Play Nature Podcast

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

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

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

Licensing. Not the most exciting topic. Not mud pies or tree climbing. But if you work in schools, parks, or early childhood programs, licensing is part of the landscape.  In this episode of Play Nature Podcast, host Rusty is answering the question many educators ask: How do we keep nature play, loose parts, and risky play alive when licensing rules feel like a wall? The good news? The wall might actually be a doorway. Rusty explores the relationship between educators and licensors. At first it can feel tense. Someone arrives with a clipboard. They inspect logs, spoons, mud kitchens, and climbing trees. But licensors are there for a reason. Their job is to protect children.  When we slow down and communicate the why behind nature play, we often discover we’re on the same team. The key is speaking their language. Know the rules. Show your thinking. Share the research. When educators confidently explain the benefits of loose parts and outdoor play, licensors begin to see the bigger picture. Top 3 Takeaways from Rusty Know the rules. Read them carefully. When you understand them, you can design nature play spaces that follow them and still invite adventure. Explain the “why.” Share the research and developmental benefits behind logs, mud kitchens, loose parts, and risky play. Build trust. When licensors see thoughtful planning and strong supervision, they are more likely to support creative outdoor play environments. Buy Rusty’s Book: Adventures in Risky Play by Rusty Keeler Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

What happens when kids are given time, space, and stuff? Real stuff. Junk. Tools. Magnets. Hot glue guns.  In this episode of the Play Nature Podcast, host Rusty Keeler is talking to Erik Herman to explore what play, tinkering, and science can look like when curiosity leads the way. Erik is a former classroom teacher who followed his passion out of formal education and into the wild, wonderful world of informal learning. He’s the force behind the Free Science Workshop and the Physics Bus. Both places where kids choose what to explore, how long to explore it, and who to explore it with.  Rusty draws connections between Erik’s work and adventure playgrounds, community tinkering spaces, and our deeply human need to make things—together. This conversation wanders (in the best way) through barns full of junk. And through the difference between explaining and experiencing.  Freedom matters, messes are meaningful, and innovation needs room to breathe.  Erik and Rusty agree on letting physics speak for itself, and remembering that we are three-dimensional beings in a very hands-on world Links: www.freescienceworkshop.org www.communityscienceworkshops.org Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

Welcome to Season 2 of the Play Nature Podcast!  A full circle around the sun. A new season of listening begins. Winter has arrived (at least in Ithaca, NY). Cold. Snow. Gray skies. And…PLAY. In this episode of the Play Nature Podcast, Rusty Keeler bundles up and steps into winter to give us the next installment of his Seasons of Play series, reminding us that this final season matters just as much as the others.  From ice sculptures and colored snow to fairy huts, fires, and winter wandering, Rusty invites us to slow down and notice what winter offers. The angle of the sun. The crunch of snow. The quiet. The light we carry inside when the world feels gray.  With simple stories and practical ideas, this episode reframes winter not as something to endure, but something to experience. Season 2 is just getting started and Rusty would love to hear from you! Email playnaturepodcast@gmail.com to share pictures of winter play and colorful snow, your favorite moment from Season 1, or a question you would like answered in an upcoming episode. Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

Welcome to a world where play speaks louder than words. Where adults climb trees dressed as toucans, worms magically become two worms, and curiosity crackles like fairy lights in a cozy home-like space flooded with plants and laughter.  In this episode of the Play Nature Podcast, host Rusty Keeler and guest Robin Christie take us by the hand, skipping barefoot through ideas about playfulness, risk, resilience, and the joyful role of goofy, loving adults in children’s lives. Their conversation touches on early childhood teaching in New Zealand, playful adult culture, humor as a first connection, the power of failure, and the soulful art of building truly soft, warm, homey learning spaces.  Top 3 Takeaways from Robin Christie: Play is a universal language and adults must become playful participants, not observers, to truly connect with children. Curiosity and wonder work together with curiosity filling knowledge gaps and wonder creating emotional engagement that drives deeper learning. Failure is essential and modeling our own mistakes in front of children teaches resilience, courage, and authentic learning behavior. Children need to see that adults are still learning too. That they are still curious, still surprised, still full of questions. That is how trust forms. That is how humans grow. That is how joy lives in learning… and in life Links: childspace.nz @childspaceNZ on Facebook @childspacenz on Instagram   Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs    Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

