Natural-Born Scientists (with Kyla Saphir)

In this episode, we speak with children's book author, educator, and yoga instructor Kyla Saphir about the importance of nature-based learning for children. Kyla shares her background in early childhood education and discusses how nature schools foster curiosity, emotional well-being, and social skills in kids. She emphasizes the need for diverse representation in nature schools and talks about her inspiration for writing books that reflect children of all backgrounds. The conversation also touches on the reciprocal role of young people in teaching adults about environmental practices.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome

00:24 Kyla's Journey: From Educator to Author

01:52 The Importance of Nature-Based Learning

05:32 Connecting Stories and Nature for Better Communities

08:34 Inspiring the Next Generation

13:29 Book Recommendations and Giraffe Adventures

16:38 Making a Positive Impact in Your Community

17:44 Where to Find Kyla and Her Work

19:00 Closing Remarks and Listener Engagement

Kyla's Books

I Love Nature School 

On Brighter Days

Books Mentioned in Episode

West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge

The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Where to find Kyla

yogamamamke.com
birthwaysinc.com

Thank you for being part of the Liberation is Lit podcast! If you have stories to share, want to suggest topics, or just want to connect, find us on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok @liberationislit or visit our website at liberationislit.com. If you enjoyed the episode, please consider leaving a review! Remember, your voice matters, and together, through the lens of stories, we're making a difference in the world.

Transcript

0:01

Hey y'all. Welcome to the Liberation is Lit podcast where the power of storytelling meets the force of social change. I'm your host, Tayler Simon, and in this podcast we believe in the profound impact of stories. And I'm super excited to be here with Children's book author Kyla Saphir. Hey, Kyla, how you doing? Good. Hey Tayler. Thanks for having me. Yeah. So to kind of kick us off in our discussion today, can you tell us a little bit about yourself as writer and an educator? Yes, sure. So my background is in early childhood education. I have a master's in teaching for ages, basically zero to eight. And, I've taught at multiple nature schools and, when I had my daughter, I decided I wanted more time at home with her. So I. I became a yoga instructor focusing on, prenatal and postnatal. So new and expecting moms. during that period, I decided to start writing children's books as well. Trying to find some books that related to my daughter and my experience and teaching in a nature school and I couldn't find them, so I said, okay, I'm gonna write myself. So that's kind of where, where the books got inspired from. And meeting a, mom through yoga who also published her own children's book, and she was my editor publisher. It kind of came about. I feel like I'm just now learning about nature school and the unschooling nature school combo that's been happening. so I think it's really cool, especially what's happening in our public education system. I love this direction of people, taking control over. Teaching their kids truth, but also connecting them to nature and kind of providing that aspect as well. And so I guess my next question for you too is why do you believe in inspiring children to learn in nature? That's a great question. Just all the benefits that come with being in nature, period, not even just in an educational setting, are so immense. And I feel like we've become really detached from it, living in more urban areas and just not being as open to being outside or parents not giving their kids as much freedom to explore and. Kids are natural born scientists. That's like how they explore the world. They ask questions, they look at things deeply. They, they're very curious. And so being in like a nature school or promoting learning outdoors is so key to just the way they learn naturally. It's good for emotional, regulation. It's good physically. They're outside, they're breathing, they're exercising. good social connections. Kids learn how to cooperate and share materials, and work together to, you know, build a whatever, a pirate ship out of twigs or do whatever they are inspired to do. Teaches them about responsibility and appreciation for nature. I know a lot of children have fears about being outside. You know, they're afraid of spiders or bees and once you start educating them about them, like how important they're all the food they eat comes from bees pollinating that food and learning that bees don't wanna sting you. That's not their goal. Their goal is to work really hard and that all the worker bees are female, which I love that. As a female empowerment and the queen, it's all run by this very. Structured amazing system. Just kind of delving deeper into these creatures makes kids have this appreciation and wanna protect them. I think that conservation piece is so important because we're so detached from nature. We just think, oh yeah, you can cut down that tree. But without thinking about who lives there and why is it important for us to have clean air with 'em and things like that. I think, yeah, there's just so much. Kids. Kids inspire me in nature. And then I think they are also very inspired and they also help their parents. They say, let's go for a walk, let's get outside. They teach them about the things. When I was teaching nature school, they knew the plant names and they could talk about the, you know, the animals and what they were doing, and. Kids are also very afraid of spiders, and I know my daughter included and I talk about like how amazing they are and we talk about their lifecycle how when they're little. They balloon and they float through the air. And, their webs are so creative and, you know, artistic looking, especially when it's wet out and just all those little things and how they, they eat the bugs that we don't like. So like they are very important as well in our ecosystem. so I, I like, I love being out in nature. Even just walking my dog every day, just listen for the birds I like, you know, see, and now it's spring, so things are starting to blossom and just being in touch is so emotionally satisfying in general. And I think seeing kids in nature is very important. Especially since Covid. I know a lot of families transition because of, there wasn't, kids were in school at the time, so a lot of parents were like, okay, it's not really safe to be in school. Let's do some more outdoor learning. And I think that really kind of. Blew up the, the program, people started understanding more, okay, let's learn outside. Which has been great. It's been like a, a boom for schools. And I love the connection that you made about kids getting their parents outside more to like teach them what they're learning in school. Because I feel like I. School kids to teach me to appreciate spiders. I love their webs, love them from a distance. But they still freak me out, so yes, I, I definitely need a nature school kid to hold my hand and be like, the spiders aren't scary. Okay. They're not gonna hurt you, Tayler. You're safe. So my next question I wanted to ask you was how do you believe stories and nature connect in creating better communities? Yeah, just kind of some, those points I touched on before. I think kids need to see themselves in nature as well. And I've written two children's books and both I, I represent kids of all different races, different abilities. I want them to see themselves in the stories that show kids learning in nature. So that they can, feel inspired, like, I can do this too. You know, if you're not reflected in what you're reading, you don't necessarily connect to it. So I think that makes kids from all different backgrounds feel like they can do it because honestly it's a very white setting, a lot of these nature schools and programs and we wanna make sure kids of all backgrounds, colors, kids with disabilities, they should be out there too. I feel like that's a need that we. Need to really focus on and getting more teachers