Summary

From Westonbirt inspirations to field guides and plant-hunter epics, Lewis and Gemma pull 13 tree books and ask how reading changes woodland practice. Hear about ships with greenhouses, coppice cycles, charcoal burning, fungal networks, minimalist nursery design, mapping with old OS layers and LiDAR, plus a practitioner’s starter stack for ID and ethnobotany.

Sponsors

TENTSILE

Save 10% on tree tents and hammocks with code ForestChildren10 at checkout. Ideal for leaders who want flexible base-camp shelter without ground impact.

Chris Holland

Explore Chris’s 54-page Plant of the Week guide with songs, stories and QR videos. Use our affiliate link: https://chrisholland.myshopify.com/?ref=ForestSchoolPodcast

Key takeaways

Books are tools. Ideas on the page translate into better planning, richer invitations to play and clearer woodland decisions.

History explains today’s woods. War, trade and enclosure shaped plantations and access.

When the landscape is the resource you can need fewer add-ons.

Mycorrhizal science challenges the clean slate approach to plantations. Diversity can feed young trees.

A balanced shelf helps practitioners. Mix narrative inspiration, technical ID, land-use history and local mapping.

Chapters

00:00 Audio or video and how to follow along

02:10 Westonbirt, tree hunters and why one book leads to three more

06:40 Plant collectors, ships with greenhouses and species introductions

11:20 Remarkable trees and the Douglas fir story

15:20 Finding the Mother Tree and what fungal networks show us

20:10 Managing woods for play, coppice cycles and charcoal

25:40 Enclosure, disafforestation and the Western Rising rabbit hole

30:40 Rackham, old OS maps and first steps with LiDAR

35:30 Practitioner stack for sessions and ethnobotany

40:50 Photos or illustrations for ID, trends in tree writing, the squirrel book wish

Books and resources mentioned

Thomas Pakenham — The Tree Hunters; Meetings with Remarkable Trees

John Evelyn — Sylva, or a Discourse of Forest Trees

Suzanne Simard — Finding the Mother Tree

Peter Wohlleben — The Hidden Life of Trees

Richard Powers — The Overstory

Oliver Rackham — Trees and Woodland in the British Landscape; The History of the Countryside

Tristan Gooley — How to Read a Tree

Ray Mears — British Woodland: How to Explore the Secret World of Our Forests

Roger Phillips — UK wild plants and fungi photographic guides

Chris Holland — Plant of the Week collection

Handy tools referenced

Old OS map viewer for historical layers

LiDAR overlays for spotting ridge and furrow, pits and platforms

Listen now

🎧 Catch the full episode:

Spotify: https://shorturl.at/4WdyI

YouTube: https://shorturl.at/3qOUs

Apple: https://shorturl.at/FxfMF

RSS: https://shorturl.at/A0kx9

Stay in touch

Questions, feedback or collaboration: [email protected]

Say hello on Instagram and Facebook. Tell us your favourite tree book or share a shelf photo and tag the show so we can reshare.

Support

More episodes and resources: theforestschoolpodcast.com

Back the show from £2 a month: patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast

Hashtags

#ForestSchool #OutdoorEducation #NaturePlay #ReflectivePractice #TreeBooks

In this punchy, practice-rich episode of The Forest School Podcast, Lewis and Wem unpack The Land — a 2016 documentary about an adventure playground in Wrexham — as screened via the Boston Children’s Museum panel. They dig into filming that sits inside the play, what “looks like a dump” can signal to children, and how adventure playground philosophy intersects with Forest School when you factor in nature’s needs, community, and inclusion. From risk versus hazard to loose parts in public parks, it is a tour through culture, pedagogy, and what real autonomy feels like.

🌟 Sponsors and supporter shout-outs

We are supported by TENTSILE. Forest School leaders and listeners get 10% off with code ForestChildren10 at checkout.

We are also supported by Chris Holland. Grab his 54-page plant guide and more with our affiliate link: https://chrisholland.myshopify.com/?ref=ForestSchoolPodcast

Patrons keep this going from just £2 per month. Thank you for keeping the lights on and the microphones warm.

⏱ Chapter Timings

00:00 Film on The Land and why it matters

01:22 Naturalistic camera work and playworker voice

03:20 UK playwork culture compared with the US context

05:44 Feelings when play looks messy, what the environment signals

08:19 Forest School versus adventure playgrounds, whose needs are held

10:40 Risk and hazard, modelling assessment in the open

12:59 Loose parts in public parks, barriers and “reset-able” spaces

15:23 Community care, freedom with a nominated adult, less panopticon

17:03 When children ignore the plan, ego checks for facilitators

18:35 What we will read next, The Anxious Generation

🌲 Keywords

adventure playgrounds, The Land documentary, playwork, Forest School practice, risk versus hazard, loose parts, inclusion, community play culture, environmental signalling, Boston Children’s Museum panel

🔖 Hashtags

#ForestSchool #Playwork #OutdoorEducation #LooseParts #ReflectivePractice

🎧 Catch the full episode:

Spotify: https://shorturl.at/4WdyI

YouTube: https://shorturl.at/3qOUs

Apple: https://shorturl.at/FxfMF

RSS: https://shorturl.at/A0kx9

🌐 More Episodes and Support

Listen to more and access resources at www.theforestschoolpodcast.com

Support the show and join our community at www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast

For questions, feedback, or collaboration: [email protected]

In this lively, idea-packed episode of The Forest School Podcast, Lewis and Wem chat with Dr Shelley Newstead about the roots and reality of playwork. Shelley traces adventure playgrounds from Sorensen in Denmark to Lady Allen in post-war Britain, then explains her PARS playwork model that helps adults articulate what they are doing and why. Expect thoughtful links to Forest School practice, clear language for talking to schools and parents, and practical insight on when to step in and when to stand back. They also tackle funding priorities, teens and play, and how to keep practice reflexive rather than nostalgic.

Sponsors

TENTSILE — Tree tents for educators and explorers. Listeners get 10% off with code ForestChildren10.

Chris Holland — Nature connection resources including his 54-page plant guide. Use our affiliate link: https://chrisholland.myshopify.com/?ref=ForestSchoolPodcast

⏱ Chapter Timings

00:00 – Cold open and the promise to keep it normal

01:06 – Meet Dr Shelley Newstead and what playwork is really about

03:18 – From practitioner to PhD and why articulation matters

07:15 – A playwork perspective explained

11:44 – Sorensen, Lady Allen, and the rise of adventure playgrounds

18:26 – Grassroots growth and reinventing the wheel

24:19 – The PARS model for articulating, developing, and evaluating practice

32:37 – PARS hats for parents and practitioners

44:17 – Forest School and playwork, overlap and differences

51:41 – Funding fixed parks versus community play and provision for teens

🌲 Keywords

Playwork history, adventure playgrounds, Sorensen, Lady Allen, PARS model, reflexive practice, articulation of practice, Forest School and playwork, teen play, community provision

🔖 Hashtags

#ForestSchool #Playwork #OutdoorEducation #ReflectivePractice #ChildLedLearning

🎧 Catch the full episode:

Spotify: https://shorturl.at/4WdyI

YouTube: https://shorturl.at/3qOUs

Apple: https://shorturl.at/FxfMF

RSS: https://shorturl.at/A0kx9

🌐 More Episodes & Support

Listen to more and access resources at www.theforestschoolpodcast.com

Support the show and join our community at www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast

For questions, feedback, or collaboration: [email protected]

