Advertise on podcast: Play Nature Podcast

Think about this…the best thing we can do for children is…less and then more. Less directing. Less correcting. Less rushing to the rescue. More mud. More mess. More wonder!  In this episode of Play Nature Podcast, Rusty welcomes Stephanie O’Brien, longtime educator at the legendary Roseville Community Preschool, where the philosophy of beloved early childhood advocate Bev Bos is still going strong. With a background in occupational therapy and more than two decades at the preschool, Stephanie shares how this one-of-a-kind play space gives children the freedom to take risks, make choices, feel big feelings, and grow at their own pace. And how a school held together with zip ties, duct tape, and a whole lot of love can change the lives of children AND parents. From the art of being an "unhelpful" adult to the importance of messy play and strong developmental foundations, Rusty and Stephanie explore what happens when we stop controlling childhood and start trusting children.  They talk about creating environments filled with possibilities, supporting big emotions without judgment, and making room for curiosity and discovery. Because childhood isn't a race to kindergarten readiness. It's about building the roots for a lifetime of learning, confidence, and joy. So slow down. Stand back. Let the magic happen! Top 3 Takeaways from Stephanie:  Master the art of standing back. Give children the space to solve problems, take risks, and discover what they're capable of. Stay close, but resist the urge to jump in and fix everything. Embrace the mess. All of it! Muddy clothes, spilled paint, big feelings, and even bigger frustrations are all part of growing up. Children need room to experience it all. Build the foundation before the academics. Climbing, digging, crawling, wondering, and playing develop the physical, emotional, and social skills children need to thrive. Slow and steady. Childhood isn't a race! Links: rosevillecp.org   Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

What if the answer to better learning, happier kids, and even easier classroom management is just outside the door?  In this episode of the Play Nature Podcast, Rusty talks with Dr. Megan Zeni about bringing play, learning, and a little healthy risk into the school day. No fancy outdoor classroom required. A tarp, a patch of grass, and a willingness to try can be plenty. Megan shares what she learned from decades of teaching outdoors and helping other educators do the same. They talk all about why outdoor learning gives kids more room to move, regulate, explore, and actually engage with what they’re learning. They also look at the spectrum from adult-directed activities to guided play to child-led play—and how teachers can use all three to meet curriculum goals without squeezing the play right out of learning. And then there’s risky play. Saws. Climbing. Mud. The good stuff. Megan explains how clear routines and strong relationships create the freedom kids need to explore. Her advice? Skip waiting for the perfect outdoor classroom. Take something you already do and move it outside. Start small. Go play. Top 3 Takeaways from Dr. Megan Zeni: Outside can make school work better. More room to move and explore can support engagement, relationships, and classroom routines. Structure can create freedom. Teach the skills and routines first, then give kids the time and space to take the lead. Start with what you already do. Read a book under a tree. Take a lesson for a walk. Put the Legos on a tarp. Going outside doesn’t have to be complicated. Links: meganzeni.com @roomtoplay Facebook | Intsagram   Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

What if play didn’t need a lesson plan? Or an outcome? Or a grown-up standing nearby explaining what’s supposed to happen next?  In this episode of the Play Nature Podcast, Rusty Keeler sits down with longtime early childhood educator, author, speaker, and unapologetic play advocate Lisa Murphy to talk about what children really need in order to play: time, choice, trust, and adults willing to get out of the way. Lisa has spent more than 30 years helping educators understand that play isn’t something extra we squeeze in after the “real learning.” It is the foundation underneath it.  Rusty and Lisa are talking about why freely chosen, open-ended play matters, what happens when children (and adults) haven’t had enough of it. Curiosity might be one of the most important things we can protect, so let’s evaluate the danger of chopping a child’s day into twenty-minute pieces. Because play has its own speed. This conversation is also a rallying cry for educators. Know what you believe. Own it. Stop apologizing for play before anyone has even questioned it. Play doesn’t need an agenda. Sometimes the best thing we can do is give it space and see where it goes. Top 3 Takeaways from Lisa Murphy: Give play time. Real play needs enough room for choosing, negotiating, experimenting, changing course, and deciding when it’s finished. Protect curiosity. Children (and grown-ups) need opportunities to wonder, explore, get messy, and follow ideas without always knowing where they’ll lead. Know your values. When educators are clear about what they believe about children and play, it becomes much easier to stand confidently behind their practice. Links:  ooeygooey.com @OoeyGooeyLady on Facebook | on Instagram | on YouTube   Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs    Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

What happens when one kid climbs up the slide while another is coming down? Is going up the slide really dangerous? Or is it just one of those playground rules we’ve inherited without thinking too hard about it?  In this episode of the Play Nature Podcast, Rusty Keeler dives into one of the surprisingly spicy debates of early childhood play: Should kids go UP the slide? Rusty shares stories from risky play conversations with educators, including a triumphant tube-slide climb, a former emergency room nurse who has seen more than her share of childhood injuries, and *content warning* a few genuine playground horror stories involving sticks, teeth, and yes, an eyeball.  The point isn’t to dismiss anyone’s fears. It’s to understand where those fears come from and ask whether a blanket “NO” is always the best answer. This episode is really about more than slides. It’s about questioning old rules. Making room for different comfort levels and finding thoughtful ways to say yes to challenge without ignoring safety.  Top Three Takeaways: Question the rules. Ask why they exist. Then ask whether they still make sense. Make space for different perspectives. Our experiences shape how we see risk. Find your way to yes. Safety and adventurous play don’t have to be opposites. Get on the waitlist for Nature Play Academy: rustykeeler.com/the-nature-play-academy Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

What happens when children meet a muddy hill, a dangling rope, and a whole lot of possibility? They climb. They slip. They tumble. They try again.  In this episode of Play Nature Podcast, Rusty returns to Six Mile Creek and shares the story of Challenge Hill, where preschoolers in mud suits showed him just how capable, joyful, and determined children can be. That wide-eyed moment is part of what inspired Rusty’s newest adventure: Nature Play Academy. After years of visiting inspiring play spaces, designing natural playgrounds, leading risky play conversations, and collecting stories from around the world, Rusty is ready to get all that goodness off his hard drive and into a living, growing community.  The Academy welcomes everyone from curious seeds to seasoned forests: teachers, directors, parents, grandparents, designers, playworkers, and nature play champions of every kind. Most of all, Nature Play Academy is a place to stop feeling alone. A place to ask questions. Share ideas. Grow confidence. Say yes more often. And go farther together. Top Three Takeaways Nature Play Academy is designed for everyone, from brand-new nature play beginners to experienced leaders growing the movement. Community and practical support can help educators move through fears about risk, licensing, parents, and program expectations. Small changes, shared ideas, and a little courage can create richer, wilder, more joyful play for children. Get on the waitlist for Nature Play Academy: rustykeeler.com/the-nature-play-academy Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

Nature is everywhere. In the trees. In the rain. In the crack in the sidewalk where one determined little plant is doing its thing. In the tree that looks like a butt. In this episode of Play Nature Podcast, Rusty talks with Dr. Rachel Larimore about helping children build real relationships with the natural world, even when a school does not have a forest, a fancy outdoor classroom, or a flock of woodland creatures waiting at the gate. Rachel shares simple ways educators can bring more nature into the school day. Start inside with books, pictures, and materials that reflect the actual plants, animals, weather, and seasons outside the classroom window. Then step outdoors. Stay a little longer. Add loose parts. Eat snack outside. Notice the wind. Follow the puddles.  Nature-based learning does not have to arrive all at once wearing expensive rain pants. Rachel and Rusty talk about slowing down, letting play stretch, making room for uncertainty, and trusting children to form their own relationships with the birds, bugs, trees, rainstorms, and wonderfully named “butt trees” in their lives. Top three takeaways from Rachel Larimore, PhD: Nature-based learning can begin with small, doable changes. Longer outdoor play needs variety, loose parts, and adult patience. Relationships with nature grow through time, attention, wonder, and gratitude. Links: samarael.com Rachel's 90 second quiz: samarael.com/quiz    Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs   Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

A school that smells like mud, woodsmoke, porridge, and possibility? Well…that sounds perfect! In this episode of Play Nature Podcast, Rusty chats with Louise Licznerski about outdoor learning in Scotland, where children run, wander, forage, climb, get muddy, and settle into the slow, steady rhythms of the earth. This conversation is all about what happens when children are trusted with space, time, nature, and real play. Louise shares how outdoor nurseries and school-age nature programs can help children feel calm, curious, capable, and connected. They talk about child-led play, mixed-age learning, emotional regulation, seasonal rhythms, muddy immune systems, and why the forest can sometimes teach better than fluorescent lights ever could. There are sticks as wands. Puddles as science labs. Chickens as bedtime teachers. And children finding their way back to themselves outside. Louise reminds us that children everywhere need to play, but each place has its own gifts. Start with the land around you. Work with nature, not against it. Dream big. Start small. And maybe, just maybe, go big or go home. Top three takeaways from Louise: Children regulate, learn, and thrive when they have freedom, space, and nature’s rhythms. Outdoor learning can support children of all ages, not just the wee ones. Start with what is around you: your weather, your landscape, your food, your community. Links: littlebugs.co.uk weeforagers.com httscottishoutdoorlearning.co.uk @littlebugsoutdoors on IG @littlebugsoutdoors on Facebook   Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide Sign up for the Nature Play Academy updates: rusty-keeler.mykajabi.com/nature-play-academy-waitlist

Rusty is back by the creek. The water is moving. The bugs are buzzing. A bald eagle flies by because apparently even the birds know when a podcast needs a dramatic moment.  In this solo episode of Play Nature Podcast, Rusty reflects on his spring speaking tour where he brought the fire for nature play, risky play, loose parts, and the slow, sparkly magic of childhood. This episode is part road trip recap, part manifesto, part invitation. Rusty digs into the power of starting small, listening deeply, and building community with other play people who believe mud kitchens, willow huts, risky play, and outdoor adventures can change the world.  He also gives a peek at the upcoming Nature Play Academy, a new community for folks who want to dream big, start small, and never stop. Woo woo woo woo. Top Three Takeaways: Slow down to Earth speed. Children do not need machine-speed childhoods. They need time to play, explore, bump, build, wonder, and be fully alive. Risky play conversations matter. When educators and caregivers talk honestly about fear, licensing, parents, and saying yes, real growth begins. Small steps are powerful. Add one loose part. Say yes one more time. Build one fairy hut. Change grows from tiny seeds, especially when we grow together. Links: Sign up for Nature Play Academy updates: rusty-keeler.mykajabi.com/nature-play-academy-waitlist Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

What happens when a chemist wanders out of the lab and into the woods with children? Adventure, of course.  In this episode of Play Nature Podcast Rusty talks with Jim McCullough, founder of Adventure Walkers about forest kindergarten, playwork, risky play, and the wild magic that happens when adults stop steering so much and start saying yes. Jim shares his story of how working in a preschool turned into taking walks with kids. Soon Jim was on a journey to start a forest kindergarten pilot in the woods behind a preschool, and later building Adventure Walkers, a roaming, creek-splashing, log-balancing, frog-finding laboratory for childhood. Jim and Rusty talk about risk, trust, reflection, and why “safe enough” may be better than trying to make childhood perfectly safe. Listeners will come away with a big invitation: start small, try a pilot, follow the children, and let the woods do some of the teaching. Top Three Takeaways from Jim McCullough: Risk is not the enemy. Children need space to try, pause, climb, wonder, and decide what feels possible. The adult role is quieter than we think. Watch. Wait. Reflect. Step in when needed, but don’t poke holes in the play flow. Start with a pilot. You don’t need a perfect plan or a fancy outdoor classroom. Take a small group outside. Find a creek. See what happens. Links:  adventurewalkersrva.com Instagram @adventurewalkersrva Facebook @AdventureWalkersrva   Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

