Raising Wildlings

Latest Episodes:

How to Talk to Your Kids About Sex Mar 03, 2021

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In this episode, we chat with our incredible friend Tasha Lawton, founder of Talk Revolution, about how to talk to you children about sex. If you're not sure when to start talking to your children about sex, or how to talk to them or what to say, then make sure you give this episode a listen because Tash is about to answer every one of your questions you have about these difficult conversations. This episode aims to breakdown the stigma's around one of life's great pleasures.

👉 Tasha talks with us about:

Her story and why she started Talk Revolution and what exactly it is
The current state of our kids' mental health
Why it is so important that we have these uncomfortable conversations
What we can do to stop people passing on shame around this topic
When we should start having these conversations
The kind of things we should say and what kinds of things should we stay well clear of

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👉 Resources and References

Guest Details

Tash is an experienced media professional with over 20 years experience in storytelling and branded, short and long form content. She has produced and shot in India, Nepal, US, Cambodia, Malaysia and the UK and is experienced producing on set, in location as well as live radio broadcasting. Well that's Tash's corporate bio anyway. Tash had a challenging time growing up, which you'll hear a bit more about during this episode. These challenging times were her big ‘WHY’ behind starting Talk Revolution, which is an incredible online, video based, peer to peer health education programs ranging from period talk, to suicide and self harm talk, sex talk and sexuality talk, that empowers teachers and parents to have conversations with their kids about the topics that really matter so they can make better choices and be the best version of themselves.

Tash's Contact Details

www.talkrevolution.com.au
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tasha-lawton-25b68514/
https://www.facebook.com/talkrevolution
https://www.instagram.com/talkrevolution/
tasha@talkrevolution.com.au

Recommended Sex Ed Books

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If you enjoyed this episode and the Raising Wildlings podcast generally, we have a favour. Please take two minutes to subscribe, and to write a rating and a review. You can do that on Apple Podcasts right now by clicking here. If you are an Android user, you can follow the podcast on Spotify here and Google Podcasts here. Those actions will help the podcast reach more people, and we would be truly grateful. Thank you so much.

Welcome back to Raising Wildlings — where we explore raising brave, resilient, curious kids who feel at home outdoors.

If you're an educator ready to bring more nature play and child-led learning into your Early Years program, our Bush Kindy Professional Development Workshops are for you. You'll walk away with practical tools, risk-benefit strategies, and the confidence to take learning outside in a way that's safe, meaningful, and genuinely exciting for

You know this podcast is just a small part of what we do at Wildlings Forest School. So if you want to find out more about our range of programs for children, our professional development workshops for educators, our free downloadables, blogs or our online store, just head to wildlingsforestschool.com. It's all there waiting for you. Come and join the village.

Babies Need Nature Too! Feb 22, 2021

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In this episode, we are talking about why taking babies out into nature is not only the ultimate sensory experience, but how it will also help to develop their confidence and understanding of the natural world. Babies are natural investigators. You only have to spend a short amount of time with them to see that they are curious little scientists, experimenting with everything they can get their hands on to make sense of the world, and being a parent of a baby is like seeing the world again with brand new eyes. We receive many enquiries asking when is the right age to start taking our children out into nature, and our response is the same every time. Children are never too small to experience the benefits of being out in nature. Let’s look at why!

👉 Vicci and Nicki discuss:

The amazing, mind-blowing science and deeper meaning of why we need to make nature time a priority for babies
Nature as the ultimate sensory experience
The importance of a baby carrier
Ideas of what taking your baby out in nature can look like
Risk assessing for babies outdoors

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👉 Resources & References

https://zarparbebe.com.au/

#wildlingsbabies

👉 Guest Details

Vicci Oliver and Nicki Farrell are adventurous nature play makers, risk-takers, children’s rights advocates and the co-founders of Wildlings Forest School. We are the hosts of the ‘Raising Wildlings’ podcast and we put the dirt back in childhood.

During any Wildlings Forest School program, you are likely to find Wildlings up trees, sliding down mud slides, whittling with pocket knives, lighting fires and building rafts. We let kids, be kids - because children can’t learn to protect nature if they’ve never had a childhood in it.

