Gemma and Lewis open in classic British style – celebrating the first proper rain in almost three weeks and admitting national jumper-anxiety. While thunder rolls in the background they:

• compare iPhone “floors climbed” stats
• share a long digression about government tracking, MI5 recruitment myths and targeted phone ads
• recount a huge sweet-chestnut limb that dropped on site after the recent drought, reminding everyone about “summer branch drop” (not just beeches – chestnut and oak too)
• play a six-bird quiz using the Birdsong – 150 British & Irish Birds button-book:
 1 Raven 2 Jay 3 Lesser spotted woodpecker 4 Great tit 5 Goldcrest 6 Wren
  + bonus curve-ball: the “mute” swan’s hiss
• chat about pheasants, aggressive swans, chicken nappies and Honiton’s “Hot Pennies” festival
• talk listening skills: how constant outdoor work tunes you in to any unexpected call in the canopy

Main discussion – a quick summer reading list

Lewis’ picks
– The Science of Storytelling – Will Storr
– Flow – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
– Weapons of Mass Instruction – John Taylor Gatto
– Mythos / Heroes – Stephen Fry (audio versions recommended)

Gemma’s picks
– Wonderland: A Year of Britain’s Wildlife – Brett Westwood & Stephen Moss
– The Salt Path – Raynor Winn
– No Brainer – Ruby Wax (audio)
– The Hidden Life of Trees – Peter Wohlleben
– The Inner Life of Animals – Peter Wohlleben

Forthcoming titles they’re excited about
– Critical Issues in Forest Schools – ed. Mark Sackville-Ford & Helen Davenport (Aug release)
– The Play Cycle: Theory, Research and Application – Gordon Sturrock & Pete King (new edition)

Training reminder
Four in-person courses for 2025-26 now open – Outdoor Cookery, Storytelling/Music/Drama, Intro to Whittling, and an EY/KS1 activity day. Full details at theforestschoolpodcast.com.

Listener request
Send your own must-read outdoor or education books (or even ones that totally disagree with Lewis & Gemma) to admin@theforestschoolpodcast or via Patreon: patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast.