The Wilder Outdoors Podcast

Everything you need to know about camping with kids with Jenna Fir

In this episode, I chat with mom, homeschool educator and author Jenna Fir. Jenna is an outdoor enthusiast and Wisconsin homeschool mom; she loves to integrate nature into daily education. Jenna and her husband loved camping before kids came along and didn’t let parenthood stop them. Now a mom of three kids ages 11, 9, and 6, she loves to explore the wilderness and share the wisdom she picks up along the trail.
We chat about all things camping and Jenna shares some REALLY great tips and tricks having great adventures with your kids. Jenna’s book “Camping with Kids, Toddlers, and Babies” is available on Amazon and provides tips, tricks, stories, activity ideas, and checklists to tackle the unique challenges of camping with kids of all ages! You can find her on Instagram and Facebook. AND you can email her at jennafirbooks@gmail.com.f

Mushroom Foraging 101 with Jaime from Chick of the Woods

In this episode, I chat with Jaime from Chick of the Woods. Jaime owns and operates a foraging education business in the Twin Cities and is quickly becoming a staple in the wild foods community here. Her classes are great for families and she's incredibly knowledgable. She and I chat all things mushroom foraging where she shares her best tips and tricks for safely finding delicious edible mushrooms while avoiding the handful that can make you sick. Jaime offers several kinds of classes/resources including in-person classes, private hunts, and online classes. If you want to start your foraging journey, contact Jaime here. Also, be sure to follow her on social media here!

Family Orienteering and Adventure Racing with former National Champions Justin and Molly

This episode is so much fun. Justin Bakken and Molly Moilanen started adventure racing as Team WEDALI (We Eat Dust and Like It) over a decade ago and went on to win multiple national titles. Now, as parents, they are raising their kids into the fun, adventurous, outdoor sport of adventure racing/orienteering. In this episode, I chat with the whole family after their first family adventure race. If you've ever thought orienteering or adventure racing sounds exciting, give this one a listen. Molly, Justin and their kids show us how we can get our kids on the trails and having amazing outdoor adventures. 
 
If you want to learn more about orienteering/adventure racing but don't know where to start, check out these great resources:
Minnesota Orienteering Club
Orienteering USA
United States Adventure Racing Association

Family Homesteading with Christy and Steve Oswald

Have you ever dreamed of buying a farm but still living close enough to the city so that you can visit your friends? That's exactly what Christy and Steve Oswald did. Their kids are grown now, but Christy and Steve moved to a small homestead just 30 mintues outside of Green Bay, WI when they were still young. In this episode, Christy and Steve share how they made homesteading while staying connected to the city work. They also share some great stories along with the benefits their family experienced by choosing a more connected, intentional, and season-driven life. In addition to being homesteaders, Christy and Steve also co-host the Homeschool Loftcast 2.0 which is a great resource for anyone who's currently homeschooling or has been thinking about homeschooling. Check them out and be sure to leave them a good review!

Family Survival Weekend, Getting Engaged While You're Squirrel Hunting, and Raising an Awesome Family with David and Carlee Burtch

David and Carlee are old friends from Arizona and they do a lot of really amazing things with their family in the outdoors. In this conversation, they share tons of wild stories and some tips and tricks for how to make some wild stories of their own. Also, Carlee is a nurse and David is a firefighter, so they share their recommendations for how to make sure your family is safe on your next outdoor adventure.

Nature Smart Kids with Tina Hollenbeck

This is a great episode if you have kids, even if you don't homeschool. Tina is the author of 8 Great Smarts for Homeschoolers: A Guide to Teaching Based on Your Child's Unique Strengths and is the co-host of the Loftcast 2.0.
In this episode, Tina shares about how homeschooling allows you to bring schooling into the outdoors. More importantly, she shares about how Howard Gardner's multiple intelligences framework can help you help your kids flourish. We spend a lot of time talking about how to know if your kids are "nature smart" and what to do if you they might be. It's a really interesting conversation - one that I enjoyed as much for myself as for you all! If you'd like to get Tina's homeschool roadmap - a free list of resources available to homeschool families, email her at hsroadmap@gmail.com.

Get Fit, Have Great Adventures, and Maybe Even Save Someone’s Life!

Growing up, I was really overweight and was more interested in playing the tuba (I'm not joking!) than I was in athletics. As I got older, I was able to lose most of the weight but still struggled with it and never quite figured out the "fitness" equation. Granted, I was still able to do a lot of cool things: backpacking, hiking, leading outdoor trips with kids. But it was always HARD. A few years ago I started "training" (exercising with purpose) regularly. It didn't happen all at once, but after a year of consistently showing up, I noticed that not only were my outdoor experiences easier - they were more fun! In this episode, I share how fitness has completely changed my experiences in the outdoors, how it's made me and our family more safe when we're outdoors, and share some crazy stories. Check it out!

From Father to Daughter and Beyond - Learning to Navigate the Canadian Wilderness with Amy Wonnell

This was easily one of my favorite conversations. Amy Wonnell is an outdoors pro. As a teen, Amy's dad taught her how to thrive in the Canadian wilderness and by 16 she was guiding friends on backpacking trips through remote Canada. Amy's joy and enthusiam come across in this conversation where she shares how she learned the ropes from her father and how she's passing on that knowledge to future generations - especially her own kids! Listen to Amy as she shares some great stories and wisdom and let it inspire you to have adventures with your family!

The Most Downloaded Episode of 2023!

With 2023 coming to an end, I wanted to share the most downloaded episode of the year. Here, Steph Alcivar shares how she and her husband are instilling resilience and grit in their kids through the outdoor adventures, especially in the National Parks. Listen to it. Get inspired. It's a great way to wrap up the year and wring in the new one!

Camp Cooking in a Phone Booth, Backpacking with 5-Year-Olds, and Fostering a Love of the Outdoors with Matt and Kristen Ballenthin

In this episode, I chat with Matt and Kristen Ballenthin. I met Matt and Kristen through my friends, the Alcivars (check out episodes 6, 12, and 20). In some ways, Matt and Kristen's story in the outdoors started when they found an unexpected phone booth in the woods during a storm which, in and of itself, is a great reason to listen to this episode. But that was just the beginning. Several years and a few kids later, Matt and Kristen have built a life infused with the outdoor adventures - and their adventures are not for the fain of heart! In this episode, they share some great stories but also tell you how you can start backpacking with young kids, make the most of a long winter, and keep everyone safe in the process. It's a great conversation that you won't want to miss! Show Links: Essential Gear for the Outdoors - www.wilderoutdooracademy.com/safety