1KHO 427: There is So Little Time For Kids to Be Kids | Libbie Palmer, TimberNook Chiddingfold

The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast

Ginny Yurich

Parenting, Kids & Family

4.9 • 1.8K Ratings

🗓️ 7 February 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this inspiring episode, Ginny Yurich welcomes Libbie Palmer, the passionate founder of TimberNook Chiddingfold, to discuss the urgent need for unstructured, outdoor play in childhood. As a mother of six living on a farm in the UK, Libbie shares how she watched childhood shift over the past two decades—from one filled with free play and adventure to one increasingly dominated by schedules and structured activities. She reveals how her journey into home education and launching a TimberNook program transformed not just her children’s lives but the lives of countless others. Together, they dive into the power of mixed-age play, the importance of resisting societal pressure to over-schedule, and how giving children time and space to explore builds confidence, creativity, and resilience. Libbie also shares how stepping into the unknown and launching TimberNook has been a deeply rewarding experience, allowing her to work alongside her children while fostering a much-needed cultural shift in her community. Through captivating stories of kids engineering pulley systems, braving the elements, and discovering the joys of true, self-directed play, she paints a hopeful picture of what childhood should look like. Whether you're a parent questioning the fast pace of modern life or someone considering launching your own outdoor play initiative, this episode is a powerful call to action—reminding us all that childhood is fleeting, and protecting play is one of the greatest gifts we can offer the next generation. ** Learn more about Libbie's TimberNook in Chiddingfold here Follow Libbie on Social Media @timbernookchiddingfold ** Download your free 1000 Hours Outside tracker here >> https://www.1000hoursoutside.com/trackers Find everything you need to kick off your 1000 Hours Outside Journey here >> https://www.1000hoursoutside.com/blog/allthethings Order of copy of Ginny's newest book, Until the Streetlights Come On here >> https://amzn.to/3RXjBlN Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode is brought to you by Sun Express Airlines.
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0:13.0	Soak up the sun in Antalya or explore Izmir's vibrant streets.
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0:22.5	flights won't last long. So book now, tan later at sunexpress.com. Welcome to the 1000
0:31.2	Hours Outside. My name is Ginny Urich. I'm the founder of 1000 Hours Outside. And I have such a special,
0:37.4	special guest today.
0:38.4	We've met in person. We've spent time together. I adore her and I know you're going to love her too.
0:43.9	Libby Palmer, welcome. Thank you so much, Ginny. It's an absolute privilege to be here.
0:50.2	Oh, I'm so excited about this. You run a Timbernock program in the UK, and we met at the Timbernook
0:56.6	conference with Angela Hanscom. I think that's what she calls it as a conference. And all of the
1:01.3	providers come in from around the world. And it was such a delight to meet you there and to learn more
1:07.2	about what you're doing with Timberook in the UK UK, but also what's it like to be a kid
1:11.8	in the area that you live? And this whole thing is that kids, they all sort of need the same
1:17.4	stuff to grow up. They need time and space to play and they self-educate and all of these things,
1:23.3	no matter where you live, are so important to when you're a child. So it was really interesting to me, Libby, to hear you talk about, I guess, the culture of
1:30.9	childhood in your area.
1:32.7	So let's just kick it off by talking about you.
1:34.6	You're a mom with six kids, a mom.
1:37.2	That's what you would say.
1:38.4	A mom with six, six kids, and you live on a farm.
	...

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