Ep 22 | Place-Based Learning: Environment, Culture, and Food with Gemma Nicholl Medina
Play Nature PodcastShow Notes
Some conversations feel like sunshine. This one? Pure magic. Imagine laughter blowing through the trees, college students climbing branches, children splashing in streams, and stories woven into the wind.
That’s the vibe of this episode of the Play Nature Podcast. Host Rusty Keeler is joined by the wonderful Gemma Nicholl Medina to explore the wild wonder of place-based learning and how nature, culture, and play connect like old friends. Big ideas. Small moments. Muddy hands. Happy hearts.
Gemma shares how her college students discover something ancient and familiar when they play outside, observe children deeply, and reconnect with trees, soil, stories, and place.
Gemma reminds us that nature play doesn't require a perfect forest, perfect tools, or perfect plans. All you need is curiosity, connection, and courage to say, “Let’s begin right here.”
Top 3 Takeaways with Gemma:
Start where you are. Nature play doesn’t require a forest — a tree, a park, a garden pot, or a single seed is enough to spark curiosity and connection.
Place matters. When children learn the stories, plants, language, and history of where they live, they build a relationship with the land — and care grows from that relationship.
Play is powerful. Whether college students climbing trees or preschoolers exploring mud, joyful, hands-on experiences unlock learning, belonging, and a sense of wonder.
Learn More: rustykeeler.com | @rusty_keeler_designs
Rusty’s FREE Outdoor Loose Parts Guide
More from 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!
What if the answer to better learning, happier kids, and even easier classroom management is just outside the door?
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?
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?
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.