Play Nature Podcast

Some conversations feel like sunshine. This one? Pure magic. Imagine laughter blowing through the trees, college students climbing branches, children splashing in streams, and stories woven into the wind. That’s the vibe of this episode of the Play Nature Podcast. Host Rusty Keeler is joined by the wonderful Gemma Nicholl Medina to explore the wild wonder of place-based learning and how nature, culture, and play connect like old friends. Big ideas. Small moments. Muddy hands. Happy hearts. Gemma shares how her college students discover something ancient and familiar when they play outside, observe children deeply, and reconnect with trees, soil, stories, and place. Gemma reminds us that nature play doesn't require a perfect forest, perfect tools, or perfect plans. All you need is curiosity, connection, and courage to say, “Let’s begin right here.” Top 3 Takeaways with Gemma: Start where you are. Nature play doesn’t require a forest — a tree, a park, a garden pot, or a single seed is enough to spark curiosity and connection. Place matters. When children learn the stories, plants, language, and history of where they live, they build a relationship with the land — and care grows from that relationship. Play is powerful. Whether college students climbing trees or preschoolers exploring mud, joyful, hands-on experiences unlock learning, belonging, and a sense of wonder. Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

Welcome to a world where play speaks louder than words. Where adults climb trees dressed as toucans, worms magically become two worms, and curiosity crackles like fairy lights in a cozy home-like space flooded with plants and laughter. In this episode of the Play Nature Podcast, host Rusty Keeler and guest Robin Christie take us by the hand, skipping barefoot through ideas about playfulness, risk, resilience, and the joyful role of goofy, loving adults in children’s lives. Their conversation touches on early childhood teaching in New Zealand, playful adult culture, humor as a first connection, the power of failure, and the soulful art of building truly soft, warm, homey learning spaces. Top 3 Takeaways from Robin Christie: Play is a universal language and adults must become playful participants, not observers, to truly connect with children. Curiosity and wonder work together with curiosity filling knowledge gaps and wonder creating emotional engagement that drives deeper learning. Failure is essential and modeling our own mistakes in front of children teaches resilience, courage, and authentic learning behavior. Children need to see that adults are still learning too. That they are still curious, still surprised, still full of questions. That is how trust forms. That is how humans grow. That is how joy lives in learning… and in life Links: childspace.nz @childspaceNZ on Facebook @childspacenz on Instagram Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

It’s time to trust kids more. Let them walk those four houses home, climb that tree, and spend an afternoon conquering a pile of dirt. Freedom, not fear, shapes childhood the childhood we hope to give our kids. In this episode of Play Nature Podcast, host Rusty Keeler is chatting with Free-Range Kids author and Let Grow president Lenore Skenazy to explore how we, as parents, got so anxious about safety, and what happens when we let kids reclaim their independence. Together, Rusty and Lenore laugh, reflect, and get fired up about what it means to be a “free-range kid” in today’s world. They are sharing why playtime has shrunk, how fear has grown, and the beauty of a child’s self-directed adventure. From bus stop debates to AirTag sneakers, this conversation takes on the cultural shift from trust to tracking, and how we can turn it around. You’ll hear about the Let Grow Experience (a simple way for schools and parents to nurture independence), the joy of multi-age play, and why every child deserves the chance to say, “I did it myself.” Top 3 Takeaways with Lenore Skenazy Freedom Feeds Growth: Kids don’t need a perfect plan; they need space, time, and trust. A pile of dirt or a short walk home can spark hours of imagination, confidence, and joy. Fear Shrinks Play: “Worst-first thinking” keeps kids indoors and anxious. Loosen the grip and help them (and ourselves) build the trust muscle that keeps anxiety in check. Communities Can Drive Change: Through Let Grow programs and open-ended play clubs, parents and schools can make independence normal again. Links: letgrow.org/blog Free-Range Kids: How Parents and Teachers Can Let Go and Let Grow by Lenore Skenazy letgrow.org/free-chapter (FREE chapter for Educators from Free-Range Kids) letgrow.org/resource/more-lenore-skenazy (connect with Lenore for speaking engagements) Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

Have you ever watched a child scoop birdseed, roll in grass, or wrap Play-Doh around tiny toys and think, “What on earth are they doing?” In this episode of Play Nature Podcast, host Rusty Keeler is chatting and laughing with Heather Bernt-Santy, THE Early Childhood Nerd, to find out why those moments are more than just mess and motion. They really are the heart of learning. They talk about curiosity, connection, and the magic of letting kids be wonderfully, gloriously human. Heather shares her journey from podcaster to author and dives into the world of schema play. Those fascinating patterns children repeat as they explore how the world works. From enclosing and enveloping to transporting and transforming, she shows how every scoop, splash, and spin builds brains, confidence, and joy. Adults just need to step back, trust, and watch the wonder unfold. In this conversation, you’ll hear about risky play and right-to-play advocacy, how teachers can shift from “doing” to “wondering,” and why grown-ups should trade control for curiosity. Top 3 Takeaways from The Early Childhood Nerd: Heather Bernt-Santy Play is how children make sense of the world. Schema play shows that children aren’t being “aimless, ”they’re testing patterns, discovering physics, and learning about themselves through joyful repetition. Our job isn’t to control play. It’s to wonder about it. Trust the process, not the product. Children have a right to play—freely and fully. Links: thatearlychildhoodnerd.com Facebook @thatearlychildhoodnerd Instagram @thatearlychildhoodnerd TikTok @that_early_childh BlueSky @ece-nerd.bsky.social LinkedIn @@heatherbernt-santy Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

The magic of an authentic childhood comes from the wonder of the experiences, not the walls they take place in. The best classrooms are fields, forests, and slides climbed from the “wrong” side. In this joyful chat on Play Nature Podcast, host Rusty Keeler and Kisha Reid are talking all about the spirit of authentic play. Where children lead, adults listen, and the magic of discovery unfolds in every muddy footprint. Kisha, founder of Discovery Natural Learning Center and Play, has spent 30 years helping children grow through connection, curiosity, and courage. From her home base on a 300-acre retreat center, she invites kids, and the adults watching them, to rediscover what childhood can be: full of risk, laughter, and endless “what ifs.” Together, she and Rusty explore how educators can nurture real play anywhere, whether on acres of open land or in a small patch of yard. Listeners will hear how Kisha builds trust through observation and relationship, how she works with licensing to defend risky play, and how true learning happens when we stop hovering and start believing. Top 3 Takeaways from Episode 18 with Kisha Reid: Authentic play starts with trust. True learning happens when adults step back, observe, and let children lead their own discoveries—even when it looks messy or risky. It’s not about the space—it’s about the mindset. Any environment, from a church basement to a forest clearing, can nurture authentic childhoods when educators believe in play and possibility. Advocacy begins with intention. When teachers understand the “why” behind play and communicate it clearly, even licensing inspectors can become allies in supporting joyful, nature-based learning. Links: discoverynaturallearning.com @discoverynaturallearningcenter on Facebook Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide