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What does Forest School look like when it’s woven into the fabric of a home educating life? In this full and playful episode, Lewis and Gemma reflect on years of working with home educated families in Forest School settings. They discuss the key differences between children who’ve always been home educated and those who’ve left mainstream school, share advice for starting a home ed Forest School group, and unpack the deeper philosophies behind their open, play-focused model. The conversation ranges from adult expectations and community culture to the unpredictable joys of passion projects, dinosaur obsessions, cowboy roleplay, and group cooking around the fire. With practical tips, humour, and moments of powerful reflection, this episode offers valuable insights into a thriving approach to outdoor education that centres autonomy, collaboration, and trust.
⏱ Chapter Timings:
00:00 – Returning to spring energy and blooming snowdrops
01:22 – Initial misconceptions about home education
02:45 – From teaching to understanding unschooling
04:18 – Spectrum of home ed: from child-led to workbook-based
05:31 – Meeting diverse families with diverse motivations
06:58 – Higher prevalence of additional needs in home ed
08:25 – How children’s backgrounds shape their expectations
10:07 – Respect and relationship-building with autonomous learners
11:25 – Differences in family group vs child-only sessions
12:25 – Starting the session with site contributions
13:54 – Reflecting on session structure and community needs
14:49 – Parents engaging in their own parallel play
15:56 – Being verbal about your ethos and offering
17:20 – One size doesn’t fit all: embracing diversity
18:16 – Home ed defies assumptions about age and capability
20:06 – Passion projects, obsessions, and freedom to dive deep
21:52 – Extended imaginative play and roleplay in older children
23:12 – Learning through play cycles and long-form stories
25:22 – Play-based learning as memorable and meaningful
26:46 – Not every session results in a tangible “product”
28:29 – Using social media to reflect and share intangible outcomes
29:57 – Children thinking about play outside of sessions
30:32 – Shared ownership and dispersing the planning
31:50 – Encouraging autonomy, spontaneity, and emergent learning
32:15 – When children bring the curriculum with them
🌲 Keywords: home education Forest School, unschooling, child-led learning, play-based pedagogy, Forest School community, outdoor learning, passion projects, learning through play, planning for home ed, socialisation in home education, non-coercive learning, Forest School tips, starting a home ed group, inclusive education, learning autonomy, parent involvement in Forest School
🔖 Hashtags:
#ForestSchool #HomeEducation #Unschooling #PlayBasedLearning #OutdoorLearning #PassionProjects #ChildLedEducation #ForestSchoolPodcast #HomeEdCommunity #InclusiveEducation #FreePlayMatters #NonCoerciveLearning #NatureBasedEducation #LearningThroughPlay #ParentLedLearning
📍 Learn more and explore resources:
www.theforestschoolpodcast.com
Support the show and access extras:
www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast
Questions or feedback? Email:
[email protected]
4.6
1111 ratings
What does Forest School look like when it’s woven into the fabric of a home educating life? In this full and playful episode, Lewis and Gemma reflect on years of working with home educated families in Forest School settings. They discuss the key differences between children who’ve always been home educated and those who’ve left mainstream school, share advice for starting a home ed Forest School group, and unpack the deeper philosophies behind their open, play-focused model. The conversation ranges from adult expectations and community culture to the unpredictable joys of passion projects, dinosaur obsessions, cowboy roleplay, and group cooking around the fire. With practical tips, humour, and moments of powerful reflection, this episode offers valuable insights into a thriving approach to outdoor education that centres autonomy, collaboration, and trust.
⏱ Chapter Timings:
00:00 – Returning to spring energy and blooming snowdrops
01:22 – Initial misconceptions about home education
02:45 – From teaching to understanding unschooling
04:18 – Spectrum of home ed: from child-led to workbook-based
05:31 – Meeting diverse families with diverse motivations
06:58 – Higher prevalence of additional needs in home ed
08:25 – How children’s backgrounds shape their expectations
10:07 – Respect and relationship-building with autonomous learners
11:25 – Differences in family group vs child-only sessions
12:25 – Starting the session with site contributions
13:54 – Reflecting on session structure and community needs
14:49 – Parents engaging in their own parallel play
15:56 – Being verbal about your ethos and offering
17:20 – One size doesn’t fit all: embracing diversity
18:16 – Home ed defies assumptions about age and capability
20:06 – Passion projects, obsessions, and freedom to dive deep
21:52 – Extended imaginative play and roleplay in older children
23:12 – Learning through play cycles and long-form stories
25:22 – Play-based learning as memorable and meaningful
26:46 – Not every session results in a tangible “product”
28:29 – Using social media to reflect and share intangible outcomes
29:57 – Children thinking about play outside of sessions
30:32 – Shared ownership and dispersing the planning
31:50 – Encouraging autonomy, spontaneity, and emergent learning
32:15 – When children bring the curriculum with them
🌲 Keywords: home education Forest School, unschooling, child-led learning, play-based pedagogy, Forest School community, outdoor learning, passion projects, learning through play, planning for home ed, socialisation in home education, non-coercive learning, Forest School tips, starting a home ed group, inclusive education, learning autonomy, parent involvement in Forest School
🔖 Hashtags:
#ForestSchool #HomeEducation #Unschooling #PlayBasedLearning #OutdoorLearning #PassionProjects #ChildLedEducation #ForestSchoolPodcast #HomeEdCommunity #InclusiveEducation #FreePlayMatters #NonCoerciveLearning #NatureBasedEducation #LearningThroughPlay #ParentLedLearning
📍 Learn more and explore resources:
www.theforestschoolpodcast.com
Support the show and access extras:
www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast
Questions or feedback? Email:
[email protected]
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