Nature is not just pretty. It is medicine. It is our teacher. It is mud, microbes, moss, noise-softening, nervous-system-settling magic. In this episode of Play Nature Podcast, Rusty Keeler talks with researcher Alex Barrable about the deep and delightful ways humans connect with the natural world. Alex shares how becoming a parent brought her back to nature, how children help adults slow down to “Earth speed,” and why our bodies and brains are still wired for green, wild, living places. Alex and Rusty also explore our invisible microbial friends, the microbiome. Alex explains the benefits of what nature offers us, just by bein nature Children need time. Space. Soil. Loose parts. Wonder. They need to smell it, touch it, climb it, taste it, and know they belong to it. Because when children feel connected to the Earth, they are more likely to care for it too. Top Three Takeaways from Alex Barrable: Nature helps bodies calm down, brains wake up, and kids settle into that magical “rest, digest, and learn” place. Dirty play is not just mess. Soil, microbes, plants, and biodiverse spaces may support children’s health, immune systems, and wellbeing. Green schoolyards are not a bonus. They are a big, leafy, non-negotiable step toward healthier kids, healthier communities, and a healthier planet. Links:dirtyplay.org Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

The best playgrounds are alive. Dirt is medicine. And schoolyards can, and should, grow a little forest where kids can climb, hide, breathe, wonder, and come back to themselves.   In this episode of the Play Nature Podcast, Rusty Keeler talks with Adam Bienenstock about nature play, living soil, school forests, and why children need more than a break from screens. They need roots. Bugs. Trees. Mud. The good stuff. Adam and Rusty dig into the big, beautiful, messy connections between child development, gut microbiome, mental health, outdoor education, risky play, and regenerative landscapes. This conversation wanders from schoolyards to soil microbes to forests inside the fence. Adam shares why a single tree is nice, but a living forest system is better. More shade. More sensory play. More life. More chances for kids to build empathy, resilience, attention, and joy. The time is now to rebuild children’s connection to land. The time is now to start giving kids a daily dose of nature, not just an occasional field trip. So plant the trees. Add the shrubs. Feed the soil. Let the weeds do a little work.  Dream big. Start small. Never stop. Top Three Takeaways from Adam Bienenstock Kids do not just need less screen time. They need more full-body, full-sensory nature time. A school forest is more than trees. It is soil, shade, microbes, loose parts, play, and wonder all working together. Start with a corner. Plant in communities. Add organic material. Build a tiny forest world kids can touch, smell, climb into, and love. Links: renature.org @renaturefoundation Instagram | Facebook LinkedIn @renature-fnd @bienenstocknaturalplaygrounds Instagram LinkedIn @bienenstock-playgrounds Facebook @BienenstockPlaygrounds   Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs    Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

In this episode of Play Nature Podcast, host Rusty Keeler takes us creekside on a warm spring day to think big. Big like gorges. Small like bugs. Slow like trees. This episode is a call to remember  the mission. The mission to give children what they need most: time, freedom, nature, community, and real life under their feet. Rusty reflects on the strange, speedy blip of modern childhood. More screens. More stress. Less recess. Less mud. But instead of getting stuck in doom and gloom, he asks a better question: What if we are already building something new? Something rooted in play, place, seasons, risk, mess, imagination, and the deep human skills children grow through free play. Rusty’s NEW Play Manifesto is the mission to slow down and go deeper. He explores how nature play, place-based learning, community, and child-led exploration can help shape the future, even in a world racing toward more technology and AI.  This is your  hopeful reminder to stand strong in what we know in our bones: play matters, nature matters, and children find themselves when they have the space to play. Top three takeaways from Rusty’s time by the creek: Slow down to “earth speed.”  Free play helps children grow the deeply human skills they need: creativity, communication, collaboration, compassion, curiosity, and self-knowledge. The future of childhood is not fixed. We can help build it through nature, community, advocacy, and a big playful yes to real life.   Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

