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 43 - Answering the Call: The Purposefully Diverse Forest Journey of a Nature Educator with Emily Woodmansee
Emily Woodmansee seems to always be in the right place at the right time, to learn, grow, educate, and transform the educational experience of youth in her community. She's worked in science-based n…
00:49:29 |
Thu 02 Nov 2023
Episode 42 - Forest Educator Spotlight: Natural Shelters
I don't think it would be a stretch to say that for children, building forts and shelters is a universal urge. When given some time to explore and a bunch of different materials like sticks, logs, s…
00:43:13 |
Mon 30 Oct 2023
Episode 41 - Finding Nature in Uncertain Times, with field biologist, author and photo-journalist Maddalena Bearzi
What does an ocean conservation president do when everything shuts down during a pandemic?
Well, she discovers a world full of life and wonder in the urban Los Angeles landscape, of course. In be…
00:50:42 |
Thu 26 Oct 2023
Episode 40 - Forest Educator Spotlight: Becoming Nocturnal
There was a time in my wilderness skills training and practice where I took a big step in my 'nature awareness' study and 'got nocturnal'. Yeah, it seems a bit radical when I describe it now, but at …
00:54:29 |
Mon 23 Oct 2023
Episode 39 - Deep Earth Initiations and Nature-Based Parenthood with Trista Haggerty
Today's guest interview is with my wife and partner Trista Haggerty, who draws upon the deep connection with the land and nature to facilitate healing and inner growth. Her experiences in deep earth …
00:58:46 |
Thu 19 Oct 2023
Episode 38 - Forest Educator Spotlight: Working with Middle Schoolers
Some of my favorite ages to work with are middle schoolers, anywhere from 10-14 years old. Some may say those ages are some of the most challenging, but I really like that age group for so many reaso…
00:36:12 |
Mon 16 Oct 2023
Episode 37 - Outdoor Programming Advocacy and Influence with Jeff Baierlein
In the field of Forest Education, I'd say that we are fairly well stocked with dedicated people on the front lines, working directly with children, youth and adults on a daily basis.
We also have a …
00:45:32 |
Thu 12 Oct 2023
Episode 36 - Forest Educator Spotlight: The Bonding Paradox
The first rule about 'bonding' is like Fight Club:
"Never talk about Bonding."
At least to your students. (Because it's awkward and weird.)
But honestly, so many of the benefits of nature-based ed…
00:54:58 |
Mon 09 Oct 2023
Episode 35 - Growing Caring, Resilient, Soulful Future Stewards with Sally Wren Stevens of SOL Forest School
My guest today is Sally Wren Stevens, founder and director of SOL Forest School. She is sharing her story and what soulful, whole-child nature-based education means to her. With a wide variety of tra…
00:50:58 |
Thu 05 Oct 2023
Episode 34 - Forest Educator Spotlight: The Forest Entrepreneur Part II
The 'Business' side of nature education used to really stress me out. I really wished I could just do all of this good work, and provide for the family and have it not be 'weird' or awkward. I didn't…
00:49:27 |
Mon 02 Oct 2023
Episode 33 - Nature-Based Occupational Therapy and the Importance of Outdoor Play with Angela Hanscom
In today's episode, my guest Angela Hanscom and I discuss all kinds of things related to developing skills through outdoor play, including:
The impact on childhood development when kids do not get e…
00:49:39 |
Thu 28 Sep 2023
Episode 32 - Forest Educator Spotlight: The Many Gifts of Rain
Dealing with the logistics of a day or several days of steady rain can be challenging for Forest Educators, with keeping everyone warm, dry, happy and engaged. In this episode, we go deeper, to the …
00:59:34 |
Mon 25 Sep 2023
Episode 31 - The Legacy and Lessons of Ancestral Wilderness Skills with Nate Summers
I'm thrilled to introduce you to today's guest, Nate Summers. Nate brings unique blend of primal adventure, deep nature connection, survival skills, and natural healing and medicine to his trainings,…
01:09:56 |
Thu 21 Sep 2023
Episode 30 - The Forest Educator Spotlight: The Contradictory Nuances of Nature Awareness
It seems like everyone is talking about nature connection these days, (especially if you work in outdoor education), but what exactly do we mean by this expression? More importantly, how can we unde…
00:53:49 |
Mon 18 Sep 2023
Episode 29 - Wellness, Reflection, and Masculinity in Wilderness with Sam Gravestock
My guest today is Sam Gravestock of The Forest Path. Sam leads men's retreats and guided therapeutic wilderness programs. He prioritizes accessibility and support when it comes to learning disabiliti…
01:03:39 |
Thu 14 Sep 2023
Episode 28 - Forest Educator Spotlight: The Forest Entrepreneur
This Forest Educator spotlight is an introduction to entrepreneurship for the Forest Educator. If you are planning on generating revenue by providing programs or resources related to Forest Education…
00:56:33 |
Mon 11 Sep 2023
Episode 27 - The Wisdom in Listening with Dan Gardoqui of Lead with Nature
Today's guest is Dan Gardoqui, a nature consultant, trainer, and guide. Dan's work, Lead with Nature, is rooted in the patterns and processes of nature. He's also a certified wildlife tracker and a b…
01:09:42 |
Thu 07 Sep 2023
Episode 26 - Forest Educator Spotlight: Wilderness Survival Skills
On this week's Forest Educator Spotlight, we're talking about wilderness survival skills, and why they're important, and why they're an incredible resource for forest educators.
Connect with Ricardo…
00:52:03 |
Mon 04 Sep 2023
Episode 25 - Changing Education from the Inside with International Wildlife Tracker and Environmental Educator Sandy Reed
Sandy has created K-12 science curricula and international programs for schools including STEM Expeditions, credit-bearing field study courses that included taking students on trips throughout the US…
01:01:10 |
Thu 31 Aug 2023
Episode 24 - Forest Educator Spotlight: The Forest Educator's Secret Sauce
Today's Forest Educator Spotlight is all about the best-kept secret for Forest Educators: the Natural Advantage. When we implement this three-part framework in our programs, we can have the biggest i…
00:44:10 |
Mon 28 Aug 2023
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