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Welcome back to Raising Wildlings — where we explore raising brave, resilient, curious kids who feel at home outdoors.

Democracy Wins for Our Teens with Mathilda Element Feb 15, 2021

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In this episode, we invited Mathilda Element back to the podcast who you might remember from season one. She has a very special project that she's been working on with a team of passionate and dedicated people including her husband and children. Let's dive in!

👉 Mathilda gives us:

A reminder on what Pine School values and embodies in their educational system
A sneak-peek into how the idea of Humanitas High School came to fruition
Insight into her experience on the journey to creating an independent school and the importance of having a foundation built on values
An idea of the wonderful outcomes Humanitas hopes their students will achieve in the completion of their time there
A valuable exercise in questioning what we truly want for our children
A look into why we don’t have as many alternative models of education for older children
The truth about the “real world” of a young person
The meaning behind the name of Humanitas
Perspectives we all need on teenagers

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👉 Links and Resources

Episodes Referred To

S1E17: Democratic Education and the Play Cycle with Mathilda Element

References

www.humanitashighschool.org.au

www.pinecommunityschool.org

educationrevolution.org

mathilda@pinecommunityschool.org

Guest Details

Mathilda Element is a passionate early childhood educator, with special interests in play, storytelling, supporting early literacy and advocating for children's rights. As well as fabulously joyous work in democratic education as a school teacher, new school founder and curriculum consultant, she also enjoys parenting, reading tons of books and learning to sail.

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S2 E5: Democratic, Progressive and Play-Based Pedagogy with Teacher Tom Feb 08, 2021

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"Children will be motivated if their learning is based upon their own curiosities and passions." - Teacher Tom
You may have come across Teacher Tom’s blog on Facebook, but something you may not know is that he has blogged every single day for a decade, sharing his observations and insights from his work at the Woodland Park Cooperative School in the rain soaked Pacific Northwest. Settle in, this episode is full of gold nuggets.

👉 Teacher Tom Touches On

How he found his calling in pre-school teaching
The benefits, beauty and joy of a multigenerational shared learning space, co-creating alongside your child.
The profound meaning behind his democratic, progressive and play-based pedagogy
The most insightful observation he has made through working with children (you are going to want to hear this! )
His inspiration for starting his famous daily blog and his reflective process
The best and worst parts of being a blogger
His experiences with a parent owned and operated school
Never letting the weather stop you from having fun
School readiness and the 3 characteristics that really matter

👉 Guest Details

Tom "Teacher Tom" Hobson is an early childhood educator, international speaker, education consultant, teacher of teachers, parent educator, and author. He is best known for his namesake blog "Teacher Tom's Blog," where he has posted daily for over a decade, chronicling the life and times of his little preschool in the rain soaked Pacific Northwest corner of the US. For over two decades, he has been the sole employee of the Woodland Park Cooperative School which is a parent owned and operated school and all pulled together by Teacher Tom’s democratic, progressive play based pedagogy.
Today, Teacher Tom shares his play-based pedagogy through online e-courses for early childhood educators; produces online early childhood conferences; consults with organizations about his "Family Schools" program; and inspires early years audiences around the world both virtually and in-person with his engaging views on early childhood education, play, and pedagogy.
He was pressured by his blog readers to author his first book, aptly named Teacher Tom’s First Book, and recently released Teacher Tom’s Second Book.

👉 Resources and References

Book Recommendation

Human Kind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman

Free Downloadable

Click here to get our FREE Words of Validation and Empathy Cheat Sheet

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If you enjoyed this episode, please take a minute to subscribe and write a rating and review. You can do that on Apple Podcasts right now by clicking here. If you are an Android user, you can follow the podcast on Spotify here and Google Podcasts here. Those actions will help the podcast reach more people, and we would be truly grateful. Thank you so much!

Welcome back to Raising Wildlings — where we explore raising brave, resilient, curious kids who feel at home outdoors.