Step outside. Feel the mud. Hear the birds. In this episode of the Play Nature Podcast, Rusty Keeler sits down with Playcologist Claude Stephens to explore a simple but powerful idea: children are meant to play in nature. Not on perfectly polished playgrounds. Not inside neat boundaries. But in messy, wild, living places. The kind with sticks. And puddles. And possibility. Claude and Rusty imagine playgrounds that feel like ecosystems. Spaces where kids build, explore, get a little lost, and have a lot of freedom. Children truly don’t need more equipment. They need as much freedom as we can give them. Claude’s message is a hopeful path forward. Start small. One log. One stump. One muddy hole. Build connections between people. Between places. Between kids and the land beneath their feet. In small shifts, something beautiful grows: joy, confidence, and a deep love for the natural world. Top Takeaways from Claude Stephens: Children are natural players. Give them space, not structure, and they will create magic Nature play doesn’t require big budgets. Small, simple changes can transform any space Real impact happens slowly in tiny shifts. Add a log or patch of dirt and it can change everything over time Links: childrenatplaynetwork.com IG @childrenatplaynetwork Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

Spring rain. Mud everywhere. Kids smiling anyway. Let’s follow the weather! In this episode of Play Nature Podcast, host Rusty Keeler invites us into a world where children climb, splash, wander, and belong. Short answer? It’s messy. And it’s magic. A bus. The Highlands. Outdoor preschools tucked into hills, meadows, and even swamps. Educators from around the world, LA to Lithuania. Everyone bundled up. Everyone is curious. We’re talking about Rusty’s Scotland Bus Tour! Rusty takes listeners through places where kids spend all day outside. We hear about willow tunnels. Climbing trees. Risky towers. Compost toilets. Yes, really. And underneath it all? A shared belief: nature is not extra. It’s essential. This episode is a reminder. Slow down. Step outside. Let kids get a little wild. Let them belong to a place. Let them test limits. Because the good stuff? It’s not perfect. It’s muddy. It’s real. And it sticks. You’ll leave thinking about your own space. Your own students. Your own next small step toward more nature, more play, more yes. Top Takeaways from Rusty’s recap of Scotland: No bad weather. Just better gear. Nature happens in all seasons—and that’s the point.  Belonging grows outdoors. Kids thrive when spaces feel like theirs to explore and shape. Risk builds humans. Graduated challenges help kids grow confidence, resilience, and problem-solving skills. Links: stramash.org.uk Waitlist for 2027 Scotland Trip: bit.ly/BusTour2027Waitlist Play Nature Podcast Episode 9 with Cameron Sprauge fossoplay.org balticstreetadventureplay.co.uk/home playscotland.org/schools-childcare/schools/opal Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

This episode of the Play Nature Podcast feels like stepping into a backyard where something magical is always unfolding. Mud. Water. Sand. Stories.  Host Rusty Keeler welcomes Kristy DeGraff to explore what happens when we trust children, follow curiosity, and let nature lead the way. It’s about more than play. It’s about belonging. It’s about building spaces where kids can dig deep, take risks, and feel at home in the world. Kristy brings a powerful blend of experience. Social worker. Educator. Mother. Advocate. She shares how her journey, from supporting families in crisis to designing a nature-rich childcare program, shaped the way she sees children and community.  This conversation stretches beyond the backyard. Into systems. Into advocacy. Into the work of speaking up for children and families. Kristy reminds us that change doesn’t have to be big to matter. A phone call. A small shift. A single idea put into motion. It all counts. Just like in play, we start where we are. And we keep going. Top Takeaways from Kristy DeGraaf: Dream big. Start small. Never stop. Whether you’re building a play space or creating change Children thrive in environments that invite risk, creativity, and real-world exploration Advocacy doesn’t have to be all-or-nothing. Small actions, done consistently, make a difference  Links: kristydegraaf.com Instagram: @kristy.degraaf Facebook: Kristy DeGraaf TikTok: @kristykae.childcarepro Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide