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Josh Urich
Hey, everybody. Josh Urich here. Yep, not the voice you're used to hearing, but I'm Jenny's husband and I had to jump on today because something big is happening and I'm genuinely excited about it. We've teamed up with the Wild Brothers to launch a brand new resource called off the Couch Into Creation, an eight week outdoor adventure curriculum that's designed to get your kids off screens and into God's world. This is the kind of thing I wish we had when our older kids were younger. Simple, engaging, Christ centered, and built to help families reclaim wonder right from their very own backyard. Whether you're a homeschool family or just looking to bring more purpose to your outdoor time, this curriculum is packed with discovery, journaling and devotional elements that will spark curiosity and deepen faith. It launches today, July 8, at a special price of just $99. So stay tuned and listen in as Jenny chats with the wow Brothers all about it and exactly how to get your hands on it because we really believe this one is going to make a difference. Head on over to 1000hoursoutside.com offthecouch to learn more about the Weill brothers, watch a special video and even download a free sample. Remember, the launch price is only good this first week, so go get yours.
Ginny Urich
Today, the Abercrombie Kids summer sale is in full swing with up to 50% off select styles for the season. Summer plans, vacation and camp days are all covered with new dresses, shorts, tees and swim. Abercrombie Kids has the summer staples they need and the looks that they want to wear. Shop in store, online or in the app offer applies to select styles as indicated. Discount applied at checkout online. Welcome to the 1000 Hours Outside podcast. My name is Ginny Urich. I'm the founder of 1000 Hours Outside and I have a treat for you today because two of the four Wild Brothers are here. Welcome.
Morgan Wild
Oh hey Jenny. Thanks so much for having us.
Hudson Wild
We are thrilled to be here.
Ginny Urich
So we've got Hudson and Morgan here with us and this is a really cool story because we were huge, huge fans long before we ever met you, ever connected. Now we have a curriculum, a co curriculum that's coming out. It's fantastic. It's going to be out right around the time this podcast goes live so people can check that out. This is curriculum that is driving kids outside into creation to learn all sorts of things. But your story is really unique because you grew up as missionary kids and really off the beaten path type missionary kids and yet you did have access to technology tools. You're creating all these videos. I mean, this is how our story intersected yours. Can you take us back? I mean, this has been, when you started these videos has been about a decade.
Morgan Wild
It has been probably a little bit more. Yeah, yeah, well, yeah, well, if we go, if we want to go back to the very beginning. My folks actually were the ones that started kind of our video path. And they were getting so many questions from our local church, asking what it was like being missionaries deep in the jungles of Indonesia. And my parents were great about writing newsletters. But for one summer vbs, our church was like, hey, it would be really fun to have a visual. Like you have little, little boys growing up in the jungle. What is their day to day life like? Could you make us a video? My parents were like, that's a great idea. And so they were able to find a camera, a decent camera, and kind of just documented our lives and what it looked like to live in the jungles and actually created kind of like a curriculum out of it, a video resource curriculum, as like an elective, kind of the ins and outs of missions. And it was called Growing Up Wild. And when they published it and launched it here in the US My brothers and I were really inspired by how it impacted so many lives. Families were getting excited about missions work and getting excited about outdoor adventure. So it wasn't until kind of our teen years that we then kind of took up the mantle and started creating our own video resources. Morgan was the one leading the charge, but we started getting into reality TV and just kind of documenting our lives and wanted to really showcase that following Christ is the ultimate adventure. And it was always a part time job hobby.
Hudson Wild
Well, like you said, we grew up in such remote places that we didn't have access to the typical technology that a lot of our peers do like here in the West. And so growing up, you know, we homeschooled, we spent a lot of time outside, but we had to be creative on the side as well. And so kind of taking our lives and documenting that, you know, with a camera was just one creative outlet that our parents really encouraged us in. And in retrospect, we're really grateful for that because it was every. Kids have different opportunities in every corner of creation that you're, that you're in. And that was just one way that we were able to be creative and turn that into a kind of a, in the early days as a hobby, but then it turned into a business for us.
Ginny Urich
So yeah, it's a Career. You're supporting families now, people. Some have gotten married and some have kids. So tell us about what season of life you're in now.
Hudson Wild
Yeah. So for the last five years, we've been in the States full time, and it's been the longest stretch of being stateside that we've ever been in our whole lives, really. So we grew up about 16 years in Southeast Asia, but. Right. And as right before COVID hit, so 2020, we moved back here, and we were all bachelors at the time, and so we were able to basically set up home base here in the States. We live in the panhandle of Florida, and we were able to renovate a townhouse that my grandpa owned right on the bayou. And the four of us just lived the bachelor life for a couple years until we started getting married off. So I got married. I'm the oldest, got married first. My wife, Alyssa, and then about a year and a half later or so, Hudson got married just recently. Brother number three has gotten married, and Asher, the youngest, is still. Still a bachelor. So. So, yeah, so things have definitely changed since then. I have two kids under three, and Hudson has one son and one baby.
Morgan Wild
Gotten away number two.
Hudson Wild
Yes, things have changed quite quickly, but it's been. It's been a fun adventure to grow our families here and kind of plant roots. We have a great community, great local church, and it's been great to just be become involved in life here in the States. We're still intricately connected back to our lives overseas as well. There's a big part of our heart that's left behind there.
Ginny Urich
Talk to us then, about your path of parenting. This is a really unique situation where you were raised in a different environment, very different. And now you are here in the States and you talked about, like, one of the things that you talked about that I thought was so interesting is you come back and you've had this very different childhood experience than the majority of the people who are around you. You talk about, like, they've been raised on sports and screens and social media, and you didn't have those things. Talk about parenting now in this culture that is very much enmeshed with those things, sports and screens and social media, and you've got young kids, and there's a little bit of a protective measure. If you're out in the jungle and there are no screens or there is no social pressure for those types of things, how are you going to raise your kids?
Hudson Wild
Wow, that's a great question. It's something that we've. I'VE talked with my wife about a lot because it was actually interesting. She actually was raised very similar to me. She actually grew up in the same country, and her parents were missionaries. And so a lot of the same interesting dynamics of my childhood, she also had. So we shared that we have that common experience. But, yeah, like you said, we lived off grid. We had no access to a lot of the common technology that's in the hands of kids, you know, as early as, like, two and three these days. And so it is. It is pretty. It's an amazing culture shock coming back and just seeing, in a sense, how in bondage, you know, children are to screens and stuff at an early age. And it's been interesting because every culture, one thing that we've seen growing up in different. A lot of different cultures, speaking different languages, and you see how you just learn to adapt in every culture and every society that you're in. And without experiencing multiple cultures, you really don't know the culture that you're living in. Like, you don't know the difference.
Ginny Urich
Yeah. I just talked to this woman, Linda McGurk, and she grew up in Sweden, and she said, in that culture, everybody goes outside every day. And then she moved here, and she was raising her kids here, and she thought that was a universal parenting approach. That's the phrase she used, a universal approach. And she was like, oh, like, everyone's like, why are you outside? Did your car break down? Do you need help? She's like, no, we're just. I mean, this is like, what you do. Right. So that is an interesting thing. And I have not experienced that. You don't really have an understanding that people do things differently.
Hudson Wild
Yeah. So if you don't have that cultural contrast, then it's. It's hard to know what you're missing or what you're not. And there's pros and cons to every different culture. But what we've seen is it's so easy to just become kind of become like a chameleon everywhere you go. So we grew up in the jungle. We grew up off grid. We totally embrace the whole, like, you know, nature upbringing here in the. In the States. It's easy, though, to go the other extreme and just embrace the opposite. And so we've had to have those conversations as. As parents of young. Of. Of young kids. And thankfully, we live in a. A beautiful area, and there's a lot of opportunities to, you know, take walks and spend time in the bayou. Lots of kayaking and paddle boarding and all that kind of stuff.
