Teach Outdoors
Episodes
Self-Awareness Outdoors: Helping Students Notice, Feel, and Reflect
18 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
What does it really look like to teach self-awareness… outdoors?In this first episode of the SEL Outdoors: One Competency at a Time series, I’m sh...
Beyond the Front Door with Josée Bergeron
06 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
On this episode of the Teach Outdoors podcast, I’m joined by Josée Bergeron—founder of Backwoods Mama and author of Beyond the Front Door: Embrac...
Curiosity: What Are They Actually Learning?
20 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re exploring something that feels simple… but is actually deeply transformative: curiosity.What does it really mean to be curious outdoor...
What Does It Mean to Care About Nature? With Kelly Shuto
30 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Teach Outdoors podcast, I’m joined by Kelly Shuto—childhood friend, educator, and author of the What Does It Mean to… boo...
Play as Sanctuary with Dr. Deborah MacNamara
23 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Play is often treated as something extra — something we squeeze in when the “real learning” is done. But what if play is actually essential? Wha...
Embracing Risky Play at School
16 Jan 2026
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Lauren sits down with Dr. Mariana Brussoni—Professor at the University of British Columbia, Director of the Human Early Learning Pa...
Re-Storying Education with Carolyn Roberts
18 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Teach Outdoors Podcast, Lauren MacLean is joined by educator, writer, and author Carolyn Roberts, whose work centers on re-stor...
Climate Literacy Without Fear: A Conversation with Paul Koberstein
05 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Thrive Outside is back this January for its second year! This 5-week online group coaching program helps teachers build confidence and clarity in outd...
Why Active Outdoor Play Matters: A Conversation with Dr. Louise de Lannoy
28 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today I’m chatting with Dr. Louise de Lannoy from Outdoor Play Canada—someone I’ve admired for years. I first heard Louise speak at Take Me Outs...
Mentorship in the Wild: Building Resilience and Connection with Court Rustemeyer
08 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I chat with Court Rustemeyer, an Alberta teacher, outdoor educator, and National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow who was also rec...
Nature as Therapy: Supporting Kids Through Play and Movement with Devon Karchut
17 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to The Teach Outdoors Podcast! In this inspiring episode, host Lauren MacLean sits down with Devon Karchut, a pediatric physiotherapist a...
Learning Happens Everywhere: With Hailey Furster, The Early Years Inquirer
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Teach Outdoors, Lauren sits down with Ontario educator Hailey Furster, the inspiring face behind The Early Years Inquirer on Instag...
From Play to Action: Growing a PreK–6 Nature Program with Kyra Stephenson
20 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I welcome back Kyra Stephenson, Nature-Based Learning Coach at Anna Murray-Douglass Academy in Rochester, New York. One year ago, we ...
Starting Strong: September Routines for Connection, Community, and Calm
24 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
September is a month of beginnings—new classrooms, new routines, and new opportunities to build relationships. In this episode, I sit down with Elsa...
One Step at a Time: Stamina, Struggle, and Strength Outside
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this heartfelt and reflective episode, we dive deep into what it really means to nurture resilience, perseverance, and empathy in outdoor learning ...
Co-Regulation in an Outdoor Classroom with Alisa Paul and Elsa Medina
25 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What does it mean to regulate with our students instead of for them? In this episode, I sit down with educators Alisa Paul and Elsa Medina to explore ...
Mystery in the Garden: What Are We Even Growing?
06 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When a generous donation of mystery plants arrived at our school — unlabeled and unidentifiable — our outdoor classroom turned into a full-blown b...
Wild About Sit Spots: Nature Connection with Thimbleberry Learning
23 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to another inspiring episode of Teach Outdoors! Today, we’re joined by Stephanie Aleksiuk, founder of Thimbleberry Learning, environmen...
National Outdoor Learning Conference: Stories and Lessons from Banff
16 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this reflective episode, Lauren shares her experience at the 2025 National Outdoor Learning Conference in Banff — a gathering filled with powerfu...
Teaching for All: Making Outdoor Learning Accessible and Inclusive
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Teach Outdoors podcast, we explore how outdoor education can foster Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) with two...
Run Wild With Me: A Creative New Journey
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I’m sharing some BIG news—I’ve joined the Run Wild My Child Creative Team! I’ve followed them for years, drawn so much inspir...
Seasonal Read-Alouds & Outdoor Explorations
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re diving into one of my favourite ways to connect literacy and outdoor learning—using great books as a springboard for explor...
Empowering Teachers With Thrive Outside and Author Visits
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Teach Outdoors podcast, I’m diving into two exciting topics: the Thrive Outside program and author visits. Whether it’s he...
Bringing Nature Back to Learning with Monica Wiedel-Lubinski
07 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I sit down with Monica Wiedel-Lubinski, a passionate leader in nature-based education. As the founding director of the Association fo...
Snow Much Fun: The Magic of Winter Learning with April Zajko
28 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the Teach Outdoors Podcast! I’m your host, Lauren MacLean, and today we’re diving into the magic of winter with special guest April Zaj...
Go Bags, Big Ideas, and Outdoor Adventures in Elementary Education
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we’re joined by Maxine Panchuk and Brianna Aubin, two inspiring nature-based elementary school teachers from Saskatoon, Saskatchewa...
Building Resilience: SEL Strategies in our Outdoor Classroom
26 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Teach Outdoors podcast, we dive into the powerful connection between nature and Social-Emotional Learning (SEL). SEL is about n...
Growing Green Spaces: School Gardens with Ease featuring Leila Mireskandari
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to Teach Outdoors, the podcast that inspires educators to take learning outside! In this episode, we chat with Leila Mireskandari, a Gard...
Outdoor Literacy: Bringing Reading and Writing to Life in Nature
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to the Teach Outdoors podcast! I’m Lauren, and today we’re diving into Outdoor Literacy—exploring ways to take reading and writing ...
The Power of Play: How Free Play in Nature Builds Foundational Skills
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Teach Outdoors, “The Power of Play: How Free Play in Nature Builds Foundational Skills,” we explore the incredible impact of ou...
Autumn Leaf Art
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Here's the updated description with a paragraph about the key leaf activities:Welcome to Season 3 of the Teach Outdoors Podcast! I'm your ho...
Nature as Your Teacher with Kyra Stephenson
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of the Teach Outdoors podcast, we feature Kyra Stephenson, who serves as a Nature-Based Learning Coach at Anna Murray-Douglass Academy...
Moss and lichen Unveiled: Nature's Tiny Wonders
28 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Moss and Lichen Unveiled: Nature’s Tiny Wonders Podcast! Join your host, Lauren MacLean, on a captivating journey into the enchanting rea...
Exploring the Fungal Frontier: A Deep Dive into the World of Mushrooms
14 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Join us on today's episode as we delve into the fascinating world of mushrooms and fungi with our special guest, Carly Eirikson, Vice-Principal o...
Bugging Out: Students Dive into the Fascinating World of Insects
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Teach Outdoors with Lauren MacLean, we embark on an enthralling exploration of the insect world, inspired by E.O. Wilson's tim...
Leaves Under Investigation: A Close-Up Study
02 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Teach Outdoors, join host Lauren MacLean for a cozy exploration of leaves in "Leaves Under Investigation: A Close-Up Study.&qu...
Explorers in the Breeze: Students Investigating the Secrets of Wind
15 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nature's Path: A Year of Monthly Sparks - Click here Nature Classroom Podcast Series - Click hereWelcome to our podcast, where we embark on outd...
Seasonal Transformations: A Year of Student Investigations
23 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nature's Path: A Year of Monthly Sparks - Click here Nature Classroom Podcast Series - Click hereEmbark on a seasonal journey with the Teach Out...
Tech and Nature: Bridging the Gap in Education with Dr. Phil
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nature's Path: A Year of Monthly Sparks - Click hereNature Classroom Podcast Series - Click hereWelcome to another exciting episode of Teach Outd...
