Welcome to Raising Wildlings, a podcast about parenting, alternative education and stepping into the wilderness, however that looks, with your family. Each week, we’ll be interviewing experts that truly inspire us, to answer your parenting and education questions. We’ll also be sharing stories from some incredible families that took the leap, and are taking the road less travelled. Whether you’re a parent looking for tips on how to better handle those sibling squabbles and tantrums, a couple searching for ways to create more freedom within your family’s lifestyle, an educator keen to explore alternative schooling models and how children learn, a father keen to delve into respectful parenting philosophies, or a mother wanting to learn more about why play is so important and how to get children outdoors safely, then this is the podcast for you. Each week you’ll get tried and tested tactics from parenting, play and education experts to help you on your journey towards creating the happiest, healthiest lifestyle you can for your family. We’ll also chat to real life families who have created freedom within their lives and are living life on their own terms. They’ll teach you how they did it and how you can too. And of course, you’ll hear from us about all things nature play and alternative education. We’ll answer all your questions on how children learn, the importance of play in all its forms, children’s rights and autonomy, and how to get your children outside safely, more often. This podcast hopes to empower parents and educators to raise kinder, more resilient, more adaptable children by helping them maintain happy connections and healthy lifestyles. So, what are you waiting for?! Let's dive in! Hit subscribe now to be notified when new episodes go live. To download our free Respectful Language Printable Cheat Sheet, head to: www.wildlingsforestschool.com/shop/respectful-language
Ever wondered how to package your passion for nature into a profitable venture?
This week we're uncovering the untapped potentials in the Nature Play industry and translating your unique gifts into a viable business.
We'll walk you through the diverse niches in the industry, from age-based businesses to corporate events, and even delve into the advantageous role of location in attracting success to your venture.
It's tempting to mirror what others are doing, but we reveal why this could be a dangerous path and why harnessing your unique skills and passions is crucial.
Ever wondered how to bring the magic of 'Nature Play' into your child's education? Or how to say goodbye to your worries about snakes and ticks? With Nature Play Now, crafting an epic outdoor program is easier than you think. You’ll boost your confidence, skill sets, and have parents eager to enrol. Join the adventure for just $57, exclusively for Raising Wildlings listeners. Visit our Raising Wildlings website for more details today!"
2. Keen to find your purpose in 10 minutes? Download our FREE treasure map to find your passion without compromising your educational values.
3. Want to know how to craft an epic outdoor program that has parents and directors lining up to enrol? You need Nature Play Now our $57 Workshop and Bundle series (people are saying this is a steal!)
Nature Play is a really broad term that encompasses many, many, many ways of delivering programs and services to your community. So what's your Nature Play niche? Let's look at some of the amazing ways you can bring your special source to the industry.
Nicki Farrell:
We like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land on which we record today the Kabi, kabi and Gabi Gabi people. We recognize their continued connection to the land and waters of this beautiful place. We recognize Aboriginal people as the original custodians of this land and acknowledge that they have never ceded sovereignty. We respect all Gabi Gabi elders, ancestors and emerging elders, and all First Nations people listening today.
Vicci Oliver:
Welcome to Raising Wildlings, a podcast about parenting, alternative education and stepping into the wilderness, however that looks with your family.
Nicki Farrell:
Each week, we'll be interviewing experts that truly inspire us to answer your parenting and education questions. We'll also be sharing stories from some incredible families that took the leap and are taking the road less travelled.
Vicci Oliver:
Wear your hosts Vicki and Nikki from Wildlings Forest School Popping your headphones. Settle in and join us on this next adventure. Hello and welcome to the Raising Wildlings podcast. We are hosts Vicki Oliver and Nikki Farrell.
Vicci Oliver:
Now, today we're going to be looking at what amazing niche you might sit in within the nature play industry, because you can actually specialize in so many different areas, and the key thing we really want you to know about today is that it really comes down to your unique gifts and talents. What do you bring to the table, or what unique gifts and talents does your team bring to the table?
Nicki Farrell:
So let's start with. The first thing and I think it's really important here is you can't be all the things Oliver knows. We tried, and there's this really great. Yeah, we did learn the hard way. Let's try and stop everybody else having to do that. But there's this really great quote that says you can please some of the people all of the time. You can please all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time. And I think getting down to your market and really niching down really helps people know who you are and what you do.
Vicci Oliver:
Well, I think the thing is, you'll confuse your customers. At the end of the day, you might see and get inspired by a lot of the different things that you can do, but to the people who are receiving your messages, they might get a little bit confused about what it is that you exactly do if you provide too many different things.
Nicki Farrell:
That doesn't mean that within Nature Play you can't offer kindy programs and different age groups or even different nature play activities within that. But maybe you might not do yoga and nature and gymnastics and football. Yeah, exactly, that's the extreme version, you know, but you really want to be known for your industry and your niche within that industry.
Vicci Oliver:
And I think from experience to every time we think about starting a new program and new event and new activity, there's a lot of learning that comes with that, a lot of specific resources that come with those events and activities. And if you particularly straight out the gate, if you're trying to serve all of those different things, you'll end up doing things half-assed. So you might do lots of things but it's unlikely that you'll do them all well.
Nicki Farrell:
I guess I want to caveat there that when you're starting, some of that is experimentation about what you enjoy and what you're good at. But the sooner you can niche, the better off you'll be and people will go to. I see it even in our community boards on Facebook all the time now and we're a nature play program at this age and our name gets suggested all the time. That's what you want. You want your community and your champions to know where you fit so that they can then send people to you.
Vicci Oliver:
It's a really good point. And then I guess, when we're talking about social media, that's the one place where we might get inspiration by other people. For example, if you're following along with what we do, it's very easy to compare yourselves with providers. And another great quote that we like to bring up here is there's no comparison between the sun and the moon. They shine when it's their time. So it is important to, I think, surround yourself with businesses or groups, community groups that are doing fantastic things, with the very intentional mindset of not comparing yourself to those groups, because there's a lot of different factors that you might not know about, that behind the scenes, that make them very successful, or maybe not successful as well. You don't actually know what's happening behind the scenes, and it can be very easy to compare yourselves with other people.
Nicki Farrell:
Yeah, I think that's a real imposter syndrome killer as well. I think it can really bring down your confidence if you're over analyzing what people are doing it, particularly on socials. But there's no point Running the exact same thing as somebody else either, because of Jane down the road runs a music based nature play program. But you sound like me, like March Simpson on a hangover in the morning. I should not offer music. Yeah, amazing edit, let Jane specialise in that. And when people want to do music in nature, you send people to Jane and she'll send people to you for your programs. Like Industry is so collaborative because we are at our heart, we want people outdoors and we want children outdoors, so the more we can make them all, we can support each other as well yeah, and I think the important thing to remember is, if you're running the programs, you need to run it in a way that suits your needs, lights your fire.
Vicci Oliver:
If you offer that, then the flow and effect of your authenticity and your understanding and passion of that area will shine through, which will then help to build your community and to build that know you like, you trust you with the people who are following you and your programs.
Nicki Farrell:
Vicki and I have started certain programs before and then go, then gone you know what, not our jam only for our team to take it up a year or two later and suggest it because that's their jam, whether that's a specific age group or a specific activity. It's so nice to be able to empower our team as well to go oh, you love that, go nuts, but I don't want to run that program. Yeah, that's, that's a beauty of having a team to.
Vicci Oliver:
Exactly so. It is important to know your unique selling proposition is a great term to use your special skills, your special source. Ultimately, you need to know either who you are, if you're the face of the brand, or you need to know your team who support as well when you're thinking about running programs.
Nicki Farrell:
What's going to get you out of bed on a wet, rainy, cold winters morning, when you're tired and haven't had much sleep? When you get there, what's going to make you go so glad I came, because you need that.
Vicci Oliver:
That's exactly right, and and even today, I ran a beach kindy program this morning and I can't tell you how cup filling those are, because marine biology is my area, is my passion, and to share that with, oh my god, the most adorable human beings I had this morning. They were just Like I could have stuck there all day just having conversations with them. They were so cute and it makes me want to go straight back down there tomorrow and and do it all over again. So if you can find that thing that makes you feel that way, and then follow that, follow that dopamine.
Nicki Farrell:
From an outsider's point of view that I mean to backfill that story. We've been away in Adelaide at a conference for a week. We've had a huge week. We're both exhausted and while you're looking forward to it, you didn't really have the energy for it, until you turn up.
Vicci Oliver:
Yeah, yeah, absolutely, and I think that that's exactly what you're saying. You know, when it's raining. When you made that comment about when it's raining will, for me it was like I love being at beach school, but the thought, or sometimes, of going you know it can can be exhausting and you don't really want to go, but every single time I go. I think, oh my goodness, I absolutely love this so.
Nicki Farrell:
So this is our point number three Make yourself unique in the industry and really, really focus on what you need. She's so. What kind of skills whether that's physical, social, emotional do you bring to the programs and business that other people don't? And we've got a whole room of ideas here, because when I think what people think of nature play, they just think Free play in nature. I don't know I think we're so far in. I think sometimes we forget what people think it is exactly, and there's.
Vicci Oliver:
So there are so many ways in which people really Niche down in this area, for example, it might be something that really lights you up to make sure that children have opportunities for risk in adventurous play. That's something that we advocate very strongly for, is something that we specialize in and that is a really great position to be in, because it's fun. It's fun to you know, the photos are fun, the experiences are fun. So that's that's where a lot of people, what a lot of people think about when it comes to nature play.
Nicki Farrell:
Yeah, I also think age-based. You know, we've seen some great nature of businesses that are focused on teens and adolescents, even youth at risk as well.
Vicci Oliver:
Yes.
Nicki Farrell:
Or, on the flip side of that, is purely focusing on the early years. So businesses that aren't focusing on anyone older than five, so they're under five.
Vicci Oliver:
Yeah, but they can be specific to babies or it could be intergenerational.
Nicki Farrell:
Yes.
Vicci Oliver:
So bringing in that combination of, you know, seniors and families as well.
Nicki Farrell:
Yeah, another couple of businesses we've seen in DIS. So the National Disability Scheme Supported Nature Play programs and that could be again any age group. I've seen that for adults as well, and they're funded so they're more accessible and I think, gosh, the benefits that we see in some of those programs are just. They're literally life-changing for some of the people that attend.
Vicci Oliver:
Absolutely. Your specialty might be outdoor learning in schools, so obviously working in a traditional school model might be something that you're really passionate about, because you might have been a teacher yourself and wanting to implement this more, but perhaps you were a little bit stuck in the system itself. But then you can then find a niche within contracting to schools to provide outdoor learning opportunities for children, which is a really fun space to be in.
Nicki Farrell:
Yeah, and I think the flip side of that you can also be an outdoor learning teacher within the system as well. So there's both sides to that. You can stay within the system or you can branch out on your own, so you've got that flexibility and freedom really to run your own business. I think that's something to just take note of there too.
Vicci Oliver:
Absolutely, and then we've got some really specific activity base. So whether that's nature, art, immersion, or it could be storytelling or music, those areas can be something that really brings community together. Even a combination of things like storytelling and music can be a brilliant way to work with young families and particularly little people. But music and storytelling I tell you what they're not just for little people. Older kids and even teens can enjoy those sorts of modalities as well.
Nicki Farrell:
That nature art is super, super popular at festivals and events as well, because those larger or larger community art projects as well. So seeing a lot of people find a lot of success in hitting festivals and events.
Vicci Oliver:
Maybe you've spent a lot of time outside learning survival skills or bushcraft and this can be a really great way for you to bring in even work with parents and their children, maybe older children. I know that there's rights of passage that can be often attached to survival skills and bushcraft and it's just super fun, particularly for hate genderizing because it can be for both genders. But really do find that if you've got disengaged boys, Survival skills and bushcraft can be a really great way to really focus in on keeping them engaged.
Nicki Farrell:
Natural movement, if you haven't heard of that. It's basically almost like PT or exercise outdoors, just in nature, without using weights. You might use logs or rocks or whatnot, but also if you're an OT, this is a really fabulous way of doing what you do. For those children that might not suit being indoors for long periods of time is to just do what you do outdoors and getting children to learn how to run and jump and move and navigate their regular outdoor environment. Again, often this is funded, so again it's more accessible, so you're more likely to attract business a bit easier.
Vicci Oliver:
Another really great entry point with nature players. Gardening or permaculture often goes really well hand in hand, so if you're running programs outside of your own property, a lot of people will often start with gardening or permaculture, working with community gardens and a great way to get into schools as well.
Nicki Farrell:
First Nations businesses, whether that's again storytelling bush tucker, whether that's just building community and knowledge about your sharing culture and stories from your mob, I tell you what. There's so much scope for that here with, whether that's schools, incursions, excursions, and it's so desperately needed.
Vicci Oliver:
Yes, absolutely. If you've got a specialty in sustainability or environment, then this is a brilliant way for you to be able to share your message in a contextualised environment for children. I know that this is a specialty of one of our staff members, Lindsay. She absolutely froths on embedding sustainability environment in whatever programs she can.
Nicki Farrell:
Then you've got. If you're a homeschooling parent, maybe you might want to look at a co-op. So that would be not so much a business model, but where parents come and chip in. It might not just be nature play. Maybe you might offer the nature play and another parent might offer some other skill woodworking or something else where homeschoolers come to you for a session or for the day. There are a lot of different co-op models. They are far too wide and varied to go into, but there's a lot of homeschooling is thriving. It is just growing and growing by the day and there is a lot of business opportunity in that area.
Vicci Oliver:
Absolutely. Now if you have a science background as well, then STEM or STEAM is a way that you could really niche down as well. Looking at science, technology, engineering, art and maths, you couldn't find a better environment than being as it and allowing children really a full opportunity to just be curious. So if that's your jam, then STEM or STEAM really could be the niche for you.
Nicki Farrell:
Yeah, you might also be location specific. You might only offer beach school, you might live in the desert, in the outback, and you might only offer desert programs. So it doesn't have to. I mean, it needs to be place-based, realistically. If you're running any nature play business, so let your location guide you in what you're doing.
Vicci Oliver:
Yeah, some locations are a real drawcard. It could be a river, it could be, you know, a waterfall school, I don't know. But there are definitely some very, very successful forest type schools or bush kinders that are specifically focused on their location.
Nicki Farrell:
Corporate events. We've had a few corporates come through, yeah, and you know what when I say corporates, the best ones that I've enjoyed the most have actually been early years teams coming through for a team bonding or their interview parties and they've done some raft building and some nature crafting and just got to sit in nature and just relax and be amongst the trees and they've all just come out going oh gosh, I feel so much better. But it doesn't have to just be early years. It could be full corporate finance bros and bring them in and do a raft building challenge or ropes challenge. There's so much scope for corporate ideas and lots of fun.
Vicci Oliver:
So you know they're always looking for something unique and different, and that goes for any event or festival. Really, there's so many events and festivals you'll find, particularly if you live in a more metro area, Even regional, though, they have fantastic festivals and events that are happening all of the time. So if you can, you know, market yourself in that way, you could have quite a few like a suite of different activities that you offer for events and festivals.
Nicki Farrell:
I know a guy I wish I could remember his name, I think he's Russ, it's not. Anyway, he is a mobile junk loose part service. So he has his youth and a great big trailer just full of fun loose parts and he just tours the regional areas, goes into schools and early use services and he travels Australia doing that. So again, you don't need to have a big business, you don't need to have a huge team, you don't need to be stuck in a location or buy land. You can be mobile.
Vicci Oliver:
That's so cool. I just like there's just so many, even the seasonal moon circles, so where you're bringing people together, whether that's mothers with babies and arms, whether you're looking at teams, whether you're looking at, you know, just friendship groups, people looking to connect. They're a really great way to tune in with the seasons, winter festivals solstice.
Vicci Oliver:
That's right. There's lots of different ways in which you can really position yourself to be, you know, that observational way of being in nature and hosting events, because people are looking to connect and having a reason to do that and to be able to have some accountability in making those observations. You know, like if you're holding full moon on new moon circles, it makes you tune into nature a lot more and if you've got that capacity to hold space for those, there's such a beautiful way to connect with your community.
Nicki Farrell:
And then, finally, I guess our two niches that you know we've already mentioned. Adventure is play, but our other one is professional development for schools and particularly the early years, and I mean it's part of our bigger mission, right? So for us it was bigger than us and it was bigger than you know. A business idea. It was how can we get more children outdoors? We need to be bigger.
Nicki Farrell:
Well, we don't want to be that big, so we get the early years educators out and doing it and getting children outdoors in the spaces where children are for sometimes five days a week of their lives. So I think there's a lot of scope for that. I think it will be ongoing. You know people don't just do bush kindie training once and then that's it. Services need upskilling. They get new staff in all the time. So there's a big scope for that, and it might not just be in early years. You might be doing PD on NDIS, you might be doing PD in nature immersion. I like art, yeah, exactly. So you could attach professional development to any of the previous skills that we've just talked about too, which it just means there's the advocacy side to it and we're getting more children outdoors.
Vicci Oliver:
So exciting. So what exactly are you waiting for? If you are interested in nature, playing, you work with kids, you have lots of different options to start exploring. If you are really wanting to take children outside and, you know, follow that passion, follow the passion of the children in your care as well that might be another interesting direction to take, because sometimes it's about learning alongside children. You might have a passion for something, but you might develop a passion if you can work alongside the children that you're working with as well.
Nicki Farrell:
Mm. So to summarise, today we learned three things. First one you can't be all the things to all people without doing things either half-assed or burning out. So I guess number two is you're unique. What's your niche? Find out, what is your special source. Narrow down and find the things that you really truly love and will get you out in the morning. And number three don't compare, because you are special and you are unique and what you're doing is wonderful and important, no matter what anybody else is doing or where they are on their journey. Comparing is dangerous. Just run your own race, put your blinkers on like a racehorse and just put your head down and do what you need to do to find your own version of success, because your version is very likely different to anybody else's out there.
Vicci Oliver:
Well said, nikki, and, as always, we love doing this journey with you. So until next time, stay wild.
