The Outdoors Group Podcast

In this, our first episode of Season 6, we've been joined once more by one of our directors Shev Pring to talk about the concept of experiential learning. This educational approach is at the heart of everything we do here at The Outdoors Group and this conversation was well overdue on the podcast!

We discussed the history of this approach and the contributions made by the forefathers, David Kolb and John Dewey before looking at how it works in practice, what makes it so effective and why it's a fantastic way to approach education. We mused on the difference between a learner being intrinsically and extrinsically motivated, how this might affect the embedding of their learning and Shev gave some fantastic practical tips for those looking to incorporate experiential learning into their teaching or facilitation.

It was a really interesting and engaging conversation to be part of and as always, we hope that you enjoy listening just as much as we did making the episode!

For the final episode of season 5 of The Outdoors Group Podcast, we were delighted to be invited to On The Hill, who are based in the beautiful Teign Valley in South Devon. We met one of the directors of this community interest company, Jo Clark, to discuss the story of On The Hill.

We chatted about where they originated, the land based learning that they do and most importantly, what drives the work that they undertake. We discussed connecting young people with the world around them and the food they eat, the importance of having breaks from screens and why community is at the heart of everything they do.

It was such a nourishing and engaging conversation to be part of and we hope you enjoy listening to it just as much as we did having it! To find out more about the work they do, head to https://www.onthehill.camp.

This was the season finale of Season 5 and what a way to go out! If you'd like to discuss being a guest on our next season, please drop us an email on [email protected]. But until then, as always, thanks for listening!

In this episode, we were delighted to be invited to visit The Bioasis, which we found at a top secret location in the South West of England. We were met by the Director Adrian Ferraro to explore this beautiful patch of the world and talk about the experiences they offer to young people. The Bioasis runs immersive residential adventures, with a focus on climate change and looking after the world we live in. We discussed why they've taken such a different approach to residentials, the purposeful work those visiting engage in and the wider context of how this sits within the climate anxiety that many young people suffer from. It was a really interesting and engaging conversation and we hope that you enjoy listening just as much. If you'd like to find out more about what they do at The Bioasis, head over to https://www.thebioasis.com to get started!

In this episode, I was delighted to be joined, once again, by the headteacher of The Outdoors School, Robyn Vincent. For those new to us, The Outdoors School is a unique completely outdoor special school based across 4 sites in Devon. It offers a project-based learner-led educational approach to autistic young people and those with special educational needs. This was Robyn's second appearance on the podcast and this time, she was talking to us about the growth that The Outdoors School has seen over the last 4 years. We discussed how it's grown, how her role as the headteacher has changed and what her dreams and aspirations for learners and staff alike are. It was a lovely opportunity to reflect on the last four years and to look ahead as we enter our fifth academic year and it's always a pleasure to spend some time talking to Robyn.

In this episode, I was delighted to be joined by not one but three of my esteemed colleagues to discuss journalling. Our Welfare Officers Rowan Pring and Pete Shepherd were discussing it from a therapeutic perspective and our Director Shev Pring added an educational view point about using learning journals. We discussed the practicalities of what journalling is, why it's a helpful practice and they shared top tips for how to get started. We also investigated the intersection between the journal as a learning tool and the journal as a therapeutic tool and explored the premise that perhaps they are actually one and the same. It was an insightful, light and useful conversation and as always, a pleasure to facilitate. Rowan mentioned towards the end of the conversation that she has Long Covid and, amongst other designs, she has created two beautiful journals specifically designed for people with Long Covid, that you can find out more about here: https://www.calmertides.co.uk.

In this episode, we were delighted to talk to Abel Pearson, one of the directors at Glasbren. Glasbren is a not-for-profit community land project in Carmarthen, Wales. Over the last 5 years they have been engaging with their local community to grow and deliver over 4000 veg boxes through their Community-Support Agriculture veg box scheme and recently have become the new custodians of a National Trust farm, Parc yr Arglwydd (Lords Park). We talked about where Glasbren originated and what it stands for, dived into biodynamic and no dig farming and discussed their plans for their new home. We explored the power of community and discussed the importance of accessibility in this inspiring and nurturing conversation. It was such a pleasure to have this time to talk to Abel and we hope you enjoy listening to it just as much! To find out more about the amazing work they're doing, visit www.glasbren.org.uk or follow them on instagram at @glasbren.

In this episode, we were delighted to visit The Baby Room in Exeter to talk to one of its founders, Jen Harris. The Baby Room is an amazing venue and resource for families in Exeter and the surrounding area, offering (amongst other things!) breastfeeding support, real nappy consultation and hire, baby sling consultation and hire and inclusive support for families. At the cornerstone of this Community Interest Company, is a deep founded commitment to reducing waste and making environmentally (and wallet!) friendly choices. They were the best perfect people to talk to about Plastic Free July, real nappies and how to tackle the amount of plastic that we face in our daily lives. Jen had some fantastic tips for those wanting to make changes as well as some interesting thoughts on waste, nappies, and the importance of community hubs like this for families. It was a really interesting conversation to have and hopefully might be useful to some of you thinking about waste this Plastic Free July! To find out more about what they do at The Baby Room, visit https://thebabyroomexeter.co.uk.