196: Growing Outside with Ellen Grudzien: Trusting Children, Nature, and the Process

Ellen Grudzien, founder of Let's Grow Outside New Hampshire, challenges the conventional model of early childhood education by proving that children thrive when given unstructured, nature-based, child-led learning. Her three forest schools—operating entirely outdoors in some cases—demonstrate that children develop resilience, creativity, and emotional regulation not by being taught, but by being trusted to explore, play, and solve problems in real-world environments. What surprised listeners most was her radical assertion: children don’t need structured lessons to learn—they need space, time, and the freedom to lead their own experiences. The episode reveals how eliminating circle time, replacing adult-directed themes with open-ended materials like sticks and rocks, and embracing the '17-second rule' (waiting 17 seconds before stepping in) transforms classrooms into dynamic, joyful spaces where children naturally develop academic readiness, independence, and confidence. Ellen’s vision extends beyond preschool: she argues that if schools simply took children outside for 20 minutes a day, they’d see dramatic improvements in behavior, focus, and mental health—without any curriculum overhaul.