Ginny Urich
But with alligators.
Hudson Wild
There are alligators, actually.
Ginny Urich
There's.
Hudson Wild
There's pretty. Pretty common. But they're. They're more scared of you than. Than we are of them. It's hard to get close to them. But I think. I think we do want to. We do want to, you know, become a part of the culture here, but also embrace being different and, you know, be a little bit countercultural. You know, swim upstream and not just fall to the default settings that a lot of young parents around us are. Um, and so that takes discipline. It takes being different, maybe being a little weird sometimes. You know, That's. That's all part of it.
Morgan Wild
Well, for Olivia and I, you know, as. As new parents now expecting our second, you know, you want what's best for your kid, and you want to. You want to raise them up with safety measures and precautions. And for us, we've just been concerned more of the harmful aspects of technology. And I want my little guy to grow up with a big imagination. And I kind of see the benefits of my childhood without the distraction at screens. My go to was the backyard and just played for countless hours outside and found fun things to do with sticks and rocks and, you know, playing the dirt and. And it really helped my imagination grow and it helped me enjoy things like writing and describing things. And I just don't want my little guy, Tanner, to kind of lose that imagination or that creativity. I think there's so many productive elements to being outside. So it's not so much that we want to deprive them from something good, but we just really want to limit his screen time because there's are so many screens. And so we've just kind of made it a house rule. Not that it's the standard. There's. There's movie nights every once in a while, but we try not to introduce him to screens because there are so many things, his books, his toys that can entertain him instead.
Hudson Wild
So I think it was. I don't know what episode of your podcast it was, but it was a number, as a number of them back. But there's something that had to do with. Along the lines of, like, it's okay for your kids to be bored. I'm butchering the title or whatever, but the whole idea that, like, there's over.
Morgan Wild
500 episodes, there's a lot of them.
Hudson Wild
But what was one of them? The whole it's okay for your kid to be bored, like, that's not a sin. There's nothing wrong with that because boredom leads to the creative process, and it Leads to learning. And like Hudson said, as little guys, you know, they're just constantly learning and absorbing. And so if you just. The only thing that you're spoon feeding them is screens, technology that's going to become their go to, you know, and they're going to be limiting themselves from the amazing world outside that God has created us to, to enjoy.
Morgan Wild
So, so yeah, kind of ironic because now our livelihood is, is creating. Okay, I do want to talk about that though.
Ginny Urich
I want to talk about that because I actually think, you know, screens are part of life. Families use them. So I also do think that families are looking for content that's clean, content that's encouraging content that their kids connect with, content that they can trust and also content that's not super interactive. Actually what everybody says is passive screen time. Like watching a movie or like watching a cartoon. That pastime screen time, it can enhance your imagination too. Not for really little kids, but you know, for, for older kids. It can inspire them. Right? Like our kids watched Bear Grylls and he is my, I'm like, if I could ever get someone on my podcast, that is my ultimate goal. He's already said no. His people have said no. We can't even get in contact with him. But you know, but our kids played that. They played, they called it Bear Girls.
Hudson Wild
Nice.
Ginny Urich
As I got a daughter, you know, and so it inspired them. And so you. I don't necessarily think it's ironic I, that there is a place for good screen, especially coming together as a family. Like that's what we did for our family. Your show was a part of our homeschool and we were learning about other cultures and seeing you with the big sheet of the moths and all the moths are coming and you know, so we have. And you're out in the jungle and you're finding these bugs. And that inspired our kids to be imaginative to get out into creation and also to use what they can to share stories. I mean, I think that's also inspiring too. You used to the technology that's there to share your story. So can we tell people then? Okay, do you even know how many things that you like? If you go on the WildBrothers TV, there's monthly live streams, there's wild home, there's off the couch challenges. I mean, can you even list them all? There's so many. You have expanded so incredibly.
Hudson Wild
Yeah, so, so that's, that's a great, that's a great, a great point. And we agree, we think that like a lot of things, you know, like we refer to our phones as the urban machete. And the reason being is that if you start to see technology as that, as a tool rather than a toy, then it can be actually used to build up your family, to actually strengthen your kids. Where we grew up in the jungle, the machete was like the go to tool for everything. So whether if you're clearing a path, you're hacking a little trail, you're making a snare, you're preparing firewood, whatever. I mean, the machete was it. But when we moved back to America, it was like, you don't just walk around the street with your machete. Like, that's not, that's not okay. People are gonna freak out, think you're like a psychopath. You know, it's not the tool that you'd go to your phone is though. So your phone becomes urban machete. You use it to, you know, Google Maps to find directions, you can buy food on it. You can, I mean, do everything under the sun, check the weather, right? It's the urban machete. But just like a machete is sharp in the hands of somebody who doesn't know how to wield it, it can really cut you, really can mess you up. So the same thing as technology with your device, right? If you don't know how to use it, if you're irresponsible, it can really hurt you. And so I think that's the same principle with videos and for us running a streaming platform, WildBrothers TV, we want that to be a platform and a place that inspires, that educates, but it doesn't become a all consuming habit. And so trying to find that balance is absolutely important. We have to live in the real world. We can't live under a rock. We have to embrace what's around us, but learn how to leverage that in the strengths that it provides.
Morgan Wild
Well, and just as you were mentioning, your kids were inspired by Beer Gryll. Growing up, we weren't totally divorced from screens. We did have movie times and we loved watching documentaries and watch people like big girls. We were also a fan and that inspired us to adventure and get out. And so in the same light of that, you know, we've all of our videos have that backdrop of watching. But then, hey, we don't just want to entertain, we want to inspire. And then we want to also move our audience to action. You can have adventure too. You can get out there. These are some of the cool things you might find in your corner of creation. So as you're mentioning on Wild Brothers tv, we have all these different categories. We started kind of building out our genres to tap into that as four Brothers. A lot of our stuff is outdoor adventure and we didn't want to have the girls left out. So as we started marrying and all of a sudden there is now wild women as a part of our family, the wives wanted to have their own show. And so Wild Home is something where it's all about just sharing stories and lifestyles and how to raise a wild home. And. And so we're definitely diversifying our genres to kind of meet everyone where they're at.
Ginny Urich
It's good. And I am encouraged because it started as a small seed where the church back home was like, you know what, it would be really helpful if we could see a little bit of what's going on with these four boys in the jungle and how you could never have known that this is what it's going to turn into and it's supporting your family. Let's talk summer essentials. And I mean true essentials. Because if you're spending any time outside, and I know you are, bugs are.
Unknown
Part of the deal.
Ginny Urich
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Unknown
Hey friends, it's Ginny Yurch from 1000 Hours Outside. As parents, we know that childhood moves fast and we don't get these years back. That's why we work so hard to reclaim time for our kids to play, to connect, and to grow in the ways that really matter. But even as we aim for 1000 hours outside, there are still moments where you need to slow down, take a break, or bring everyone back together. And that's where Brave Books comes in. Brave is a Christian children's entertainment company that helps families build character and imagination. When you subscribe to their Book of the Month club, you get a brand new book every month that teaches things like kindness, honesty, and so much more. Plus games, activities and conversation guides that help your family connect in meaningful ways. And for those moments when screen time makes sense, Brave plus is their brand new streaming platform. They make sure that everything gets vetted to ensure that their entire platform is good for your child's character and their brain. It's entertainment you don't have to secondary guests. So whether you're climbing trees, reading stories, or just need a quiet moment, Brave Books gives you tools that support your family's rhythm of connection over consumption.
Ginny Urich
Right now you can get 20% off your first purchase at bravebooks.com 1000hours with the code 1000hours. That's 20% off with code 1000hours@bravebooks.com 1000hours.
Unknown
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Ginny Urich
I'm reading this book right now called Durable Trades and it's about family economies. And it's really interesting. Like this is how the world used to be that the fan that there was these family economies in that people took their strengths and brought them to the table. And that's, you know, you see that with the four of you, it's like, well, someone specializing in editing and someone's good on the camera and someone's really good. You know, there's the main person that's going to probably be talking. Can you talk about how that sort of has sorted its way out?
Morgan Wild
Totally, yeah. That's been a big area of growth for us.
Hudson Wild
Yeah, I think, I think it definitely helps growing up in a collectivist society. So here in the west, we tend to be hyper individualistic. Especially in the last like, you know, 50, I don't know, 150 years. It's like things have changed so much. We used to function largely as family units and there's a family business and you weren't forced to continue in that trade or that role, that job. But the expectation was you, you're going to carry on the family's, you know, family's livelihood and you're going to kind of stick with the family. And that's where you find your identity and your core. But in recent years, it's like we're hyper individualistic in the west, so everybody does their own thing. There's that expectation. By the time you turn 18, we're giving you the boot. You know, you go do your own thing, start your own life. And you know, there's strengths to that, there's, there's weaknesses and being a collective society, but that was the kind of world that we grew up in where the family unit was core. Like in Indonesia, you know, people's people's houses just grow taller. Like you have mom and dad and then it's like their kids get married and they're living on top. And you know, the family business just grows like that. In the jungle where we grew up, you know, the family was everything. They couldn't survive without each other. And so I think that definitely shaped our kind of business culture and our ministry culture. But when we moved back five years ago, we realized pretty soon, like, we never anticipated, you know, this being our full time job, but we realized pretty quickly, like, wow, America's expensive. You got to pay the bills so we can go, you know, work for, you know, local business around here. Or we can kind of band together and create something on our own. And at the time, especially before we were married, we had nothing to lose is like, that sounded way more appealing and way more like a fun adventure. Like, yeah, let's start our own business and let's take this to the next level. And obviously, you know, as being, you know, with what you and your husband are doing. But it's also very risky and very hard to be your own entrepreneurs and writing your own books, creating your own materials. I mean, it's, you have to have guts to do it, but it's also an adventure. So for us, I think living in that collectivist culture definitely contributed to our love of family and you know, using the strengths and the gifts that God's given each of us to kind of bring that to the table. But it definitely takes the four of us to get anything done.
Morgan Wild
It was one of our biggest hurdles was to specialize specialization because we were all wearing a lot of different hats, but all kind of doing the same thing as well. So trying to say, okay, we don't all three need to work on the same project. You know, yeah, you're good at this or you're going to work on finances and we need a good budget if we're going to get through this next quarter. And you were good at editing, so that's going to be your full time job. And kind of delegating work has been something that we're actually still working through. There's a lot of overlap because we're a small team, but that has gotten a lot better. And it has been fun to see that the Lord gives each person unique giftings and skill sets. And like we were saying, bring that to the table and kind of leaning into that side of things, it's been, it's been fun.
Ginny Urich
It is very inspiring. If people just pop on that Wildbrothers TV and you'll see goodness. Like this started off with one video, one VBS video. And then like I said, those videos that we watched when our kids were young, I mean, I can picture we lived in a different house and our kids were small. You know, you're trying to, you want to have like a little bit of TV time. You're tired at the end of the day and you and I just, I mean, everybody loved them. I mean, just absolutely love them. And it was such a special part for us. And then to see how it's expanded for you and now your families are expanding and it's holding that, it's holding all of those, you know, different People and now kids in the picture. It's really a wonderful thing. Which leads us into. This is fantastic. I can hardly even believe it. I can pinch myself. We have a co curriculum that is coming out. I'll put all the details in the show notes. People know where they can buy it. This is an amazing curriculum because it's eight weeks to get your your feet wet. You try it. It's not like you have to sign on the dotted line for 10 years. You know, eight weeks with the purpose of getting you out into creation. Off the couch and into creation. So can you talk? I mean, you're homeschooled. We are homeschooling family. This is a curriculum in this type of thing just doesn't really exist.
Hudson Wild
Yeah. Well, Jenny, we are really privileged and super stoked to be partnering with Thousand Hours to do this. This is something that's been in our heart for really a number of years and it hasn't materialized until just recently. So it's like this is a huge milestone for us. We're really excited.
Morgan Wild
And what better partner? We've been huge fans of A Thousand Hours.
Ginny Urich
We're huge fans of you.
Morgan Wild
First met you at the fpa. I think it was like four years ago and then we got exposed and ever since I've been tracking along. So to be partnering with you to launch this curriculum is like a dream come true. It's super exciting. But like Morgan was saying, this has been years in the making. It's kind of the off the Couch into creation curriculum is taking all of our years of love of adventuring and getting outside and making discoveries and it's kind of culminated to a video resource off the Couch into Creation. An award winning children's program or reality TV show. And now there's a curriculum component to really get kids outside and kind of replicate for them how to do adventure. But Morgan, hear a little bit.
Hudson Wild
Yeah, so. So the subhan is eight weeks of adventure. And really our. The goal behind the curriculum and the heart of it is to. To expose families to the wonders and adventures that are literally right out in their backyard. So like backyard for a lot of people whether and you know, all of your listeners, you know they're they're working on getting their a thousand hours every, every year. But sometimes the backyard after a while can become old hat. And what we want to show is that there's actually so much more out there that you just have to look in a new light. There's so much more that meets the eye and really trying to give people a practical like what we call adventure template that you can utilize that really just elevates your outdoor adventuring. And for us, the off the couch integration kind of journey was pretty, pretty raw and pretty, like, personal to us. Because when we did move back to America about five years ago, we thought that, you know, our days of adventuring were like, all done.
Morgan Wild
Or like, to give your listeners some context, we lived on a very remote mountain only accessible via helicopter, and then many years later, became accessible via small bush aircraft. But basically, you know, hours and hours, miles and miles of just like virgin jungle was our backyard. So we grew up collecting a lot of insects. To science, we love tracking down cryptic creatures. We love tracking where literally no person has ever been before, as far as we know. The tribal people that we grew up with, our dear friends and family, the Wano people, they're a relatively small tribe, but their territory is huge. And besides their hunting trails that kind of connect the different villages, sometimes three weeks apart from each other, you know, hiking through the mountains, you really don't want to veer off the trail because getting lost in the middle of nowhere is very dangerous. So that was kind of our childhood. We loved exploring, going to new places. So like you were saying, when we moved back to the States, it was quite the transition.
Hudson Wild
It was. And for us, it was kind of like, this is the end. This is the end of the road. You know, we had this awesome upbringing that we were privileged to experience. But now we're back in modern America. It's civilized. Every rock, every stone, every tree has been explored. You know, there's been scientists here for 200 years. It's kind of like, that was really cool, what a privileged experience, that. But now we have to get back to the real world, you know, and we found ourselves spending a lot of time on the couch. Probably like a lot of your listeners, you know, it's just. It's just what we do. You know, at the end of the day, you're sitting on the couch or watching tv, whatever, and it's like we just. We had this question, like, is adventure really possible here? And so one day we just decided to kind of change that and challenge ourselves to get off our couches into creation and try to see if adventure is still possible. And lo and behold, it's like, yeah, it is. There's all sorts of discoveries, there's all sorts of mysteries, there's all sorts of things you had no idea existed that that's right out in your corner of creation. And so that kind of sent us on this, on this journey of. Yeah. Starting on our backyard. And it took us. Yeah, it scaled. It took us to different states. And we've just seen that there is definitely a misconception that in order to have adventure, in order to go on some epic quest, you have to be on the far side of the world. Indiana Jones stuff. It's like, no, there's actually so much that's right out the door that you just don't even realize exists because you've been programmed to think that, again, everything's been explored. There's nothing in your little suburban town.
Morgan Wild
Well, that was our misconception.
Hudson Wild
That was our misconception.
Morgan Wild
We realized that discovery really just takes finding something new to you. You. And so that's what we really hope to inspire people with the curriculum is creating a very easy, replicable template for just getting in the backyard, but then finding something new to you that you didn't realize existed. And it could be, you know, a new type of animal. It could be tracking down a story that you've never heard before. You know, the off the couch curriculum is unique in that each adventure is very different from the. From the previous. So it's not just wildlife, It's. Yeah. Learning about endangered species in your local area.
Ginny Urich
Yeah.
Hudson Wild
Tracking down the history of the first nations, people, you know, who once resided in your area, what were the, you know, what were the North American tribes like, the cryptic creatures, all sorts of stuff. So every one of these adventures is basically documented in the show off, the caption of creation. And that's super fun. It's a great entry point to get your kids kind of like, caught up in the spirit adventure as you. As they watch us go out literally for the first time and explore all these things in our homeland as. As newbies, as like, new people to America. But then there's also the curriculum component to the curriculum, which is like the PDF, the book. And in that there's all sorts of fun facts. There's always kind of affirming. I would just say it kind of breaks down the videos, but makes it more tangible for your families. And then something really cool as well. As part of the curriculum are these challenge videos. So a lot of the off the couch episodes, they're kind of epic. It's like we're out there with aggregations of manatees, or we're tracking down the red wolf, which is like the most. It's the rarest canine in the world, we found out, which is right in our backyard. Like, who knew?
Morgan Wild
Yeah.
Hudson Wild
Like, we had no idea. Or tracking down the History of the first nations people, you know, finding Indian mounds and pottery. You know, like, a lot of these things might feel like, okay, even though you're doing that in America, like, we can't, we couldn't do that on a weekend. And so we also have included in the curriculum these challenge videos. And what's really fun about these is that they're short, they're only like about five minutes, but they basically take the principles of each episode and make that like, bite sized and realistic for you and your family.
Morgan Wild
Like a micro adventure.
Hudson Wild
Micro adventure. And it breaks down what we call the three Ds of adventure, which is discover, document and devotion. And pretty soon, if you get the curriculum, if you start, you'll see that that's kind of like the skeleton or the framework that we basically build our adventures on. You can kind of explain more about that.
Morgan Wild
Yeah, well, just like I said previously, it's kind of like the culmination of all of our adventuring. We've kind of nailed down the tried and true method. And so now we're bringing this to everyone through a curriculum format and just makes it super easy and accessible and makes it easier for moms during, like the homeschool week to get outside and not have to really be creative about how to make it exciting. The curriculum is just an easy step by step kind of follow along. And by that the kids get a great experience and really make discard reasons. It just, it reignites that spirit of adventure of, oh, wow, I've been out, you know, in our backyard 100 times, but I didn't know what I was missing. Like, this was right under my nose the whole time. So we're super excited about launching it and thrilled to be excited with a thousand hours. You guys are all about getting outside.
Ginny Urich
So great, because it really does pair so well. You know, I'm going to hold up a couple pages here and then we'll talk about some more specifics. But this part of like, okay, kids watch stuff, so if the things that they watch, it doesn't have to be the mom saying, go outside. It's like, here's these guys out exploring their area. So it's just that it's like an innate inspiration for you to go find your things. I found last, I think it was last year we were in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so, like at the very opposite end of the country as you. And we were just hiking in this random spot. It wasn't anything unique. It was like a really trafficked spot, you know, where people were hiking and you could go up these steps to this pinnacle spot. And actually, I didn't go. I was like, I think I had my youngest. And I was like, I'm not. I'm not doing it. We're gonna wait at the bottom. But while we were waiting, we found these things called ghost pipes, which I never heard of. I don't even totally. Nobody even totally knows what they are. It like looks like a flower, but it's not a flower. And it's white and clear and it looks like something you would see in a horror movie. And it only blooms for one day. And it's the only first and only time I'd ever seen them. It's there for a day and then it's gone. And it's called a ghost pipe. And I mean, that is the thing. Like, there are always things out there and that's how God made it. With the changing of the seasons, things are always changing. You don't know, are you going to see a bunny, are you going to see an alligator, Are you going to see an egret? Or whatever? You just don't know. And it helps with that novel part of your brain that wants novel things. So I love it. It doesn't have to be the mom that's nagging the 11 year old to get off their screen and go outside to. This is gonna be like part of the school year. And then you can take those principles after the eight weeks are done and you can really continue to incorporate, Discover document devotion. You talk about you don't have to be on the far side of the world to have an adventure, which is such a powerful message coming from you. Such a powerful message. So let's talk about a couple of these. So there's eight weeks. We'll talk about just a few of the weeks. And then there's badges. You know, you cut out your badge, earn your badge. These are great things. But even just starting with backyard, the Backyard Explorer, you're discovering your local animals, you're documenting and you're learning about different things. And it makes it really easy because you just have the QR code. So you're just gonna hit that QR code. Here's the video for this one. Here's the video for Backyard Explorer. And then, you know, here's the video for the first challenge video and also discussion questions. Like, I mean, it's really engaging.
Morgan Wild
Yeah.
Ginny Urich
But like, in a way that's like, okay, this is getting kids outside. This is getting them inspired by watching other people be out outside and explore in new ways. And Also, there's all of these ways to build relationships through discussion questions. So here's an example of a discussion question. The wild brothers and. Oh, my goodness. Is this a good question? The wild brothers found themselves. Even after this childhood in the jungle, the wild brothers found themselves sitting on the couch too much. Do you feel the same?
Morgan Wild
Yep.
Ginny Urich
And it just goes to show, like, how easy is it for even someone who came from this adventurous upbringing, not steeped in screens, and to just have that default of sitting on the couch, you know, and then it's the discussion of how. How are you going to combat that? So, anyways, let's talking about the things in the backyard. You talked about the fox that's in your backyard, you know, that's in your area. What. What was it called? The red fox.
Morgan Wild
Red wolf. The red wolf.
Ginny Urich
Oh, it was a wolf. It's a wolf.
Morgan Wild
It was a wolf.
Ginny Urich
Wolf.
Morgan Wild
Yep. Now it's red wolf in our backyard. Morgan said it's in our backyard. It kind of is. It's about two hours away.
Ginny Urich
It's in your general area.
Morgan Wild
General area. And it's on a little tiny island. We had no clue. It's a wildlife refuge, and it's free to the public. So we went to go have. See if we could experience the rarest canyon in the world on that little island. So, yeah, it was a fun, fun adventure. But like you were saying, we as homeschoolers, we had so much curriculum, and a lot of it was a little bit wordy, and a lot of it was kind of, I'm going to say, boring, because learning is fun.
Hudson Wild
Maybe a little bit intimidating. Yeah, yeah.
Morgan Wild
And so this is supposed to kind of alleviate that by the excitement and the adventure element and all the fun video resources that make it fun. So, like you're saying, you typically, there's an introduction to each lesson, kind of introduces the topic or the badge, like Backyard Explorer or Story Hunter, and there's a specific badge for each one. And so it introduces, hey, what is the challenge for this lesson? What are we going to be trying to accomplish? And then you watch the first episode or the specific episode to off the couch. And like you said, there's those discussion questions that come afterwards to kind of break down, okay, we just watched this fun video, but how does that apply to us? And you know what. What were some of the questions that the wild brothers had on their adventure? And, you know, do those apply to us? And so just a time for the kids to mingle and discuss with each other, but also with the parents, a Lot of a big part of the curriculum is just getting families together and having fun. So we want it to be interactive. And then. Yeah, then they watch the challenge video, which is. That's very short video, but shows how we replicated it in our own backyard. And then they get to go out and do it. So that's kind of the template. And then the mom has the.her.her PDF which walks her through the Discover document devotion. And each one is different each lesson. So there's going to be a different, like, challenge involved that all the discussion questions are different. The devotional is different for each lesson.
Hudson Wild
Yeah. And along the way, there's something that embedded in each one called a wild card challenge. And it's something super outrageous and fun, funny that's just thrown in there to kind of break up the adventure. So whether it's like, hey, find something sticky or, you know, play a game of wishbone or, you know, X, Y and Z, it just breaks up the adventure. And it's something that the kids will love as well. So there's been a lot of intentionality. There's different printouts for coloring sheets and journals, different little journals along the way. Journals. So it's definitely an interactive curriculum and we want it to be easy for mom but super, like, super realistic. And even this week, I'm going to be gone on a trip, actually. I actually leave tomorrow and I'm going to be gone for a week and a. So I told Alyssa, my wife, I was like, it'd be really fun this week while I'm gone. You know, you have two kids, life's crazy. But like, it'd be fun to actually take. Take the curriculum and just like, he's two and a half, a little bit young for it, but like, go out and give it a shot. Like, start with backyard exploring to see how it goes, you know, sure, he can go out and find three animals and you can talk about it, watch the challenge video then, you know. And so it's supposed to be like, exciting enough for teenagers or middle schoolers, but also practical for like, like three, four year olds. You know, family can.
Morgan Wild
Can get everyone where they're at. And like, you're mentioning the, the nature journal sheets that come along with each lesson that can look different depending on the age. So that's for the document section. You know, when you make your discovery, you have to document it so you can remember it for later and share with others. It could be as simple as drawing a picture of whatever you found. It could be writing a paragraph about the environment. How you found it, you know, it could be taking an actual photograph and then pasting it on there afterwards. So it's, it's not just like, you know, a box that you have to fit in. There's, there's definitely creativity there that meets different age ranges depending on where it's at.
Ginny Urich
And there are all sorts of different ways you can document because, and that's one of the things that you're encouraging people too is that is something that can get kids outside is when they go make their own videos or they take their own pictures, they like photography. So that can entice kids to be outside too. So all of these different ways that you can document.
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Ginny Urich
Said, Morgan, about the, you know, it's, you got a two year old, let's say you've got a family with ages 15 down to 2. Everyone can participate.
Hudson Wild
Exactly, yeah.
Ginny Urich
Which matters a lot. Everybody can participate. So in this one, if we're still talking about the backyard, you say it's time. It's time to get off the couch and into creation. You're gonna head out and start discovering you're trying, you know, and it might, for you, it might not be dolphins. I mean, for me, it's definitely not dolphins. But you might be finding birds or squirrels or butterflies or even ants. All of these different things that you could find. Maybe there's dogs, maybe there's cats, whatever that you can find. Look everywhere, look under things, look in the water. Who knows what you're going to find. And then you just have different pieces of information like vocabulary, which shows how when you're outdoors and you're doing these different adventures, you can learn so many different subjects right at the same time. So you're talking about a word called an aggregation. I actually didn't know that word.
Hudson Wild
Yeah, we didn't either until we made the mistake. Yeah. For those of you who are listening, we have every once in a while, it's very rare, but big. What we used to call pods of manatees. And they're incredible creatures. They're highly endangered. They're so cool if you ever get a chance to see or interact with one. But we called them pods of manatees for the longest time. Like a pot of dolphins. That's what we assumed.
Morgan Wild
Right.
Hudson Wild
Like, what's a big group of manatees?
Morgan Wild
They literally come in our backyard. You guys can't see, but Morgan and his wife live right here and we're on a bayou. And Olivia and I, my wife, we live right next door. I can see our house right there. And we're both facing out of the bayou. So when we say in our backyard, they literally come up every once in a while.
Hudson Wild
They feed on the Seagrass. But we called them pods and manatees for the longest time, and so we were corrected. No, they're not called pods. They're called aggregations. And so it's like, it's fun. Things like that, that you learn along the way that just make for a really interesting experience. But, yeah, we're constantly learning, too, even as, like, young adults. So definitely fun.
Ginny Urich
And then it's enticing to go if, you know, if you can travel, if you have the capacity to travel. We have actually come and seen the manatees at Blue Spring State park in Florida.
Morgan Wild
That's beautiful.
Hudson Wild
Yes.
Morgan Wild
Yeah.
Hudson Wild
Place. Yeah.
Ginny Urich
So we'll do, like, you know, it's so cold in Michigan, so we'll come down in February, and that's when they're there. January, February, they're coming up. I guess maybe that's when they have their babies and then they go back out. You guys said maybe it's a little bit. I don't actually know any of. I don't know any of the reasons, but all I know is that when you drive in, it will tell you how many manatees are in the area. And then at a certain. I don't know if maybe it used to be this way or only certain types of the year, but at some point, people were allowed to swim with them.
Morgan Wild
Oh, cool.
Ginny Urich
I don't know. Maybe that was just an old thing.
Morgan Wild
It might have been an old thing. I think you still can. Like, you're. It's not prohibited, but it is an endangered creature, so you're not allowed to touch it and your distance. But if they come up to you, then you're totally good. You know, if you're swimming, the manatees, they're very friendly. They're super friendly animals. And so oftentimes they'll come up and bump against, you know, a swimmer. And that's. That's okay. That's a great experience. But I don't think you're allowed to.
Ginny Urich
Touch them, but okay. But, you know, if these types of curriculums, like, you know, curriculum, you think of a desk often, you know, you think of a desk, and this is one that is literally getting you out into the world and could really enhance your life in a lot of ways. Like, if you had the capacity and you're like, you know what? We learned that we saw the manatees in the video. We learned about the wolf. Maybe we can go. You. Maybe if we're in the area, we can go check out that place, too. I mean, we have had a blast in Florida because we come down for fpea, the Florida Parent Education Association. And we have gone to this beach where we. It's called. We call it Shark Tooth beach, but that's not the actual name of it. And we've gone and found all these shark teeth. And then we've gone to this place called. How come? I can't think of anything. I can't think of nothing. It's got a weird name. It's near Orlando. It's called. Oh, gosh, it'll come to you. I don't know. Well, okay, I'll say this. And we've been to this place called Kelly park in Apopka that has a spring that you can ride a tube around. And it's like a natural, lazy river. And there is an otter. I mean, I've never seen a. It was like, I guess a river otter called. There's so much to learn out there. But this other place we've been to, it's got a really weird name. It's a nature center, but there's armadillos everywhere and, like, wild pigs running around. Anyway, I don't know. I think that when you have a curriculum like this, it gets you interested in getting out and actually seeing this stuff. So, anyway, that's the first one. The second week is talking about being out at night. Let's talk a little bit about the devotion part of it, because that's what we believe. We believe that getting kids outside, it helps their physical bodies, it helps their emotional health, it helps their social skills, it helps their cognition, it helps their academics, because it helps the wiring in the brain. But also, God has given us all of his principles, these spiritual principles through nature. So that's the third part of it. There's only three parts, and one of the parts is devotion. So is there anyone in particular that you would want to talk about? This ends. There's this fantastic discussion, questions, key verses at the end of each week.
Morgan Wild
Yeah, well, you know, for a lot of. For a lot of, like, curriculums or even books, sometimes there's almost like a need to add a devotional section just to kind of check a box. But we see, you know, devotion is kind of being full circle, especially on adventuring. You know, as believers, we don't just go out and marvel at the things that we find just for the sake of adventuring and being amazed. But as believers, it comes full, full circle. And, like, we got to give them credit to the one who made it, the Creator. And so at the end of each adventure, families are making a discovery. They're learning or finding something new. And so the best way to cap that off is just by thanking the one who made it. And so that we end each adventure with that devotional. And each one is kind of specific to the lesson. So you're mentioning Night Explorer. That's week two. I should know this. We. We wrote the curriculum. What is, what is the devotion?
Ginny Urich
No, I'm going to tell you. Okay, so we're going to go to week two for Night Explain Explorers. So there's a devotion at the end of each one. And so this one, the key verse is, you created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. She talked about being made in God's image, that everything God said he made was very good. So, you know, you're talking about creation, right? The day and the night and separated the light from the day and all of that. So there's a devotion that goes along with each week.
Morgan Wild
So for that one, it was really talking about the wonders of creation, how everything is amazing, but how humans are very different. We were very specially designed by God to be made in his image, you know, so we're different from all other aspects of creation and that explores about finding really fun, adventurous, creepy crawlies. So we just wanted to highlight that as amazing as the world is and all the. The mysteries that we find in it, people are kind of the pinnacle of God's Creation Week. I mean, how special that is that we're all made in his heart.
Hudson Wild
Part of the discovery in that one, it actually involves taking a UV light, so an ultraviolet light and going out at night. And what we found is it's all about like literally seeing things in a new light. And so just in the last, like several years, people have been learning that so much in nature actually glows and reflects these incredible shades and colors if you use a. If you shine ultra violet light on them.
Morgan Wild
And so which many different insects can actually.
Hudson Wild
Which many interests see? A lot of. A lot of. A lot of like, like kind of like drab millipedes. Like that looks like literally super boring and lame. Like they actually blow up and they're beautiful greens and blues when you shine ultraviolet. And the whole, the whole premise is like, there's so many mysteries and wonders that we're just now finding out about. And so, so that's part of the. As part of the. The discovery component for that. But.
Morgan Wild
Yeah, but tying different flowers and different leaves, you know, are totally. They look the same under the ultraviolet. And then you find one and it's like a brilliant.
Hudson Wild
Yeah, it's just so.
Morgan Wild
And it's like.
Hudson Wild
And it's something that you can do. You know, you can go to Walmart and buy these cheap for your kids, and you can go all armed with flashlights. And it's like the back yard that was, you know, that you can't do anything at night out there suddenly becomes this wonderland of adventure and discovery because everything looks different under a UV light. So it's a great experience for the kids. It's something that's super fun for the parents to encourage their kids in. And it's like every environment has these. These, like, mysteries, and so it's really fun. But, yeah, every. Every episode, another aspect of the curriculum that's embedded in there. It's not quite as prominent, but that is there, especially in the videos themselves, is. Is kind of this road of redemption, foundational Bible teaching that's. That's kind of wired into all of them. So it's not something we're not preachy at all. But in every episode, there's an opportunity where we're building on kind of the redemptive moments of the Bible, culminating in the sacrifice of Christ. And so, like, the first episode is all about, like, who is God and how can we can have a relationship with them. The next one is about creation. God made this world. The next one is about basically the fall of humanity in sin and how this world, so beautiful, is also broken. And so in episode three of off the Couch, it's called Every Wreck Tells a Story, and it's all about story hunting in your local area. But along the way, what you see is every Wreck tells a story. And so our world, though beautiful, it is Mars a wreck, and it also tells a story. And so there's. There's these. These elements of following kind of the redemptive themes of the big picture of the story of the Bible that's. That's wired into each episode. So that's kind of another fun thing is as you walk through the series and as you're getting off your couch going on these adventures, your kids are also, you know, learning in small moments kind of the redemptive arc of the scripture, if that interests you. And so that's just kind of another fun bonus thing that's thrown in there.
Morgan Wild
And lastly, probably something that makes our curriculum unique is that all the video resources are accessible on a mobile app. Once the curriculum is purchased, you know, you get a link, and then everything is there accessible on a mobile app and it can all be downloaded offline, which is one thing that we've found helpful. There's been several times where we've been on adventures and want to reference a video that we saw. And because we're adventuring and we don't have WI fi. WI fi, we can't access it. But that is a fun component about the app and it just makes, makes it for a seamless experience, whether you're traveling and that's part of your curriculum week is that you're going to national park and you want to accomplish the challenge in that location. You can download the video resource and be watching in the car ride as you're going to the location and then step out of the car and you're, you know, now it's time to discover or document. Right. So.
Hudson Wild
And for your viewers, that app is our, our hosting platform, Wild Brothers tv. But the cool thing about it is that all those videos are there for you in a free bundle. So all you have to do, it takes like two minutes to set up an account, but it's completely free. So there's a QR code that takes you to each video. You can find them all there and it's free, it's accessible, like Hudson said, you can download them offline and it's, it makes it super easy.
Morgan Wild
So we are leaning into the technology side of things.
Ginny Urich
But, but, you know, I know, but I, but to the, to your point, I mean, we watched these videos. We are not screen free. You know, we definitely were screen free, like in that birth tattoo. We didn't do much of that, but we did in the car. I just was talking to someone. Our kids screamed in the car. And so when our second turned 15 months, I was like, I can't take this. They're screaming. And I got at Walmart. I can't keep your sanity. Yeah. And I, you know, so I don't. What I believe firmly is that there are protective measures when your kids are out living real life that help protect their brain development. And I think as long as you're not really over indexed and that there's some limits, good limits there and that it's not super interactive and dysregulating then in terms of, you know, like some of the stuff on the iPad and it's right in your face.
Morgan Wild
Right.
Ginny Urich
There are different ways to do it. And if you're going to have some screens in your life and some families may have none, which I think is very commendable, but if you're going to have some, then you can be choosy about them and. And it can help enhance your life. And you said something really interesting, Hudson, about like, okay, if you're heading to the national park, because that's another thing about this curriculum. It's eight weeks. It doesn't have to be done in eight weeks in a row. You could actually, if you're looking ahead at your school year, heading into the fall here, and you're like, look, because one of them is about being a road ranger. So you're going to go find a new ecosystem. If, you know, this year, like, we're going to this new place, you could pick and choose and say, we're not even going to go in weeks one to eight.
Hudson Wild
Totally.
Ginny Urich
We're going to save the nighttime sky one for the winter when it gets darker early. And we're going to kind of, you know, so that we have for sure this school year eight separate weeks where we are making sure that we are focusing on creation, that we're making sure we're focusing on venture, that we're getting outside. The story one was really intriguing to me because stories. This woman, Greta Eskridge, she talks about it, even if, you know, she says her mom couldn't really adventure with them. She had some health problems. But you can adventure through stories. And so the thought of trying to find the story in that moment, because you're talking about like a shipwreck. And we've seen those. So we're not, you know, we're not that far from the upper peninsula of Michigan. There's Lake Superior, and there are so many shipwrecks in Lake Superior. And in fact, there is one that you can. That's not far off the coast of the Pictured Rocks. And so we were able to jump out of the boat and just swim and look down. And my goodness, does that get your imagination going?
