Run Wild My Child Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, we cover the good, the bad, and the ugly of youth sports. We chat about the elusive balance between organized sports and outdoor free play, the time and cost commitments of participating in youth sports, tips for juggling busy schedules, and why, despite the madness, we choose to participate at all! Whether you’re currently navigating the complexities of your child’s sports schedules or if you’re just curious about how youth sports work these day, this episode is going to be packed with real-life stories, advice, stuggles, and strategies to help you and your family figure this all out. 

For this episode, co-host Michelle Garrett interviews three moms from the Run Wild My Child team, who all have kids involved in youth sports. Run Wild My Child founder and mom of three, Sara McCarty, California working mom of three, Araceli Gonzalez, and homeschooling mom of two, Nichole Holze.

Run Wild My Child Magazine
RWMC website: www.runwildmychild.com
RWMC Instagram: @runwild.mychild

Sara's Instagram: @sara_mccarty
Araceli's Instagram: @roaminggonzalez
Nichole's Instagram: @coleyraeh

Wendy Cox is a photographer, gardening instructor, and mom of four. Her family recently moved from San Diego to Virginia. Wendy talks about how she uses nature to ground and connect her children through the changes and transition from moving across the country, how she beautifully captures kids connecting with nature through photography, and how travel can help kids make real-life connections with what they learn in school. 

Run Wild My Child Magazine

RWMC website: www.runwildmychild.com
RWMC Instagram: @runwild.mychild
Wendy's Instagram: @wendycoxphotography

Recommendation: Go Pro Black 12

Wendy's Posts:
Exploring California Redwoods
Hiking Havasupai with Kids
Outer Banks with Kids

Araceli Gonzalez is a full-time working mom of three. She and her husband have made it a priority to raise their children with a strong bond for the outdoors and a sense of adventure. As working parents, they accomplish this by being weekend warriors. That’s when they take the family on long weekend adventures camping, hiking, crabbing, fishing, beaching, and road-tripping as a family. Araceli talks with us about planning weekend adventures as a working mom, how to make time for travel and adventure around busy family schedules, how a camping challenge started this all, and tips for finding unique destinations for the whole family.

RWMC website: www.runwildmychild.com
RWMC Instagram: @runwild.mychild
Araceli Instagram: @roaminggonzalez

Camp Like A Champ - Beginner's Guide to Camping with Kids Digital Guide

Lissy Perna is the go-to resource for all kid-friendly things to do outside on Cape Cod. Any given day, you can usually find info in her Instagram feed and stories about nature discoveries on the beach, in the woods, or on the trails. She loves identifying plants, fungi, insects, and animals, as well as finding sea glass and learning about the history of her area. She's also passionate about local conservation efforts and how we can all make a difference through our actions. We talk to Lissy about how to become more informed about the nature and wildlife in your local area and why sharing the message about conservation efforts is so important. 

RWMC website: www.runwildmychild.com
RWMC Instagram: @runwild.mychild
Lissy's Instagram: @getoutsidecapecod
Lissy's website: www.getoutsidecapecod.com

Get Out Guide: Cape Cod
Whale Watching with Kids

Recommendations:

• A Photographic Guide to Seashore Life in the North Atlantic: Canada to Cape Cod by J. Duane Sept

RyAnn Peverley is a Washington mom of four kids between the ages of 6 and 21. RyAnn works as a youth program instructor for Mountaineers.org,  as well as an outdoor adventure guide for a local army base where she leads army families on outdoor adventures. RyAnn chats with us about raising children and teenagers who love the outdoors, mountaineering, climbing, how to get started backpacking, and more!

RWMC website: www.runwildmychild.com
RWMC Instagram: @runwild.mychild
RyAnn's Instagram: @mountain_mama4
RyAnn's blog: www.mountainmama4.com

A Mom's Guide to Backpacking with Kids
Kid-Friendly Hiking Snacks

Recommendations:

• Alastair Humphreys' Great Adventurers 
• 2,000 Miles Together: The Story of the Largest Family to Hike the Appalachian Trail by Ben Crawford

Co-founder of Outdoor School Shop and Minnesota mom of 2, Alyssa Marsh joins us to chat about outdoor schools and outdoor kids gear. We discuss the various types of outdoor education (farm schools, forest schools, nature preschools, etc.), what they teach, how to find an outdoor school near you, and what kids need (gear-wise) to spend so much time outside. Outdoor School Shop is the premier online destination for education materials and gear for outdoor schools, featuring brands like Reima, Bogs, Smartwool, Muddy Puddles, and Polarn O. Pyret. ODSS is also the flagship sponsor for our first annual nationwide Run Wild My Child Treasure Hunt, coming to a city near you on April 2nd. Listen to the episode for more details!

Register for the Treasure Hunt: www.runwildmychild.com/treasurehunt

RWMC website: www.runwildmychild.com
RWMC Instagram: @runwild.mychild

Outdoor School Shop website: www.outdoorschoolshop.com
Outdoor School Shop Instagram: @outdoorschoolshop

Introduction to outdoor schools
Outdoor School Directory

Leslie Alvis is an Ohio homeschooling and homesteading mom of four. Her family recently purchased property in the country and they are beginning the process of building a homestead from the ground up, doing most of the work themselves, along with their children. They're not only building their home with lumber milled from their own property, but raising animals, growing a garden, battling poison ivy, and teaching their children the importance of hard work, family time, and outdoor play. Leslie's also a photographer and freelance writer. She's written numerous posts for the RWMC website (listed below) on animals, outdoor activities, and life on a farm.

RWMC website: www.runwildmychild.com
RWMC Instagram: @runwild.mychild
Leslie's Instagram: @c_l_allofus
Leslie's RWMC posts: 

• Wilderness Skills for Teens
• Animal Safety
• Raising Chickens with Kids
• Owling with Kids
• Homemade Apple Butter
• Dealing with Poison Ivy, Mosquitoes & Ticks
• Creating Nature Fairy Gardens
• Eco-Friendly Bird Feeders
• Getting Kids Outside During the School Year
• Pond Nature Study
• Maple Syrup with Kids
• Cattle Farm Chores

Somer Pickel is a RN and Tennessee mom of two girls. Her first daughter Avie was born with severe congenital heart defects and spent the majority of her 18 months of life in an ICU. Nature has been a huge part of the grieving and healing process for her and her husband. They found solace in the outdoors by backpacking a stretch of the Appalachian Trail. Their second daughter Lyra has become quite the adventure buddy and together, Somer and Lyra have hiked over 2000 miles. Somer chats with us about her motherhood journey, the importance of mental health, the joy of raising toddlers, and the healing power of nature.

RWMC website: www.runwildmychild.com
RWMC Instagram: @runwild.mychild
Somer's Instagram: @somerpickel
Recommended reading: How to Raise a Wild Child by Scott D. Sampson

Somer's RWMC post: Discovering the Wonders of Salamanders with Kids

We're chatting with Jen Barnes, South Carolina mom of 3 teenagers. Jen specializes in helping parents plan and book adventure travel trips with their teens and tweens. She knows firsthand the importance of giving teenagers the space to take risks, learn important skills and discover themselves through outdoor adventure and travel. Jen gives parents of teens helpful tips on how to choose and implement the perfect vacation for everyone in your family.

RWMC website: www.runwildmychild.com
RWMC Instagram: @runwild.mychild
Jen's Instagram: @gofamilyadventure
Jen's Website: www.thegofamilyadventure.com
Recommended reading: How to Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims

Jen's RWMC post: Teaching Map Reading Skills to Kids

Co-hosts Sara McCarty and Michelle Garrett talk to Alabama mom of 3, Zenovia Stephens. Zenovia is founder of the non-profit organization Black Kids Adventures, Inc. an organization that focuses on getting Black and Brown families to spend time together in nature. Zenovia shares her passion behind her mission, how she's using her strengths to inspire families to try new things and redefine what it means to be "outdoorsy." She's also sharing a few of her favorite outdoor adventures around the Huntsville, Alabama area and the story behind how she accidentally fell in love with her state.

RWMC website: www.runwildmychild.com
RWMC Instagram: @runwild.mychild
Zenovia's Instragam: @blackadventurecrew
Nonprofit: @blackkidsadventures
Website: Black Adventure Crew

Zenovia's RWMC post: Outdoor Movie Night With Kids