Nature as Therapy: Supporting Kids Through Play and Movement with Devon Karchut

Welcome back to The Teach Outdoors Podcast! In this inspiring episode, host Lauren MacLean sits down with Devon Karchut, a pediatric physiotherapist and founder of Nature Play, an outdoor play and therapy program in Calgary. Devon has spent 15 years helping children move, grow, and thrive — and she’s a fierce advocate for the power of outdoor play in supporting healthy development, regulation, and learning.

Together, they unpack how outdoor play supports physical and emotional wellness, how schools can integrate movement and sensory opportunities into daily routines, and what inclusion truly looks like in outdoor settings.

🌿 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

Warming Up: Setting the Scene

• Devon’s journey from clinic-based physiotherapy to creating Nature Play.
• What therapy looks like when it happens outdoors — and how kids respond.

Connecting Play to Learning

• How movement and play outdoors connect directly to learning outcomes.
• Why unstructured play isn’t “extra” — it’s essential.
• Real stories from schools where outdoor play transformed focus, confidence, and behaviour.

Movement, Sensory, and Regulation

• The key movements and sensory inputs many children are missing today.
• How those missing experiences affect attention, regulation, and participation.
• Simple ways to build sensory-motor opportunities into outdoor routines like walks, circle times, and sit spots.

Inclusion and Access

• Strategies for supporting children who find movement or outdoor spaces challenging.
• What true inclusion looks like in outdoor play and learning environments.

Advocacy and Mindset

• Why outdoor play is a right, not a luxury.
• One mindset shift teachers can make to start integrating more movement and play — even with limited time.

💡 Bonus for Educators

Lauren also shares upcoming monthly coaching call topics designed to deepen your outdoor teaching practice:

• September: Nature Routines — building consistency and rhythm outdoors.
• October: Nature Journals & Documentation — scaffolding writing and observation skills.
• November: Universal Design for Learning Outdoors — creating access, choice, and flexibility for every learner (perfect for IEP season!).