Hudson Wild
Yeah, well, what happened, you know, that too, is that then it leads to a history lesson because you got to find out what's the story of this. And so, yeah, in episode three of the show, every wreck tells a story. There's shipwrecks, but also plane wrecks that are a big part of it. And it's not animal focused. So off the Couch is not all about animals. There's history, there's animals, there's. There's a lot of fun elements woven in there. But what was so cool for us was we were. We've traced a lead, a story that led us up a little creek and we found the remains of a. What we thought was just a Little like small, kind of like commercial aircraft. It turns out it was actually a full on high tech military jet that had a whole story behind it. It was actually a crash. And the pilot, they were doing some tests in this area. We live close to Eglin Air Force Base. They do tons of tests. But this aircraft basically ended up malfunctioning and it was going down and the pilot, his name was Robert Welch, had to eject and he made, he made it safely. You know, he survived the crash. But now there's this high tech plane in Rocky Valley Creek. Like what are they going to do? And so we were able to trace back to the newspaper article that told us all about this because. But in the episode it's like, you know, along the way it's a cool epic adventure but you're also learning all this history now you're learning about this military plane. And you know, it's just, it leads to a lot of great conversations and experiences.
Morgan Wild
Totally. But what you'll find in the curriculum is you can boil it down, even make a little bit simpler. So like in the challenge video that we provide, we don't go after a big kind of historical monument, but in our grandparents backyard there's old Volkswagen Bug that's just totally dilapidated and it's like sunken in the ground. And so we explore the story behind this old vehicle that was abandoned in our grandparents backyard.
Hudson Wild
So the challenge is look in the dashboard. You know, we find old cigarette butts and tiny little pieces of like chewing gum from the 60s. And you know, it's so much fun.
Morgan Wild
But that could be, you know, just kids going to their grandparents and saying hey, this is something about maybe our local area, our town. I've always wondered about what was it like back in your day and just kind of uncovering old stories, even just from family members or friends. But it can be as significant as a historical monument that maybe you go and there's a battle that took place here and we're going to go, you know, kind of find out more of the history of the story behind it. So there's that broad spectrum as well as story Hunter.
Ginny Urich
I love it. And you know, so often you see foundations of buildings like what was there but what happened? And it's this interweaving, it's cohesive, it's a cohesive way of learning that is enticing. You're like, well what happened? What happened with the shipwreck, with that plane wreck? And then like you said, you're learning about the military, you're learning about History. You're learning about what happens when you eject from a. You know, from a plane and why and all of that. I mean, think of all the science that would happen with all the aerodynamics. So, I mean, this is just a fantastic thing and very unique. I mean, it is so right up our alley, because we were actually at. This is so. I don't know if you'll think this is weird or not, but we were at FPEA this last year, and our oldest son is heading into his senior year, and he's super into video stuff, too. So it's been a really cool bridge. Like, you're just probably a couple years older than him, so that's been really inspiring. It's just such a blessing, you know, it's like when you have these connections and you're like, you know, you see this, like, impact a couple. You know, this person's a couple years younger, and it impacts them.
Hudson Wild
Sure.
Ginny Urich
But we were down there and we sat through their graduation ceremony because he might do it next year. They had this phenomenal graduation ceremony that they do. People come in from all over the world and they show these fantastic photos. There was so many kids graduating. It was just the coolest thing. All these homeschool graduates. I mean, like, hundreds and hundreds and hundreds. The room of 5,000 people filled to the brim. All these. You know, these people that are homeschooling. And so we were. We were there and we were watching and. I can't remember where I'm going with my story. Hold on. Wait. I had a point, too.
Morgan Wild
It's such a good story, though.
Hudson Wild
Okay?
Ginny Urich
We're talking about cohesive learning. We were talking about. Oh, where was I going with it? And we're talking. Oh. Oh, this is it. Okay, I remembered. All right, so anyway, they do these. Okay, they do these. What's it called? Like, a. Scholarships. Scholarships. So they give away scholarships. And they were like, this company gives away $1,000 to, you know, the academic excellence, blah, blah, blah. And it was like, in. This company is giving away twelve hundred dollars, and this kid is valedictorian of his home school. I don't even know how you be that. But, you know, and it's all. And I thought, I would love to give a scholarship to the person who's not doing that, you know, or the person who's, like, valuing adventure and who is like, okay to sort of slough off all of these typical American accolades, you know? Like, that's what I said to Josh. I was like, wouldn't it be Cool. If we were like, we have a scholarship for the person who got horrible grades, but they went and found a shipwreck. You know what I'm saying?
Hudson Wild
Yeah.
Morgan Wild
Yeah.
Ginny Urich
I mean, I think I. I just really like this thought of a curriculum that values other things.
Morgan Wild
Yeah. Experience learning.
Ginny Urich
Yes.
Hudson Wild
One of the things that. One of the things that we've seen, because we did, you know, we were homeschooled through high school and had an amazing experience, and we're homeschooled in the jungle is crazy. How about getting the curriculum out there? It's a crazy story. My poor mom. But long story short, the things that have stuck with us over the years are not like the moments of sitting down and just busting out the, you know, your math page, your homework for the day or whatever, but it's actually, it's. It's learning that's tethered to interesting experiences. Like, those are the things that stick with me forever. It's like the things that you learn in the moment, on an adventure or in, you know, some unforeseen situation. And it's like, oh, that was really helpful. Like, those are, you know, this is how you fix your car when the tire gets flat. Or this is how, you know, like, you said that you learn about history or you learn about how paths can eject from a plane from this random situation. It's like, those are things that stick with you and actually help you, like, in the future, long term. Like, you'll never. You'll never remember that random. That random Monday working on that piece of homework. But it's like, it's the experiences that cement these. These learning things in our mind so well.
Morgan Wild
I think our parents really modeled it well, because learning can be, like, mundane and a chore, but it can also be, like, a privilege and really exciting. And so my parents, both excellent teachers. My dad's big on science. I don't know. They're always creative in finding ways to make it learning, like, a really fun experience. And what I found was it kind of created a discipline of learning in me. Something that I just think, like, you're a student for life. And I love learning now. And so even into my adult life, I love reading new books. I love learning about things I didn't know before. And it's kind of stuck with me because I think a lot of that came from my childhood of realizing that learning is fun and it's exciting and the world is really big, and there's a lot of things I don't know. And so once you kind of have that discipline or that habit of learning. I think it sticks with you. So, like, that's what I want to instill in my kids. And that's what we want to help inspire other kids to do through. Through this curriculum and through video resources. So it'll be fun to see where it goes.
Ginny Urich
Yeah. And it's helping parents stick with homeschooling. It's going to add a really fun element. You know, sometimes those video elements in homeschool, like we do World Watch news, and I really like that. I really like that, helps to sort of bookend our day. And it's. It's what we start with. And you have this little, you know, everybody kind of comes together and it's kind of short, but it's inspiring and it gives you lots of things to talk about and you connect over that. And I like having those little video elements. I mean, other people are doing that. You know, the kids in the Bubba School, they've got the screen out the whole day. So I think it's fine to incorporate some a little bit. And it really is. It helps the homeschool parents. So, I mean, this is super exciting. It will be out right around the time that this goes live so people can know about it off the couc couch into creation. Eight weeks to infuse your 2025, 2026 or beyond, whenever you're listening to this school year with all sorts of adventure and inspired by the four of you as well. Because here you have this very different childhood. And sometimes we're afraid of different childhoods. Right. If people were to be honest, they're afraid to homeschool because they're like, that's a very different childhood than all of these other kids. You had a very different childhood. You come back now, you're in your 20s, you're around people who grew up in a very different way with video games and a lot of them and more screens and that type of thing. But the unique quality of your childhood has allowed you in part to create this thriving family business that's now supporting children and marriages and families. So I think that that part of it too, just that alone, is encouraging and inspiring. People get more out of the videos than just the videos.
Morgan Wild
Yeah, thanks, Jen.
