012: The Before And After Journey Of Starting A Forest School With Guest David Calabrese

Childhoods By Wonderschool

My guest today is well-known in our Wonderschool community: founder of Little Earthlings Forest School in San Francisco, David Calabrese. David founded Little Earthlings, an outdoor preschool program, as a passion project to instill agency, choice, and guided risk-taking in early childhood education. Growing up, the wilderness outside David’s family home became his school and playground. To this day, he can recount the many lessons he learned while fending for himself in the woods with an abundance of cousins and no adult supervision. With the other neighborhood kids in tow, David would spend hours outside making forts and playing in the nearby creek until the sound of his aunt’s cowbell called the children home for dinner. It was here that David learned the impact that autonomy and choice have on a child’s sense of identity and self-esteem. Though he initially found his calling in art and philosophy, David’s need for inquiry and exploration eventually led him to create his own outdoor school. This decision has helped him to share the insights that he gained from his own childhood experience with a new generation of growing Earthlings. In my discussion with David today, he takes us through the various experiences and decisions that led him to pivot from a career in art to early childhood education and why this project is so close to his heart.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How David discovered his passion for early childhood education
• Why experiential knowledge is so important for children
• The benefits of weighing risk vs. hazard in a supportive environment for growing children

Supporting Resources:

Check out David’s website on Wonderschool: https://www.wonderschool.com/ca/san-francisco/little-earthlings-forest-school-225 *** EPISODE CREDITS:

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