Have you ever watched a child scoop birdseed, roll in grass, or wrap Play-Doh around tiny toys and think, “What on earth are they doing?”  In this episode of Play Nature Podcast, host Rusty Keeler is chatting and laughing with Heather Bernt-Santy, THE Early Childhood Nerd, to find out why those moments are more than just mess and motion. They really are the heart of learning. They talk about curiosity, connection, and the magic of letting kids be wonderfully, gloriously human. Heather shares her journey from podcaster to author and dives into the world of schema play. Those fascinating patterns children repeat as they explore how the world works. From enclosing and enveloping to transporting and transforming, she shows how every scoop, splash, and spin builds brains, confidence, and joy.  Adults just need to step back, trust, and watch the wonder unfold. In this conversation, you’ll hear about risky play and right-to-play advocacy, how teachers can shift from “doing” to “wondering,” and why grown-ups should trade control for curiosity.  Top 3 Takeaways from The Early Childhood Nerd: Heather Bernt-Santy Play is how children make sense of the world. Schema play shows that children aren’t being “aimless, ”they’re testing patterns, discovering physics, and learning about themselves through joyful repetition. Our job isn’t to control play. It’s to wonder about it. Trust the process, not the product.  Children have a right to play—freely and fully. Links: thatearlychildhoodnerd.com Facebook @thatearlychildhoodnerd  Instagram @thatearlychildhoodnerd TikTok @that_early_childh BlueSky @ece-nerd.bsky.social  LinkedIn @@heatherbernt-santy   Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs    Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

Even if everything’s broken, that doesn’t mean the play is over! And that’s the beauty of it. It’s not destruction, it’s deep learning. When we let kids take things apart, we’re helping  them put the world together in their own way. This episode of the Play Nature Podcast is the second half of Rusty’s conversation with Teacher Tom Hobson. Listeners will get immersed into the world of junkyard playgrounds, loose parts, and freedom-filled learning.  Together Rusty and Tom explore how children learn by taking things apart, testing limits, and transforming “trash” into treasure. It’s a celebration of curiosity, connection, and creativity, the kind that grows from hands-on discovery and messy, marvelous play. Tom shares stories from his playground, a place full of wood scraps, traffic cones, trophies, and treasures. This is where kids explore, build, break, and begin again. He reminds us that every stick was once a branch, every rock once part of a mountain, and every loose part is an invitation to create.  Top 3 Takeaways from part 2 with Teacher Tom: Broken things are great teachers! Junkyard playground inspire freedom and imagination Loose parts=loose minds (in the best way!) So, say yes to the broken, the wobbly, the weathered, and the wild. Gather your scraps and start your own version of a junkyard playground. Let the children move, stack, glue, and build their dreams. Because when we trust them with freedom, they find wonder in every why, and see beauty in the broken toys. Links: teachertomsworld.com Teacher's Tom's FREE Resource for Play-Based Settings Connect with Tom @theteachertom on Facebook | on Instagram | on X |  @thomsas-hobson on LinkedIn   Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

The leaves are turning. The ducks are splashing. The creek runs low. Fall is here! Do you feel it in the air? Can you see it in the trees? Can you smell it in the crisp breeze?  This episode of the Play Nature Podcast invites you to pause, marvel, and jump right into the season with joy and curiosity. Host Rusty Keeler takes us creek-side to share top tips for fall nature play: sit spots that slow us down, planting trees and bulbs for seasonal surprise, straw bales for forts and circles, and leaf piles that spark instant delight.  Rusty is also inviting you all to participate in by National Play Day coming up on September 20th. He has a quick interview with Pat Rumbaugh who shares how her Play Day is a great example of Dreaming Big, but Starting Small. It’s a playful celebration of autumn’s abundance and a reminder to dream big, start small, and never stop. Links: letsplayamerica.org ipausa.org   Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Share this episode, rate and review the show, and email Rusty! playnaturepodcast@gmail.com Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

