In this episode, I explore the connection between nature, neuroscience, and meaning-making in early childhood education. Inspired by Dr. Lisa Miller’s work, I reflect on what research is beginning to show about how nature supports regulation, attention, and a sense of connection—without drifting into “woo woo,” but staying grounded in science and classroom practice.

In this episode, you will learn...

• ...how nature impacts the developing brain through stress regulation and attention systems.
• ...what neuroscience says about calm, focus, and emotional regulation in outdoor environments.
• ...how emerging research connects nature experiences to meaning-making and resilience.
• ...how Dr. Lisa Miller’s work informs our understanding of connection and awareness.
• ...how educators can stay grounded in science while honoring moments of awe and connection in nature.

🌿 Our Children's Library: 4 Types of Teaching Gardens Booklist (PDF) (halfway down the page)

🎓 Outdoor Classrooms Teacher Certification Program

🌸 CIRCLE Membership Community

Website: www.outdoor-classrooms.com

Email: [email protected]

Instagram

Facebook

If you believe in the power of outdoor learning and nature-based education, we'd love to partner with you. Sponsoring the Outdoor Classrooms Podcast helps support educators while connecting your organization with a passionate community of teachers, school leaders, and families.

Contact Victoria at [email protected] to learn more.

Please take a moment to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and rate or comment on Spotify. Your support makes a big difference in helping the show reach more educators!

What if supporting children's focus, well-being, and learning could begin with the spaces where they spend their day?

In this episode, Victoria Hackett sits down with Ernesto Rodriguez, founder of Nature in the Classroom, to explore how nature-inspired learning environments can help children feel calmer, more engaged, and better able to learn. Drawing on his background in school psychology, photography, and environmental education, Ernesto shares the story behind his innovative work bringing tree canopy imagery into schools and classrooms.

Together, they discuss the science behind our connection to nature, the role of biophilic design in education, and why creating restorative learning environments matters now more than ever.

Whether you're a classroom teacher, outdoor educator, school leader, or parent, this conversation offers practical ideas and fresh inspiration for bringing more nature into children's daily lives.

• The story behind Nature in the Classroom
• Why our brains respond so strongly to nature
• The research connecting nature and attention
• How classroom environments influence learning and behavior
• What teachers and students experience after nature-inspired transformations
• The relationship between indoor environments and outdoor learning
• Simple ways educators can bring more nature into their classrooms
• Why nature connection is essential for children's well-being

Ernesto Rodriguez is the founder of Nature in the Classroom, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing the benefits of nature into schools through immersive tree canopy installations and nature-inspired learning environments. His work combines school psychology, photography, and environmental education to help create spaces where children can thrive.

Nature in the Classroom

Facebook

Instagram

Contact Ernesto

For more conversations about outdoor learning, nature-based education, and raising connected, curious children, subscribe to The Outdoor Classrooms Podcast and share this episode with a fellow educator.

Website: www.outdoor-classrooms.com

Email: [email protected]

Instagram

Facebook

🌿 Our Children's Library: 4 Types of Teaching Gardens Booklist (PDF) (halfway down the page)

🎓 Outdoor Classrooms Teacher Certification Program

🌸 CIRCLE Membership Community

If you believe in the power of outdoor learning and nature-based education, we'd love to partner with you. Sponsoring the Outdoor Classrooms Podcast helps support educators while connecting your organization with a passionate community of teachers, school leaders, and families.

Contact Victoria at [email protected] to learn more.

Please take a moment to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and rate or comment on Spotify. Your support makes a big difference in helping the show reach more educators!

Summer brings a powerful shift in the outdoor classroom—but many educators find themselves wondering how to move beyond maintenance into intentional, meaningful outdoor learning.

In this episode, we explore how to reimagine your outdoor classroom for summer through four “teaching gardens” that support curiosity, exploration, and nature-based learning.

Rather than treating the outdoor space as one general area, this episode introduces a framework for designing outdoor environments that reflect the richness of the summer season.

We explore four teaching garden lenses:

🌿 Gardens that Feed

🐝 Gardens that Attract Wildlife

🎨 Gardens for Art and Beauty

🔍 Gardens as Outdoor Learning Stations

Each one offers a different way to support observation, inquiry, creativity, and connection with the natural world.

This episode invites educators to shift their thinking—from managing outdoor spaces to designing living systems that inspire learning.

• Why summer outdoor learning often feels less structured for educators
• How to move from maintaining a garden to designing teaching gardens
• Four ways to structure meaningful outdoor learning in summer
• How nature becomes a co-teacher in your outdoor classroom
• Why small shifts in design can create powerful learning opportunities

🌿 Exploring Nature in Summer Masterclass

📅 Opens June 19

A 4-week hybrid experience for educators focused on seasonal outdoor learning:

Week 1: Gardens That Feed in Summer

Week 2: Gardens That Attract Wildlife in Summer

Week 3: Gardens for Art and Beauty in Summer

Week 4: Gardens as Outdoor Learning Stations in Summer

What would change in your outdoor classroom if it was designed for curiosity instead of maintenance?

Outdoor Classroom Resources & Links:

🌿 Our Children's Library: 4 Types of Teaching Gardens Booklist (PDF) (halfway down the page)

🎓 Outdoor Classrooms Teacher Certification Program

🌸 CIRCLE Membership Community

Connect with Victoria:

Website: www.outdoor-classrooms.com

Email: [email protected]

Instagram

Facebook

If you believe in the power of outdoor learning and nature-based education, we'd love to partner with you. Sponsoring the Outdoor Classrooms Podcast helps support educators while connecting your organization with a passionate community of teachers, school leaders, and families.

Contact Victoria at [email protected] to learn more.

Please take a moment to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and rate or comment on Spotify. Your support makes a big difference in helping the show reach more educators!

Outdoor Learning, Childhood & the Growth We Don’t Always See

This episode connects a deeply personal moment—watching a son graduate from Cornell University—with reflections on childhood, parenting, and the long arc of development.

From mud kitchens to outdoor classrooms, it explores how children grow in ways that are often invisible in the moment—but undeniable over time.

• Why the most important learning is often invisible while it’s happening
• How outdoor play builds resilience, curiosity, and problem-solving
• The connection between early childhood experiences and later life skills
• Why mud kitchens and loose parts are far more than “just play”
• How outdoor learning shapes both children and the adults who guide them

Childhood is not a checklist of achievements—it is a long, unfolding process of becoming.

And outdoor learning asks us to trust what we cannot yet measure.

From mud kitchens to college graduation - growth is always happening, even when we cannot see it yet.

🌿 Our Children's Library: 4 Types of Teaching Gardens Booklist (PDF) (halfway down the page)

🎓 Outdoor Classrooms Teacher Certification Program

🌸 CIRCLE Membership Community

Website: www.outdoor-classrooms.com

Email: [email protected]

Instagram

Facebook

Please take a moment to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and rate or comment on Spotify. Your support makes a big difference in helping the show reach more educators!

What happens when children are given time, space, and freedom to connect deeply with nature?

In this inspiring episode, I sit down with Lisa Burris, founder of Turn Back Time, to explore the transformative power of outdoor learning, connection, and childhood wonder.

Lisa shares the story behind Turn Back Time and how her work has created meaningful experiences for children and families through nature-based education, farm experiences, and relationship-centered learning. Together, we discuss what children truly need to thrive, the importance of unstructured outdoor play, and how nature helps children build confidence, resilience, and belonging.

This conversation is a beautiful reminder that childhood was never meant to happen only indoors.

• The story behind Turn Back Time
• Why nature-based learning matters now more than ever
• Supporting children through connection and outdoor experiences
• The role of risk, wonder, and freedom in childhood
• How outdoor learning transforms both children and educators
• The healing power of slowing down and reconnecting with nature
• What gives Lisa hope for the future of education

Whether you are a parent, educator, or advocate for children, this episode will leave you inspired to see outdoor learning in a whole new way.