Empowering Education: Unleashing the Potential of Outdoor Learning with David Hawker-Budlovsky
26 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nature's Path: A Year of Monthly Sparks - Click hereNature Classroom Podcast Series - Click hereWelcome to Teach Outdoors, the podcast where we e...
Frosty Adventures: Students Exploring the Wonders of Winter
23 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Nature's Path: A Year of Monthly Sparks - Click here Nature Classroom Podcast Series - Click hereIn this episode, we delve into the educational ...
The Hidden Potential of Documentation in our Outdoor Classroom
08 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nature's Path: A Year of Monthly Sparks - Click here Nature Classroom Podcast Series - Click here Tis the report card season which inevitably bri...
Nature's Symphony: Exploring the Beauty and Importance of Biodiversity
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nature’s Path: A Year of Monthly Sparks (Find out more here)Nature Classroom Podcast Series: (Find out more here) In this episode of Teach Outdoors...
Rainy Adventures: Splish, Splash, Learn Outside!
10 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of Teach Outdoors, we delve into a rainy week of explorations. Join us as we discuss how we prepared for the rain, what we noticed on ...
How Does She Do It?! Great Outdoor Learning Tips from Maxine Panchuk!
12 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nature Classroom Podcast Series: A paid podcast series that includes 6 episodes ranging from how to set up your nature routines, expectations, math co...
Discover Wild Learning with Rachel Tidd
10 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest today is Rachel Tidd, the author of Wild Learning: Practical Ideas for Bringing Teaching Outdoors and the Wild Math® and Reading Curriculum...
Cultivating Green Thumbs: An Outdoor Teacher's Planting Day!
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the latest episode of our podcast where we feature inspiring stories of educators who are passionate about taking learning beyond the four ...
How to Overcome Springtime Challenges
23 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is all about overcoming springtime challenges, especially when it comes to allergen season. I don’t know about you, but my eyes ar...
My Biggest Classroom Gardening Fears
30 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Our school recently installed 6 garden beds! How amazing and terrifying all at the same time :) I have never been shy to speak about what I struggle w...
Teach Outdoors: Top Tips for Getting Outside
18 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to the first episode of Season 2! What used to be called Mentoring Nature Connections is now called Teach Outdoors. Thank you to everyone who ...
Cloud Explorations
20 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to teaching students outdoors, there are few activities more meaningful than noticing and observing clouds. Often dismissed as mundane, ...
November Explorations: Comparing Western Red Cedar and Douglas Fir
22 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
My class of grade 1 and 2 learners have continued our routine of being outdoors every day, ranging from 30 minutes up to almost 2 hours. The last fe...
October Sunny Days
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We are having unusually warm weather for October here in British Columbia. We are taking advantage of the sunshine by going out on daily nature walk...
Starting the School Year with Outdoor Learning
19 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is going to be about starting the school year with outdoor learning routines. I am going to share with you how the last week has gon...
Outdoor Play Connections with Claudine Mossberg
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is all about outdoor play, both the possibilities and the challenges. To help us dig into this topic, we have Claudine Mossberg wi...
Rainy Day Provocations with Dr. Beverlie Dietze
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest is Dr.Beverlie Dietze who is the Director of Learning and Applied Research at Okanagan College. She is a lead researcher on two national out...
The Kollektive with Aura Garzon and Logan Enns
09 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode is about the evolution of confidence in our learners as they explore the outdoors. Logan Enns and Aura Garzon are the founders ...
Reflections and Next Steps with April Pikkarainen
04 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Hi everyone, welcome back to mentoring nature connections. 2022 hasn’t exactly been the start of the school year that we were all hoping for. I’m ...
Sustainability and Ecological Well-Being with Kristina Hunter
31 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s topic is about sustainability and well-being (such an important topic this time of year when the days are dark and short). It’s so importa...
Walking Curriculum with Dr. Gillian Judson
27 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest today is Dr. Gillian Judson, assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University. She has a passion for looking at ...
Natural Dyes with Sara Graham
16 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered what the benefits are to using natural dyes? Today's episode will help you dip into some colourful lessons and hands-on ac...
Story Workshop in Nature with Alana Tesan
03 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Alana Tesan is our amazing guest tonight! She is a Kindergarten teacher in the Delta District, BC, CanadaTwitter: @AlanaTesan www.mentoringnatureco...
Playing, Learning and Teaching Outdoors with Manon McPeters (Part 2!)
06 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered how to spend an entire day outdoors with your learners? How do you structure your time? What games do you play? What "less...
School Gardening with Megan Zeni
21 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Megan Zeni is a Master Gardener, PhD student and school garden expert who works for the Richmond School District. In today's episode, she share...
Outdoor Learning Bins with Sinead Joy and Erin Reid
06 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The start of the year is the perfect time to have this collaborative discussion. How to create outdoor learning bins? How do they support both structu...
Outdoor Learning Goals: A Collaborative Discussion with Carly and April
26 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today we have two guests with us today to talk about how this past school year went, what did they learn, and what are the goals that we are looking f...
EKOLogy with Cheryl and Allison
06 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is about how to utilize the outdoor learning spaces on your schoolgrounds in relation to our BC curriculum. We will also discuss h...
Terra Nova Nature School with Kate and Emily
20 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Kate Dawson and Emily Vera are the founders of Terra Nova Nature School. Twitter: @tnnatureschool Terra Nova Website: https://terranovanatureschool....
Week Without Walls with Katherine Porter
09 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest tonight is Katherine Porter (@Katporter04) who is a K/1 teacher in the Richmond School District. She is a Reggio-inspired teacher who is pa...
The Secrets of Birds and Plants with Jenna Rudolph
01 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest today is Jenna Rudolph who is the founder of Soaring Eagle Nature School. www.soaringeaglenatureschool.org Today’s episode is sponsore...
Core Competencies and Outdoor Learning with Kelly Shuto
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Kelly Shuto is a K/1 teacher in the Surrey district as well as a k-2 math mentor. She has contributed to our BC curriculum resource site by sharing he...
Truth and Reconciliation with Nadine McSpadden
12 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode is to help shed light on a very important topic here in Canada. I do want to front load all of the listeners that there is some gr...
The Guelph Outdoor School with Chris Green
01 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Green, our guest today, is the Director of The Guelph Outdoor School in Ontario, Canada. Website: https://www.theguelphoutdoorschool.com/aboutF...
Wilderness Awareness School with Manon McPeters
24 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Manon McPeters is a lead nature instructor trainer at the Wilderness Awareness School which is based in Duvall, Washington. She has been working wit...
Place-Conscious Learning in Middle Years with Dr. Leyton Schnellert
17 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Place has a history, often we are unconscious of it. It is our responsibility to think about the indigeneity of our place and learn about different pe...
Social-Emotional Learning Outdoors with Miriam Miller
05 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Let’s discuss the intersection between social-emotional learning and learning outdoors with Miriam Miller!Visit mentoringnatureconnections.wordpress...
Learning With Purpose and Place with Alexa Charles
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Our guest tonight is Alexa Charles who is a Mentoring Support Teacher for the Coquitlam district. She leads us through her journey of “Learning with...
Shelley Moore: Inclusive and Competency Based Learning in Nature
28 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Shelley Moore is the author of One Without the Other: Stories of unity through diversity and inclusion. Her website blogsomemoore.com has numerous res...
Collaborative Teaching with April Pikkarainen
22 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
April Pikkarainen is our guest tonight to talk about the importance of collaborative teaching. April and I taught in a collaborative setting for 2 yea...
Literacy and Outdoor Learning with Faye Brownlie
13 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered how to infuse literacy with your outdoor adventures? Nature is a literacy-rich environment, a place where we can experiment wit...
Mathematics and Outdoor Learning with Janice Novakowski
01 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode of Mentoring Nature Connections, we are looking at how to infuse mathematics into our outdoor learning adventures. Our guest...
Place-Based Learning Through Story and Mapping with Kelsey Keller
26 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mentoring Nature Connections is all about sharing our experiences and questions about outdoor explorations. I'm hoping you'll join us on o...