Play isn’t just the giggles and games—it’s a protective shield for growing hearts and minds. When kids lose play, they lose more than fun.  In this episode of the Play Nature Podcast, Rusty Keeler goes deeper into why children are more anxious and less joyful, and what we can do to turn the tide. Rusty welcomes back Dr. Peter Gray, our favorite play professor and champion of childhood freedom. This time, they dig into what’s really behind the rise in kids’ anxiety and depression—and no, it’s not just the phones.  Peter points to the pressure cooker of modern education, where rigid standards and endless testing are crowding out curiosity, movement, and joy. Top three takeaways for part 2 with Peter Gray It’s not just screens—school stress is a major player in kids’ declining mental health. The loss of autonomy and play in schools is leaving kids overwhelmed and underpowered. There are brighter paths—like Sudbury schools—where kids are trusted, free, and thriving. Watch Rusty and Peter talk about the playfulness of a Sudbury School on Rusty's Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrtiVT1JDMQ Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

Play is not just fun—it’s essential. It’s how children explore, create, stumble, and soar. It’s how they learn to be brave, solve problems, and build their world.  In this episode of the Play Nature Podcast, we dig into the deep roots of play and why letting kids run wild (in a good way!) may be the most important thing we do for their growing brains. Rusty is joined by Dr. Peter Gray—play researcher, freedom fighter, and author of Free to Learn. Peter is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Boston College, but he speaks fluent playground. He talks about what real play looks like, why it’s fading from childhood, and how that’s affecting kids everywhere.  Spoiler: play isn’t optional. It’s nature’s secret weapon. Top three takeaways from part one with Peter Gray: True play is self-directed, open-ended, and full of joy—no adult agendas allowed. Kids need independent play more than ever, especially in our over-scheduled, screen-heavy world. Want happier, more resilient kids? Let them climb, dig, imagine, and roam—play is the path to well-being. Come back for part 2 with Peter Gray on an upcoming episode of the Play Nature Podcast!  Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs  Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide

“We have really strong relationships with our children and our families, and that's what allows the adventures to come.” --Cameron Sprauge, Head of Nurseries-Stramash Social Enterprise What if the secret to raising resilient, creative, confident kids was… play? Real play. Outdoors. With sticks, mud, and a whole lot of autonomy.  In this episode of the Play Nature Podcast host Rusty Keeler and his guest get curious about how wild play spaces help children build skills for life—and why a scraped knee might just be part of the plan. Meet Cameron Sprague: nature play champion, outdoor educator, and all-around muddy-booted legend. From the forests of Scotland to the joyful chaos of Stramash Outdoor Nurseries, Cameron shares stories from his journey into nature-based education. Together they  Rusty and Cameron talk about planting trees, trusting children, building with pallets, embracing risk, and growing outdoor play from the ground up. They share visions for a world where children belong outside—rain or shine. Top 3 muddy gems from Episode 9: Risk is not the enemy—it's a teacher. Trees are more than shade—they’re scaffolding for imagination. Start small, think big—even a log and a dream can spark a movement.  Catch the conversation where Cameron and I look at some pictures of his original "field of dreams" on my YouTube channel @rustykeeler: youtube.com/watch?v=n0UFbz8Or-4   Links and Resources: Balance and Barefoot by Angela J. Hanscom Follow Cameron @cameronsprague on Facebook &  X | @Cameronsprague02 on IG Puddle Patter with Stramash Outdoor Nurseries on Spotify vimeo.com/stramashoutdoor ISO 4980:2023(en) Benefit-risk assessment for sports and recreational facilities, activities and equipment   20 Ways to Create Outdoor Play Environments for the Soul Rusty’s Nature Play Design Masterclass   Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs    Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide