Episode #215: Look Up: What Teaching Outdoors Can Teach Us About Attention, Screens & the Culture We Create
What if one of the greatest gifts of teaching outdoors is simply learning to pay attention again?
In this episode, Victoria begins with an ordinary moment: sitting on the couch, surrounded by screens, and feeling frustrated that "together time" didn't actually feel very together. Then came the uncomfortable realization: she was looking at a screen too.
That small moment opened a much bigger question: What culture are we participating in - and is it the culture we actually want to create?
With nearly half of American teens reporting that they are online almost constantly, our relationship with screens, attention, and connection is worth examining. But this isn't an episode about blaming technology - or anyone else.
It's about looking at what we model.
Victoria explores how our everyday habits shape the culture children experience and why outdoor classrooms offer something increasingly valuable: a place to slow down, look up, notice, wonder, and practice paying attention to the world around us.
In this episode, you'll explore:
- What our frustrations can reveal about what we value
- The connection between screens, attention, and presence
- What children learn by watching the adults around them
- How everyday routines quietly create classroom culture
- Why outdoor classrooms can become places to practice attention
- The difference between telling children nature matters and modeling it
- How to do a simple "culture audit" of your outdoor teaching practice
- Why meaningful change can begin by changing just one thing
You don't have to eliminate screens or completely reinvent your classroom.
Start by noticing.
Look up. Pay attention. Change one thing.
Because the small choices we repeat become our habits. Our habits create our culture. And we create the culture.
Outdoor Classroom Resources & Links:
🌿 Our Children's Library: 4 Types of Teaching Gardens Booklist (PDF) (halfway down the page)
🎓 Outdoor Classrooms Teacher Certification Program
🌸 CIRCLE Membership Community
Connect with Victoria:
Website: www.outdoor-classrooms.com
Email: Victoria@outdoor-classrooms.com
Instagram
Facebook
Sponsorship Opportunities:
If you believe in the power of outdoor learning and nature-based education, we'd love to partner with you. Sponsoring the Outdoor Classrooms Podcast helps support educators while connecting your organization with a passionate community of teachers, school leaders, and families.
Contact Victoria at victoria@outdoor-classrooms.com to learn more.
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