Forest Educator with Ricardo Sierra | A Podcast for Revolutionary Conversations about Nature-Based Education
Welcome to the Forest Educator Podcast hosted by Ricardo Sierra. Join Ricardo as he engages in enlightening conversations with educators from across the globe who are revolutionizing nature-based education. Drawing on his 35 years of experience in wilderness education, Ricardo shares practical insights, tools, and best practices to inspire and support forest educators and camp staff worldwide. Tune in twice a week for interviews with passionate educators and skill spotlights that delve into the challenges and triumphs of the field.
- Update frequency
- every 3 days
- Average duration
- 54 minutes
- Episodes
- 164
- Years Active
- 2023 - 2025
Episode 103 - Expanding Your Visibility and Clear Messaging for Forest Educators with April Zajko, M.Ed.
This episode explores the powerful role that communication and visibility skills play in the overall long term success of our nature programs. It's not a reach to say that they are absolutely esse…
00:47:29 |
Thu 30 May 2024
Episode 102 - Forest Educator Spotlight: The Weight of Ecological Loss and Grief
The problem with 'awareness' is that it is 'on' even when we would prefer it wasn't. Once we open that capacity, it helps us see the world in new ways-both the beautiful and the painful.
In addit…
01:01:57 |
Mon 27 May 2024
Episode 101 - Botany in a Day and Nature for a Lifetime- with Tom Elpel
I have a penchant for the term 'Unsung Hero', because I believe it's an accurate assessment of so many of us 'nature educators' who plug away at their work, day in and day out, rarely getting accolad…
01:00:41 |
Thu 23 May 2024
Episode 100 - Forest Educator Spotlight: Lessons and Insights from the First 100 Episodes
After doing fifty interviews with incredible educators and also fifty solo 'spotlight' episodes, I thought it was worth a moment to share some of my biggest 'aha' moments, surprising discoveries and …
00:46:41 |
Mon 20 May 2024
Episode 99 - The First Forest School in Ecuador, South America with Carol Sanchez
It's never easy to be 'the first' in a pioneering effort. There is always a constant push to communicate the value, and the need, and the positive outcomes to people who may not even know they are m…
00:56:12 |
Thu 16 May 2024
Episode 98 - Forest Educator Spotlight: Desert Solitaire
I've always been drawn to areas that are desolate, open and devoid of human presence, and this episode explores the power of our desert landscapes through my own stories and experiences. Deserts …
00:51:37 |
Mon 13 May 2024
Episode 97 - Climate Change, Media Literacy and Critical Thinking with Jeff Share
Sometimes, nature education can be 'up close and personal', like a walk in the woods, or picking raspberries. Sometimes, it's more about paradigm shifts, technology strategies and learning to avoid …
01:04:00 |
Thu 09 May 2024
Episode 96 - Forest Educator Spotlight: Working with Students with Special Needs
According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 1 out of 5 U.S. children ages 3-17 has a mental, emotional, behavioral or developmental disorder.
Anxiety disorders are the most common ps…
00:53:31 |
Mon 06 May 2024
Episode 95 - The Secrets of Organic Chemistry in Forest Education with Peter Kindfield
I am pretty sure I would have enjoyed my high school chemistry classes more if they had been taught by my guest Peter Kindfield, who shares his methodology and approach in outdoor learning. His expe…
01:19:29 |
Thu 02 May 2024
Episode 94 - Forest Educator Spotlight: Getting Our Students 'On the Bus' with Ricardo Sierra
One of the very first challenges educators have today is finding a way to connect with students, and then inspiring them to engage with the activities and experiences offered because THEY want to, no…
00:49:49 |
Mon 29 Apr 2024
Episode 93 - Finding Support for Forest School Leaders with Asa Hardy-Brownlie
Many Forest School Leaders begin their educational nature journey in the fields of Bushcraft, and ancestral skills. Some come from a background in public education, while others get their start in S…
01:28:51 |
Thu 25 Apr 2024
Episode 92 - Forest Educator Spotlight: Shining Daylight into the Grey Areas and Unwritten Contracts
In every program, just like in life, there are things that are clearly defined, established and understood, and then there are the 'grey areas'. These are places where expectations can grow, issues …
00:54:19 |
Mon 22 Apr 2024
Episode 91 - The Last Person Around the Campfire - with Sky Otter
It's not uncommon at the end of a meaningful nature program to see one person who is still sitting at the campfire, reluctant to leave. The impact to our participant's lives can be significant, and …
01:10:28 |
Thu 18 Apr 2024
Episode 90 - Forest Educator Spotlight: Staff Training for Nature Programs
The field of nature education is incredibly diverse, and this can make designing good staff training programs difficult, especially for new program directors or leaders.
What are some of the problem…
00:48:58 |
Mon 15 Apr 2024
Episode 89 - Teacher, Mentor, Author, Advocate: The Natural Evolution of Amy Butler
One of the goals of this podcast is to shine some light on the accomplishments and hard work of amazing naturalists and educators like Amy Butler. Her tireless work in the northern heart of Vermont …
01:03:35 |
Thu 11 Apr 2024
Episode 88 - Forest Educator Spotlight: Rites of Passage Part Three with Ricardo Sierra
In this episode I share how I began adding 'rites of passage' elements into my summer camps, class trips and skills programs & activities, with an emphasis on the practical nuts and bolts aspects to …
01:13:05 |
Mon 08 Apr 2024
Episode 87 - Student Driven Assessment in Inner City Nature Education with Chantel Zimmerman
When you think of a 'nature school', most of us don't think of Newark, New Jersey. It's incredibly urban, and set in a world that is almost completely dominated by human engineering. To make a n…
00:49:29 |
Thu 04 Apr 2024
Episode 86 - Forest Educator Spotlight: Rites of Passage Part Two
We're talking about The Hero's Journey this episode, and how it relates to the work we do as Forest Educators. The Monomyth has a multitude of stages that are easily recognizable when we know what…
00:49:51 |
Mon 01 Apr 2024
Episode 85 - Emotional Learning and Behavior Support begins with Educator Consistency- with Meagan Duncan
There are over 250 PRESCHOOLERS in the US who are either suspended or expelled from their programs EVERY DAY.
No, that's not a typo. Two hundred and fifty preschoolers, every day, in America.
W…
01:02:34 |
Thu 28 Mar 2024
Episode 84 - Forest Educator Spotlight: The Power of Initiation and Rites of Passage Part One
There are few things that are more universally shared by humanity than comparative mythology and the 'initiatory experience'. In this episode, we explore the incredible power that Initiations have …
00:52:17 |
Mon 25 Mar 2024
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