of color also involved, is a way to help build those communities just promote, cleaner, safer communities, more trees planted in these kind of, these dead zones where there's a lot of pollution. And, we were just talking about spring having a lot of pollen and things that are, it's very important, but it can also be hard. But anyway, just getting communities, connected to nature in different ways, including the schools and having them. tell their stories and see themselves in stories in those ways. I love that 'cause I'm all about. Connecting people to see themselves in stories, but also seeing to the lives of people who are different than them. So having that diverse representation is super important. And, how true this is. But I read in a book somewhere that we have a lot of pollen in,. Cities, southern cities where there's a focus on planting male trees so people don't have access to fruit free fruit. Interesting. Mm-hmm. I didn't realize that. Yeah, so I saw somewhere it was like, yeah, you can thank your pollen allergies to like people who don't want people to have access to free food or like, because their mentality is, oh well the fruit's just gonna fall off the tree and like the sidewalks are gonna be all gross. And it's just like, but can you imagine how much our communities would benefit if we could just like walk in our neighborhood and like. Just pick a, a apple off a tree or a lemon or something like that. Yeah, how nature should be having female and male plants and things near each other. That's interesting. But Right? important also. They, that's how they procreate. So we need the plants to pollinate. Maybe it's too much a little bit in some places. Or maybe those male trees have, you know, they only have one kind of pollen. They're not crosspolinating with the female trees. So that's interesting. I hadn't heard that. That's, really good to know. And also like, okay, let's rectify this. Let's get on this and start planning the Fix. Fix when Yeah. we need more women. Yes. More women get those bees working. Yes. So what are some things that kind of keep you grounded to keep promoting nature and learning in nature? What keeps you grounded in that work? Well that's fascinating. You say that actually, 'cause I just got an email today from the Association for Nature-Based Education. A NBE. They're based on the East coast and I had done a webinar in the, in the fall with them. And they, support teachers in nature-based education. So she just approached me today saying, would you be interested in doing one, like in August for the teachers in the fall? And I'm like, of course. That'd be awesome. And we did a free book giveaway for whatever teachers were on the webinar. I, I love that. I love just inspiring other people who are interested in this work to keep going and keep promoting it 'cause. I mean, that's all we, all we have is nature. Like we need this environment, we need our earth to, you know, to live. We need the water, we need the food. And I feel like we've become really detached from that, unfortunately. And so getting the younger generation, doing it. I think another thing about kids teaching their parents. At some schools I've worked at, we talk about, we have like three different containers. One for landfill. One for compost and one for recycling and getting them started early. Just education is just key. And learning why composting is important. It's, it's so good to remove all those, like skins and fruits and vegetables off, out of the landfills because that creates a lot of methane. And just knowing that, like if you just keep it like I have a compost bin in my backyard. I just put all our com, my daughter knows about it. We put it in the backyard six months later, it's soil. We put it in our soil. It's really good for the earth. It has all the nutrients it needs, it reduces pesticides. Like all these things that. We could be doing is, I think, best taught to children and then they bring it home. Because I think people, once you grow up without it, you're, it's so much harder to like learn that skill. But if you have young people inspiring the elders to do this work, I think that also grounds me in terms of like, okay, I feel like the young people are, they are our future. And they know, I think they're getting more educated about these things and there's. Say more recycling programs too, in a lot of places, that we live, which is great. just knowing that it's still going, that people are still very interested, teaching it, learning, inspiring others. Yeah. I really love this reciprocal relationship between children teaching adults too. That we've been talking a lot today about, because I feel like adults are just like, well, I know everything and I have to tell you what's right or what's wrong. And I, and this isn't really connected to nature, but I remember growing up. The push on like all of the cartoons about wearing seat belts, like, especially with Dora, like every time they got in the car they say seat belt so we can be safe. And so literally when me and my sister would get in the car with my mom, like she was of that generation where she. They didn't wear seat belts all the time, and so , we're just like, so we can be safe and we would like bully our mom into wearing a seatbelt regularly. And now it's just second nature. And just that, that shift of the young people really influencing adult because like you said, it can be. More of a learning curve for us. But if we like say no to a little kid teacher, like, Right. like, just like hearing those lessons and learning from them is super important. And I just, I love that. Yeah. And it, it takes a generation, like your mom's generation didn't do it, but then yours did, and you and your sister, and you inspire that and like that's what it's gonna take, you know, to keep this environmentalism going and this conservationist idea. Is the younger people teaching the elders and then also teaching them their kids, and if they become educators, it going. Yes, it's all and I think I was reading. One of my favorite books I've read so far this year is called The Service Berry by Robin Wall Kimmermer who did Braiding Sweet Grass, and she talks about the economics of nature and like the reciprocal nature, but also just like really thinking about that, the indigenous principles of thinking about. Seven generations before us and seven generations in the future. And, I, I thought that was just so cool to, to connect to economics and, and alternative to capitalism and, I just also love Robin Wall Kimmermer so, so, yeah, I'm super, that was like one of, wait, what'd you say? Oh, the Serviceberry okay. Serviceberry I don't know that one. I'm so excited to read that now. Thank Yes. I think it just came out like in the last year Okay. and it's like a really short read. It's like less than 200 pages. Okay. So yeah, it's, it's a good one. But speaking of books, what have you been reading lately? I'm reading one that my mom recommended called West with Giraffes. Have you heard of this one? It is so good. It is, a story, it's a true story about these two giraffes that were coming from Africa to go to the San Diego Zoo. And they come over on a ship and there's a hurricane and a ton of people die during this. But the, the giraffes live and they're, it's about their transport west to San Diego. And San Diego has the first, this is 1938. They have the first female zoo director in the world there. And so she's trying to get them there. And it's just this, I can't put it down like I keep staying up too late 'cause I'm like so fascinated about what's gonna happen.'cause there's all these misadventures and in the thirties there was only two highways crossing the US And Yeah, it, it's just so, so many layers of interesting things about American history and it's right during the Great Depression and just how people are surviving. And these giraffes are just like going through these small towns all through, like the south and east, and everyone's amazed and it's, it's fascinating. So I highly recommend it. It was like, I think in my mom's book club and she, she recommended it was like, you're gonna love it. So that is what I'm reading right now. Oh my gosh, that's so funny'cause me and my sister, she was watching a TikTok one day. While we were on the phone and she was like, wait, they, I'm watching this video of this giraffe try to drink from a pond, but it can't reach. And so we were like, wait, but how do giraffes drink water? And then she found this picture of them spreading their legs and like trying to drink water for those who didn't know how giraffes drink water. Until I was like, what? Yesterday years old when I. They're fascinating. Yeah. And they eat in Africa, they eat acacia trees, which have these huge thorns. They love this tree. They have like tiny leaves and these huge thorns, so they have to wrap their tongues around and pick off, and it's like the most complicated. They could eat anything and they choose like the most complicated tree to eat from. I love how giraffes like make their lives more complicated than it has to be. And I guess their bones are very brittle. That's one of the things, like they're transporting this added truck and one of the drafts had a leg injury and like, I didn't realize that their bones like, can break very easily. So they, they don't survive very well. So that's why this, this book is like keeping them alive for this journey. And they'd be sturdy, but they're just really not. They're very delicate in their hearts. Also have to work so hard that they only live to be about 25 years old, I guess. So. I'm learning a Oh. like, again, nature, like connecting to this amazing creature in nature that everyone's amazed of. By, I can imagine the people in the book just. And then they have to go through the mountains. Oh my God. And giraffes weigh two tons and they're on like, you know, going through these passes that are zigzagging back and forth, and they have to make sure they're weighted the right way and they almost fall over the cliff. And it's just, yeah. Very exciting. Oh my gosh. Well, thought giraffes would be, I, I love it though. And then my last question for you is, what advice would you offer listeners who wanna make a positive impact in their communities? So I think you should find something that you're passionate about. I think that's like the key. Find something that you're passionate about, that you wanna focus on in your community. And it can be small, like again, composting or. Doing a recycling program or planting trees, earth Day's about to come up. I, I don't know when this will air, but like Earth Day is coming up soon. Usually my daughter and I, we do like a cleanup in the neighborhood we're living in or, and we get the neighborhood kids and we just try to connect, be outside and to nature. But I think finding something that you are really passionate about will come out to others. And then you feel really positive you're helping your community in some way. I think that's very impactful. I love the advice. I always love the advice about starting small. Because it's more sustainable for us to implement intentionality and small changes, and then we can add more as we go. So I love that so much. Thank you so much, Kyla, for this amazing conversation. Where can people find you and your work and keep up with all of things you're doing? All things nature School. So I've actually combined my, websites 'cause I, I'm doing more yoga and doula work. Currently. I'm a postpartum doula 'cause I love supporting families and little ones. And, again, part of like my work with families in nature and getting kids outside. But, my, my website is Yoga mama, MKE. So YOGA. M-A-M-A-M-K-E for milwaukee.com. and they can find me there if they want a postpartum doula. I'm also working with birth ways inc.com. I know that's not necessarily related to the books, but my books are on my, my Yoga Mama website. And you can order 'em on Barnes and Noble. Amazon, I love Nature School is the title of the book, and it's in Barnes and Noble. yeah, Amazon, you can order online. Most so Yeah, or if you want one signed, you can contact me too. I dunno if you wanna put my email out there or something. Yes. Contact through the website. Yes. Yeah, they can contact me through website. Okay. I can do Okay, cool. Yes. Well, thank you so much again, Kyla. I'll link all of the websites and where to get your book in the show notes. And thank you listeners for being part of the conversation and thank you for. Oh, suggesting any stories that you may have. If you want to connect, you can find us on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok at Liberationist Lit, or you can visit our website, lib Liberation is lit.com. If you enjoy this episode, please consider leaving our review. And remember, your voice matters and through the lens of stories, we're gonna make a difference in the world. Until next time.