Screentime, Cyberbullying, 'Sextortion' and Safety with Kirra Pendergast Jan 25, 2021

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Technology has come so far, so fast. With cyberbullying, sexting, and exploitation, parents today have a big challenge to face. It may feel daunting, unknown, unescapable, and we can often feel helpless, but we don’t have to navigate this alone. In today’s episode, we talk with Kirra Pendergast, founder of Safe on Socials, and an expert on the ways in which we can work with our children to create loving boundaries around tech in the home. She shares some key advice on doing this in a way that maintains connection and safety. Kirra says that we need to ask the right questions so that our children feel safe, and know what to do when they don’t.

👉 Kirra Gets Real and Shares About

‘Safe on Social’ - the story behind it and its educational tools
Maintaining your relationship with your child in the age of tech and social media
How to co-create safety measures with your children on social and gaming platforms
The dangers behind having too much of your personal information available online
Child-exploitation
How to keep the channel of communication open and honest with your children about what is happening to them online
“Chat Features” on games and social media and the heavy conversations we need to have about them
“Sextortion”
The importance of parental controls
The ‘Self- Esteem Minefield’ and the appropriate age for Social Media
Cyberbullying and 5 essential tips to help your child through it

👉Resources and References

Safe on Social Media

Christine Jackman- Turning Down the Noise

Parents Toolkit

wildlingsforestschool.com/shop

https://www.wildlingsforestschool.com/free-downloadables

👉 Guest Details

After a 20+ year career in Cyber Security and IT Business Consulting, Kirra founded Australia's first consulting firm focused on Cyber Safety. KCL Business Solutions completed eSafety Risk Reviews, Policy Development, and Training Solutions for major Qld Government departments and businesses. In 2014 Kirra Pendergast founded Safe on Social Media Pty Ltd after experiencing serious and relentless cyberbullying and trolling herself.

Kirra speaks on the topic of Cyber Safety and her own experience with serious cyber bullying, to 1000's of people each week. Kirra presents to students K-12, teachers and parents at schools across Australia and New Zealand. She is also regularly asked to speak at legal seminars, government and business events, conferences and consults too, and advises organisations in Australia, the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States.
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If you enjoyed this episode and the Raising Wildlings podcast, please take a minute to subscribe, and write a rating and review. You can do that on Apple Podcasts by clicking here. If you are an Android user, you can follow the podcast on Spotify here and Google Podcasts here. Those actions will help the podcast reach more people, and we would be truly grateful. Thank you!

Welcome back to Raising Wildlings — where we explore raising brave, resilient, curious kids who feel at home outdoors.

Layers of Nature Pedagogy with Dr. Claire Warden Jan 18, 2021

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In this episode, we’re chatting with education consultant Dr. Claire Warden about the importance of nature connection, nature pedagogy and her kindergarten, Achlone Nature Kindergarten in Scotland.
👉 Claire and Nicki Discuss

Her journey in finding nature pedagogy
Her unique and impressive PhD research
Her theory about the primary and secondary meanings of Nature Pedagogy
Her kindergarten Auchlone Nature Kindergarten in Scotland
What a typical day looks like for a child that attends Auchlone?
Mindstretchers educational platform
The best and hard parts about running a 'children in nature' based business
And of course the famous Raising Wildlings rapid fire questions

👉Guest Details

Dr. Claire Warden is an educational consultant and passionate nature pedagogy expert. If you’ve worked in Early Childcare in Australia, then you will know who Claire is and will have quite likely partaken in one of her prolific offerings of educator training. For those not in the Early Education sphere, Claire is the founder of the education platform, ‘Mindstretchers,’ her charity, 'Living Classrooms,’ her own international consultancy business, and is the president of the new International Association of Nature Pedagogy.

Claire is also the author of over 25 books and materials relating to early years methodology, including her well-known 'Talking and Thinking Floorbooks,' which presents the planning methodology that supports consultation and democracy in early education; and 'Nurture through Nature,' which explores working with children under three outside.

Claire is also still closely involved with her own nature kindergarten, Auchlone Nature Kindergarten, in Scotland. This outdoor nursery works with children from 2-6 yrs old, who spend up to 90% of their time outside.