Hudson Wild
I appreciate that.
Ginny Urich
Yeah, it's really, really cool. So honored to have combined forces here. It's so exciting. And people check out WildBrothers TV. You are going to find the wild home off the couch challenges, Missionary stories, Wild brother animated series, Outdoor adventure, Family night torch lighters, Heroes of Faith, Young adventures Channel Jungle Journal. I mean, good for you. Good for you. And now a curriculum.
Morgan Wild
Awesome. Yeah, we're just. We're thrilled to be doing with you guys. This is going to be such a blast. Let's get off our couch, guys.
Ginny Urich
Well, and we'll probably. Hopefully, we're going to come down to the Panhandle. Maybe we can do a couple of these things with you.
Morgan Wild
Let's do it.
Ginny Urich
You know, sometime over the next year, I did look it up. The nature center I was talking about, which I feel like I get a pass because it's a really weird name. It's called Circle B Bar Reserve, and it's in Lakeland, Florida. We have had so many incredible outdoor adventures in Florida. My goodness, what a state to live in. Hudson and Morgan. This is really, truly. It's. It's like a pinch me thing, you know, because I was like, what? Do you remember when I saw you at the conference? It's a convention. It's not a conference. I saw you at the convention and I was like, what? And I went running to grab my kids because we had watched all of the episodes and I was like, the Wild Brothers are here. So it's been such an honor to know you and to be crossing paths in this way and combining forces to help kid kids off the couch, out into creation and really being connected to their learning. So thank you for being here.
Morgan Wild
Thanks for having us.
Hudson Wild
We feel the same way.
The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast Episode 1KHO 520: Learning That’s Tethered to Real Life | Morgan and Hudson Wild, Off the Couch and Into Creation Release Date: July 8, 2025
In this episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, host Ginny Urich welcomes Morgan and Hudson Wild from the Wild Brothers, longtime fans of the show, to discuss their latest venture: the Off the Couch Into Creation curriculum. This eight-week outdoor adventure program is designed to inspire children to engage with the natural world, counteracting the prevalent screen time that modern kids are subjected to.
[02:00] Morgan Wild: "Oh hey Jenny. Thanks so much for having us."
The Wild Brothers have a unique upbringing, having grown up as missionary kids in remote areas like the jungles of Indonesia. Their parents fostered creativity by encouraging them to document their lives, leading to the creation of "Growing Up Wild," a video resource curriculum that merged mission work with outdoor adventure.
[02:46] Morgan Wild: "Our parents were great about writing newsletters, but they wanted to create a visual experience for the church to understand what life was like in the jungles."
After spending approximately 16 years in Southeast Asia, Morgan and Hudson relocated to the United States in 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic. Settling in the Florida panhandle, they transitioned from bachelors to married men with growing families.
[04:54] Hudson Wild: "For the last five years, we've been in the States full time... We have a great community, a great local church, and it's been great to become involved in life here."
Raised without the typical American screens and social media pressures, the Wild Brothers face a cultural shift upon returning to the States. They discuss the challenges of raising children in an environment saturated with screens and sports, contrasting it with their own childhood spent outdoors.
[06:57] Hudson Wild: "It's an amazing culture shock... every culture has different opportunities, and without experiencing multiple cultures, you don't know what you're missing."
They emphasize the importance of limiting screen time to foster imagination and creativity in their children, advocating for outdoor play as a means to develop essential cognitive and social skills.
The highlight of the episode is the introduction of the Off the Couch Into Creation curriculum, a collaborative effort between 1000 Hours Outside and the Wild Brothers. This program aims to inspire families, especially those who homeschool, to explore the outdoors through structured adventures.
[24:02] Hudson Wild: "This is something that's been in our heart for really a number of years and it hasn't materialized until just recently."
The curriculum is designed to be flexible, allowing families to incorporate it into their schedules over eight weeks without a long-term commitment. It features video resources, challenge activities, discussion questions, and devotional elements to create a holistic learning experience.
The curriculum is divided into weekly modules, each focusing on different aspects of outdoor adventure and learning. Key components include:
Video Episodes: Each week begins with a video that showcases an adventure or discovery, such as tracking the rare red wolf or exploring historical shipwrecks.
Challenges: Short, five-minute "challenge videos" that families can easily replicate, fostering micro-adventures in their own backyards.
Discussion Questions: Thought-provoking questions that encourage families to reflect on their experiences and connect them to broader themes.
Journals and Badges: Interactive printouts and journals for documenting discoveries, along with badges to motivate and reward participation.
Devotional Elements: Integrating Biblical teachings into each adventure, the curriculum ties the natural explorations to spiritual growth without being preachy.
[30:14] Hudson Wild: "The three Ds of adventure: Discover, Document, and Devotion."
One notable adventure includes discovering an aggregation of manatees in their backyard, transforming what was once perceived as mundane into a wonderland of discovery with the use of UV lights.
[47:47] Morgan Wild: "Everything looks different under a UV light. The backyard becomes a wonderland of adventure and discovery."
Another adventure involves uncovering the story behind a military jet crash, blending history with outdoor exploration.
[54:07] Hudson Wild: "We found the remains of a high-tech military jet in Rocky Valley Creek. Tracing back to newspaper articles, we learned about the pilot's heroic actions."
The curriculum seamlessly weaves in faith-based teachings, aligning each adventure with Biblical principles and the overarching narrative of redemption.
[46:58] Morgan Wild: "Devotion is being full circle. We give credit to the Creator for the wonders we discover."
This integration ensures that while children are physically exploring the outdoors, they are also spiritually engaged, fostering a deeper connection to both nature and their faith.
Embracing technology, the Wild Brothers utilize their WildBrothers TV platform to host all curriculum videos, accessible via a mobile app. This allows offline access, ensuring families can utilize the resources even without internet connectivity.
[50:06] Morgan Wild: "All the video resources are accessible on a mobile app and can be downloaded offline for a seamless experience."
Morgan and Hudson express their excitement about partnering with 1000 Hours Outside and their vision to inspire families across the nation to embark on outdoor adventures. They highlight the importance of experiential learning and how their unique upbringing has shaped their approach to education and faith.
[62:36] Ginny Urich: "Combining forces to help kids get off the couch and into creation is truly amazing."
The episode concludes with enthusiasm for future collaborations and a shared commitment to enriching the lives of children and families through outdoor exploration and meaningful learning experiences.
Morgan Wild [04:10]: "Taking our lives and documenting them with a camera was just one creative outlet that our parents really encouraged us in."
Hudson Wild [06:10]: "Different cultures teach us different perspectives, and moving back here has been a significant adjustment for us as parents."
Morgan Wild [10:37]: "I want my little guy to grow up with a big imagination. He can explore with his books and toys instead of being limited by screens."
Hudson Wild [14:36]: "If you refer to your phone as the urban machete, it can be a tool to build up your family rather than a distraction."
Ginny Urich [33:38]: "The discussion questions help break down the videos and apply the adventures to our own lives, fostering family connections."
Emphasis on Outdoor Play: The curriculum seeks to reduce screen time by encouraging children to engage with their natural surroundings, fostering creativity and imagination.
Holistic Learning Experience: Combining physical adventures with educational content and spiritual growth, the program offers a comprehensive approach to childhood development.
Flexible and Accessible: Designed for homeschooling families, the eight-week structure accommodates various schedules, and the mobile app ensures resources are readily available.
Community and Collaboration: The partnership between 1000 Hours Outside and the Wild Brothers exemplifies how collaborative efforts can enhance educational initiatives and support families nationwide.
For more information on the Off the Couch Into Creation curriculum, visit 1000hoursoutside.com/offthecouch.