Put on Your Sensory Goggles with Rachel Harrington and Jessica Hill Artwork

Raising Wildlings

Welcome to Raising Wildlings, a podcast about parenting, alternative education and stepping into the wilderness, however that looks, with your family. Each week, we’ll be interviewing experts that truly inspire us, to answer your parenting and education questions. We’ll also be sharing stories from some incredible families that took the leap, and are taking the road less travelled. Whether you’re a parent looking for tips on how to better handle those sibling squabbles and tantrums, a couple searching for ways to create more freedom within your family’s lifestyle, an educator keen to explore alternative schooling models and how children learn, a father keen to delve into respectful parenting philosophies, or a mother wanting to learn more about why play is so important and how to get children outdoors safely, then this is the podcast for you. Each week you’ll get tried and tested tactics from parenting, play and education experts to help you on your journey towards creating the happiest, healthiest lifestyle you can for your family. We’ll also chat to real life families who have created freedom within their lives and are living life on their own terms. They’ll teach you how they did it and how you can too. And of course, you’ll hear from us about all things nature play and alternative education. We’ll answer all your questions on how children learn, the importance of play in all its forms, children’s rights and autonomy, and how to get your children outside safely, more often. This podcast hopes to empower parents and educators to raise kinder, more resilient, more adaptable children by helping them maintain happy connections and healthy lifestyles. So, what are you waiting for?! Let's dive in! Hit subscribe now to be notified when new episodes go live. To download our free Respectful Language Printable Cheat Sheet, head to: www.wildlingsforestschool.com/shop/respectful-language

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Raising Wildlings

Put on Your Sensory Goggles with Rachel Harrington and Jessica Hill

August 07, 2023 • Vicci Oliver and Nicki Farrell

0:00 | 32:26

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At forest school, we often talk about how nature play is so important for our sensory development, but did you know that many of the developmental and behavioural challenges we see in children stem from our nervous system? In today's episode we scratch the surface of sensory integration, sensory processing and retained reflexes with Occupational Therapists, Rachel Harrington and Jessica Hill.

👉 Rachel and Jess share

About primitive reflexes
About retaining reflexes
What we can do at home to help this
Why we need sensory integration and the integration of primitive reflexes
The kinds of things would you notice in your child if they had retained primitive reflexes
The retained reflexes that are seen commonly in a classroom
About sensory processing disorders
Exercises, Strategies, and Tips to Help with SPD
Some of the myths around sensory processing
About diagnosis and how to identify them
How nature helps in integrating the senses
About sensory diets
That parents may notice their own bodies, behaviours or patterns and find out that they too have a sensory processing disorder
About working with families that have children with opposing sensory processing disorders

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👉 Guest Details

Rachel Harrington, COTA/L, AC, CPRCS and Jessica Hill, COTA/L, CPRCS are passionate Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants and Certified Primitive Reflex Clinic Specialists who host of the popular podcast, All Things Sensory by Harkla. Their podcast, digital courses, YouTube, and blog on Harkla.co covers topics related to sensory processing disorder, special needs, parenting, and topics related to child development and health.
With over 9 years of clinical experience, Rachel and Jessica are on a mission to help parents, educators, and therapists raise strong and confident children, no matter their abilities. They get excited about taking clinical topics (such as Sensory Processing Disorder, primitive reflexes, and sensory diets) and helping us to reframe the way that we see children, how we can help them get their needs met and spreading the word about the importance of sensory integration.

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Welcome back to Raising Wildlings — where we explore raising brave, resilient, curious kids who feel at home outdoors.

If you're an educator ready to bring more nature play and child-led learning into your Early Years program, our Bush Kindy Professional Development Workshops are for you. You'll walk away with practical tools, risk-benefit strategies, and the confidence to take learning outside in a way that's safe, meaningful, and genuinely exciting for

You know this podcast is just a small part of what we do at Wildlings Forest School. So if you want to find out more about our range of programs for children, our professional development workshops for educators, our free downloadables, blogs or our online store, just head to wildlingsforestschool.com. It's all there waiting for you. Come and join the village.