👉 Links and Resources

Claire Warden Educational and Experiential Pioneer (claire-warden.com)

Online Learning – Mindstretchers Academy & Dr Claire Warden

Mindstretchers Academy & Dr Claire Warden – Mindstretchers Academy & Dr Claire Warden

Home | Auchlone Nature Kindergarten

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If you enjoyed this episode and the Raising Wildlings podcast, we have a favour. Please take a minute to subscribe, and write a rating and review. You can do that on Apple Podcasts by clicking here. If you are an Android user, you can follow the podcast on Spotify here and Google Podcasts here. Those actions will help the podcast reach more people, and we would be truly grateful. Thank you so much!

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Welcome back to Raising Wildlings — where we explore raising brave, resilient, curious kids who feel at home outdoors.

Failure, Farts and Finding Self-Worth with Maggie Dent Jan 12, 2021

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In this episode, we are thrilled to be chatting with one of Australia’s favourite parenting authors and experts, the perfectly named, Queen of Common sense, Maggie Dent. We chat about getting kids off screens, the importance of failing, and self worth and how to support boys in their big emotions and the importance of a well-timed fart.

👉 Maggie shares

What it means to be a lighthouse and who her lighthouse was growing up
The importance of nature and play and free time and her favorite adventurous opportunities where children can access these.
The importance of failing and resilience
More on the philosophies in her book, From Boys to Men, about boys handling emotions, understanding arousal states, preventing techno tantrums, and how to get them off screens.
An expansion on her theory about the spectrum of lamb to rooster
More on self- worth being the invisible biological core of man-hood
The biological differences in the wiring of boys and how educators can improve classroom settings
The three F’s- Food, Fun and Farts.

👉 Resources & References

Maggie Dent - Home | Resources for those who live & work with children

Maggie's Blog | Maggie Dent

👉 Guest Details

Commonly known as the “queen of common sense”, Maggie is one of Australia’s most beloved parenting authors and educators, with a particular interest in the early years, adolescence and resilience.

Maggie’s experience includes teaching, counselling, and working in palliative care/funeral services and suicide prevention. Maggie is an advocate for the healthy, common-sense raising of children in order to strengthen families and communities. She is a passionate, positive voice for children of all ages.

Somehow she has also found the time to author seven major books, including her bestselling 2018 book Mothering Our Boys and her new 2020 release, From Boys to Men.

👉 Free Downloadable

Click here to get our FREE printable Words for Validation. It is a great tool for validating our children’s feelings so they aren’t experiencing shame.

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If you enjoyed this episode and the Raising Wildlings podcast, please take a minute to subscribe, and to rate and review. You can do that on Apple Podcasts right now by clicking here. If you are an Android user, you can follow the podcast on Spotify here and Google Podcasts here. Those actions will help the podcast reach more people, and we would be truly grateful. Thank you so much.

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Welcome back to Raising Wildlings — where we explore raising brave, resilient, curious kids who feel at home outdoors.

2020 - Reflections on Growth and Gratitude Dec 21, 2020

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In this episode, we wrap up the crazy year that was 2020. From expansion plans, to coronavirus, a podcast, online courses, awards and rapid growth, we chat about what’s happened in the Wildlings world this year. And a recap of some of our favourite guests this year.

👉 Nicki and Vicci reflect on

Wildlings and this wild year
The creation of Raising Wildlings Podcast
Gratitude for the blessings in disguise and hard earned awards
What our listeners have to look forward to in the new year including some epic guests!

👉 Guest Details

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It’s Christmas holidays and if you’re already wondering what to do with your children after already having spent so much time indoors, why not download our free Bush Santa printable, take it outdoors with some glue, set the kids up under a shady tree and go and make yourself a cup of tea while they decorate Santa’s beard with nature treasures.

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Have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hannukah and Summer Solstice!

Welcome back to Raising Wildlings — where we explore raising brave, resilient, curious kids who feel at home outdoors.

Equitable Education and Passionate Play with Pasi Sahlberg Dec 15, 2020

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In this episode, we chat with Pasi Sahlberg, author, Professor of Education Policy and Deputy Director of the Gonski Institute at the University of New South Wales, about inequality in the Australian education system, some of the excellent things happening in the Finish education system and how we can help rebalance this inequality.

👉 Pasi shares

His journey that led him to where he is today
The Gonski Institute of Australia and his work there
Equitable Education Systems and what that looks like in Australia
The Australian education funding system
The discrepancy of compulsory instruction hours in schools around the globe
Finnish education initiatives that would translate well into the Australian education system
The importance of play in schools
How to communicate the importance of play to principals

👉 Guest Details

Pasi is a Finnish educator who has worked as a schoolteacher, teacher-educator, researcher, and policy advisor in Finland and has studied education systems and advised education leaders around the world. He has written and spoken widely about teaching and learning in school, teachers' work and school improvement, educational change, international education issues, and the future of schools. His book “Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland” won the 2013 Grawemeyer Award for an idea that has potential to change the world. Pasi believes most kids know what interests them deeply when they are very young, whether it’s spiders, bicycles, guitar or drawing, and that schools should be able to adapt to help them learn as much as they can about their passions.
After training as a teacher, Pasi began a life in education policy. After a number of years, Pasi became the Director General of Education in Finland. Finland regularly tops international academic rankings. The country’s teachers are highly valued and remunerated, and students have a shorter school day than most other countries, with a firm focus on the importance of play. Within a few years, Pasi’s educational philosophy saw him sought out by many governments around the world.

👉 Resources & References
pasisahlberg.com

"Let the Children Play: How more play will save our schools and help children thrive"

Forthcoming books

"Finnish Lessons 3.0: What Can the World Learn from Educational Change in Finland”

"In Teachers We Trust: The Finnish way to world-class schools"

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If you enjoyed this episode and the Raising Wildlings podcast generally, we have a favour. Please take two minutes to subscribe, and to write a rating and review. You can do that on Apple Podcasts right now by clicking here. If you are an Android user, you can follow the podcast on Spotify here and Google Podcasts here. Those actions will help the podcast reach more people, and we would be truly grateful. Thank you!!

Welcome back to Raising Wildlings — where we explore raising brave, resilient, curious kids who feel at home outdoors.

Present Parenting and Practicing Self-Compassion Dec 07, 2020

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It’s been a rough year across the globe, particularly on parents. With lockdowns, quarantines, working and schooling from home, financial and health concerns, we thought it was a good time to get Rebecca Branstetter in.

Rebecca is a school psychologist, speaker, and author on a mission to help children thrive by supporting school psychologists, educators, and families.
She is the founder of The Thriving School Psychologist Collective, an online community dedicated to improving mental health and learning supports in public schools, as well as the co-creator of the “Make It Stick Parenting” course, which provides parents tools to build their child’s social-emotional learning, and the “Peace of Mind Parenting” course to support families during distance learning.
👉In this powerful and inspirational episode, we hear Rebecca's expertise about:
1. The effect of the pandemic on mental health and learning in children.
2. The ABC's to help shift our perspective to a place of peace and understanding with our child.
3. How we go about parenting from a place of calm and connection, even in uncertain times. (aka--not having to be a PERFECT parent, but a PRESENT parent)
4. The difference between Self-Care and Self-Compassion.
4. How to partner with the school if your child is struggling academically, socially or emotionally.
6. School readiness and some of the red flags that signal your child might benefit from delayed entry.

👉 Links and Resources

FREE Download
25 Self-Care Practices for Parents: Instant "in the moment "strategies for whenever you're feeling overwhelmed, anxious, annoyed, or need a reboot.

For Parents
Peace of Mind Parenting Course: https://www.onecommune.com/peace-of-mind-parenting-with-dr-rebecca-branstetter
Make It Stick Parenting Course and Community (for parents of children with special needs): https://www.makesociallearningstick.com/make-it-stick-parenting-course
For School Psychologists/Mental Health Professionals
https://www.thrivingschoolpsych.com/book/
Website: www.rebeccabranstetter.com

👉Guest Details

Rebecca Branstetter, Ph.D., is a school psychologist, speaker, and author on a mission to help children thrive by supporting school psychologists, educators, and families.
A sought-after speaker and national media expert, Rebecca’s expertise in supporting school psychologists, parents, teachers, and students in the public school system has appeared in various publications, including Huffington Post, NPR, CNN, Education.com, and Parents Magazine.

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