When I was a child...

I learned about the laws of physics and aerodynamics by making myself cardboard wings and jumping out of an avocado tree. I tried with an umbrella too after watching Mary Poppins. That didn’t work either.

I learned math by counting how many geckos eggs I could find tucked away in the corners of the windows.

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I learned about biology by watching the mulberry tree put out bunches of flowers that bees would buzz around and over time would eventually turn into bright purple berries I would eat, staining my tongue and my fingers red.

I learned about human impact on the environment and pollution when sea turtles would wash up on shore with plastic wrapped around their heads. Or with deflated balloons caught in their throat.

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That’s also when I learned I couldn’t just stand around and watch those things happen.

These are all lessons that are still important and relevant for all of us today.

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And I didn’t learn any of them in a classroom.

I learned them in the spaces of time between school, in my backyard and out in my community. Through real experiences that built emotional connections and memories.

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Today’s children don’t have the opportunities that I did.

Our education systems and home lives create a firm divide between us and the outdoors. We go from our houses to our cars or buses to school buildings and offices and barely look up from the screens of our phones to see a dandelion growing through the crack in the sidewalk.

And there are consequences to this. Access to and time in the outdoors is crucial to our individual and collective health and wellbeing, especially that of children. We know this now. The research backs it up. Children who grow up playing outdoors are healthier, happier, and more inclined to look after the natural world.

But our systems are lagging behind. There is lack of understanding and support for caregivers and educators to bring children outdoors to play and learn. In fact there are often huge, and systemic, barriers that prevent even those who are capable and want to.

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But things are changing.

There is a growing movement across the world to create educational systems that are rooted in the outdoors, that consider wellbeing and actual learning over test scores.

There are thousands of educators out there seeking training, resources, and networks to support their vision to bring children outdoors.

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There is momentum for change. I can see and feel it.

I’ve lived in quite a few places in my short life, from the tropics, to the deserts, to the mountains, to the valleys and forests, to urban centers. I know that the systems we operate in are created by our cultures. And I know we have the power to change and improve them, if we’re willing to try.

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So, I’m putting out the invitation for others to join me in getting Forest Schooled.