educator_podcast/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/RicardohawkSierra

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.

Forest Educator Bonus Content Page:

http://foresteducator.com/bonuscontent

Join the Forest Educator Patreon!

https://patreon.com/ForestEducatorPodcast

Connect with Ricardo:

https://www.foresteducator.com/

https://www.theforestboxforkids.com/

https://www.hawkcircle.com/

Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-sierra-5980931/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/the_forest_educator_podcast/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/RicardohawkSierra

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.

Forest Educator Bonus Content Page:

http://foresteducator.com/bonuscontent

Join the Forest Educator Patreon!

https://patreon.com/ForestEducatorPodcast

Connect with Ricardo:

https://www.foresteducator.com/

https://www.theforestboxforkids.com/

https://www.hawkcircle.com/

Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ricardo-sierra-5980931/

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/the_forest_educator_podcast/

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/RicardohawkSierra