• www.tbtinc.org
• www.facebook.com/turnbacktimeinc
• Instagram: @tbtfarm

If this episode inspired you, share it with an educator, parent, or friend who believes in the power of childhood, nature, and connection.

🌿 Our Children's Library: 4 Types of Teaching Gardens Booklist (PDF) (halfway down the page)

🎓 Outdoor Classrooms Teacher Certification Program

🌸 CIRCLE Membership Community

Connect with Victoria:

WEBSITE: www.outdoor-classrooms.com

EMAIL: [email protected]

Instagram: instagram.com/outdoor_classrooms/

Facebook: Facebook.com/OutdoorClassrooms1

Follow, rate, and review to help others discover outdoor learning. Please take a moment to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and rate or comment on Spotify. Your support makes a big difference in helping the show reach more educators!

This Mother’s Day, I visited my 93-year-old mother and spent time in her garden—a living, breathing oasis filled with flowers, birds, sunlight, and the quiet rhythm of seasonal change.

As I watched her move through this familiar space, I found myself reflecting on something we often overlook: nature is not just for children.

In this episode, I share a personal story alongside research and reflection on how nature supports healthy aging, emotional wellbeing, memory, purpose, and quality of life in older adults. From gardening to sunlight to sensory connection, we explore why outdoor spaces matter deeply across the entire lifespan.

We also consider what it means to age in place surrounded by nature—and why beauty, rhythm, and connection remain essential at every age.

• A visit to my 93-year-old mother’s garden
• What nature offers in aging and elderhood
• Research on nature and healthy aging
• Emotional and cognitive benefits of gardens
• Why nature matters across the lifespan

Nature is not optional in later life—it is essential to wellbeing, connection, and how we continue to feel alive.

🌿 Our Children's Library: 4 Types of Teaching Gardens Booklist (PDF) (halfway down the page)

🎓 Outdoor Classrooms Teacher Certification Program

🌸 CIRCLE Membership Community

Website: www.outdoor-classrooms.com

Email: [email protected]

Instagram

Facebook

Please take a moment to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and rate or comment on Spotify. Your support makes a big difference in helping the show reach more educators!

What if legacy isn’t something we leave behind—but something we build every day?

In this episode, we explore how nature-based education shapes children through attention, connection, and repeated experiences outdoors. Through a story from the Secret Gardens Outdoor Classroom, a simple puddle becomes a powerful example of how curiosity, observation, and place-based learning create lasting impact.

This episode is for educators and parents who want to deepen children’s relationship with the natural world—and understand how those small moments become meaningful over time.

• Rethinking legacy in education
• The role of attention in outdoor learning
• How nature-based education builds connection and care
• Why returning to the same place matters
• How identity forms through experiences in nature

What children learn to notice, they learn to value.

What are you teaching children to notice?

Small moments outdoors can shape how children see—and care for—the world.

🌿 Keep noticing.

Outdoor Classroom Resources & Links:

🌿 Our Children's Library: 4 Types of Teaching Gardens Booklist (PDF) (halfway down the page)

🎓 Outdoor Classrooms Teacher Certification Program

🌸 CIRCLE Membership Community

Connect with Victoria:

WEBSITE: www.outdoor-classrooms.com

EMAIL: [email protected]

Instagram: instagram.com/outdoor_classrooms/

Facebook: Facebook.com/OutdoorClassrooms1

Follow, rate, and review to help others discover outdoor learning. Please take a moment to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and rate or comment on Spotify. Your support makes a big difference in helping the show reach more educators!

What if the most meaningful learning—for both families and classrooms—begins just beyond the front door?

In this episode, I’m joined by José Bergeron, author of Beyond the Front Door: Embracing Nature for a Happier and Healthier Family, to explore how simple, everyday moments in nature can transform the way children live, learn, and connect—at home and in school.

We talk about why so many children are disconnected from the outdoors—and how small, intentional shifts can bring nature back into daily rhythms. José shares insights on child development, the power of unstructured play, and how outdoor experiences support focus, creativity, and emotional well-being.

This conversation is for parents, caregivers, and educators who want to create meaningful, low-pressure ways for children to learn and thrive outside.

Meet José Bergeron, author of Beyond the Front Door: Embracing Nature for a Happier and Healthier Family. He is passionate about helping families and educators reconnect children with the natural world through simple, meaningful everyday experiences. His work centers on the idea that small shifts—stepping outside, slowing down, and making space for unstructured play—can have a powerful impact on children’s well-being, learning, and connection.

• Why nature is essential for children’s growth—at home and in school
• Simple, doable ways to bring outdoor learning into everyday routines
• The role of unstructured play in both family life and education
• How time outside supports focus, creativity, and emotional regulation
• Practical ideas for educators to extend learning beyond classroom walls

Want to learn more from José Bergeron?

• Website: https://backwoodsmama.com/
• Instagram: @thebackwoodsmama
• TikTok: @thebackwoodsmama
• Book: Beyond the Front Door: Embracing Nature for a Happier and Healthier Family

You can also explore more of José’s writing and seasonal nature inspiration on her website, where she shares practical ideas for helping families reconnect with the outdoors year-round.

🌿 Our Children's Library: 4 Types of Teaching Gardens Booklist (PDF) (halfway down the page)

🎓 Outdoor Classrooms Teacher Certification Program

🌸 CIRCLE Membership Community

Website: www.outdoor-classrooms.com

Email: [email protected]

Instagram

Facebook

Please take a moment to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and rate or comment on Spotify. Your support makes a big difference in helping the show reach more educators!

What if engagement in your outdoor classroom isn’t about better activities—but better design?

In this episode, we explore playful personalities—the natural ways children engage with the world—and how they can become powerful on-ramps to learning. From builders and explorers to observers and storytellers, you’ll learn how to design spaces that invite every child in.

With real stories and simple shifts, you’ll begin to see your outdoor classroom as a place of belonging, curiosity, and meaningful learning.

• What playful personalities are
• Why children engage differently outdoors
• How to design with multiple entry points
• Simple ways to make your space more inclusive

Outdoor Classroom Resources & Links:

🌿 Our Children's Library: 4 Types of Teaching Gardens Booklist (PDF) (halfway down the page)

🎓 Outdoor Classrooms Teacher Certification Program

🌸 CIRCLE Membership Community

Connect with Victoria:

WEBSITE: www.outdoor-classrooms.com

EMAIL: [email protected]

Instagram: instagram.com/outdoor_classrooms/

Facebook: Facebook.com/OutdoorClassrooms1

Follow, rate, and review to help others discover outdoor learning. Please take a moment to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and rate or comment on Spotify. Your support makes a big difference in helping the show reach more educators!

What if the most meaningful learning doesn’t happen inside a classroom—but outside?

In this episode, I’m joined by Ellen Grudzien, founder of Let’s Grow Outside NH, to explore the power of child-led learning in nature. With decades of experience in early childhood education, Ellen shares how outdoor classrooms can transform the way children learn, grow, and connect.

We talk about what it really looks like to trust children, embrace all-weather learning, and create space for curiosity to lead.

✨ In This Episode:

• The story behind Let’s Grow Outside NH
• What child-led learning looks like in practice
• The impact of outdoor education on confidence and independence
• Navigating concerns around safety, weather, and academics
• Simple ways to bring more nature-based learning into your day

You don’t need a forest to get started—just a shift in mindset, a willingness to slow down, and trust in the process.

• https://www.letsgrowoutsidenh.com/
• email to [email protected]

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show and share it with an educator or parent who believes in the power of learning beyond the classroom.

Outdoor Classroom Resources & Links:

🌿 Our Children's Library: 4 Types of Teaching Gardens Booklist (PDF) (halfway down the page)

🎓 Outdoor Classrooms Teacher Certification Program

🌸 CIRCLE Membership Community

Connect with Victoria:

WEBSITE www.outdoor-classrooms.com

EMAIL: [email protected]

Instagram

Facebook

Please take a moment to leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts, and rate or comment on Spotify. Your support makes a big difference in helping the show reach more educators!