In this lively Ludo Botany special, we explore tree climbing as play, practice, and design. Lewis brings fresh research on branch collars, spacing, and load strength while Gemma brings lived experience on how different trees invite different kinds of movement. From laurel and rhododendron “nest” trees to coppice stools and swooping live-oak ramps, they unpack species, shapes, and access. The chat ranges across myths and heuristics, defender branches, orthotropic versus horizontal shoots, group dynamics in shared trees, how adult presence changes the climb, and why our bodies feel different in trees compared with ladders. It wraps with a community callout for your best natural loose parts for the next Ludo Botany episode. 🌳

⏱ Chapter Timings

00:44 – New cold open, studio fidgets, and scene-setting

02:30 – Ludo Botany focus: tree climbing, research versus lived experience

06:16 – Myths to mechanics: collar development, spacing, and those wrist-width rules

12:34 – Trees on slopes, branch distribution, and what that means for access

15:09 – Defender branches, orthotropic versus horizontal shoots, and bark wear

20:19 – “Nest” trees and fallen logs: comfort, horizontality, and play worlds

23:14 – Species and cultivation: coppice, mini-pollards, and live-oak style ramps

33:25 – Adult gaze, crowding, etiquette, and height as status in shared trees

37:30 – Bodies and brains: startle reflex, evolution, and why trees beat ladders

54:31 – Next up: loose parts callout and how to send in voice notes

🌲 Keywords: Ludo Botany, tree climbing, branch collar strength, defender branches, orthotropic shoots, coppice and pollard, live oaks, laurel and rhododendron nests, group dynamics, inclusive play design

🎧 Catch the full episode:

Spotify: https://shorturl.at/4WdyI

YouTube: https://shorturl.at/3qOUs

Apple: https://shorturl.at/FxfMF

RSS: https://shorturl.at/A0kx9

🔖 Hashtags:

#ForestSchool #OutdoorEducation #NaturePlay #TreeClimbing #LudoBotany

🌐 More Episodes & Support:

Listen to more and access resources at www.theforestschoolpodcast.com

Support the show and join our community at www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast

For questions, feedback, or collaboration: [email protected]

In this lively, reflective episode of The Forest School Podcast, Lewis, Wem, and guest Lily pick apart the famous “three look afters” and ask a bigger question: who’s allowed to fail at Forest School, and how do we help people fail well? From cartilage kneecaps and Mr Potato Head jokes to space holding, autonomy versus community, and that dreaded “shit spoon” moment, they explore boundaries, blame versus shame, and how to create conditions where struggle leads to learning rather than humiliation. Expect practical facilitation nuance, philosophical detours, and a few perfect tangents about tracksuits.

⏱ Chapter Timings

00:00 – Cold open: kneecaps, bandagraphs, and Mr Potato Heads

03:14 – Axing the “three look afters”: demands, agency, and who can fail

06:06 – Flattened hierarchies or hidden authority: responsibility in practice

10:38 – Boundaries, safety, and culture shift for new groups

14:49 – Space holding, low-demand setups, and modelling altruism

21:27 – Failing well: conditions for struggle without humiliation

25:22 – Nunchi: reading the room and tailoring support

28:56 – Relational failure, shame versus guilt, and belonging

49:22 – Process over product: the “shit spoon” and reframing success

1:05:00 – Lily’s trainings, FSA roadshows, and resources

🌲 Keywords

Forest School agreements, failing well, autonomy vs community, space holding, shame vs blame, boundaries and safety, facilitator judgement, process over product, reflective practice, learner agency

🔖 Hashtags

#ForestSchool #OutdoorEducation #ReflectivePractice #CommunityLearning #NaturePlay

🎧 Catch the full episode:

Spotify: https://shorturl.at/4WdyI

YouTube: https://shorturl.at/3qOUs

Apple: https://shorturl.at/FxfMF

RSS: https://shorturl.at/A0kx9

🌐 More Episodes & Support

Listen to more and access resources at www.theforestschoolpodcast.com

Support the show and join our community at www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast

For questions, feedback, or collaboration: [email protected]

Mentioned in this episode:

Animated “What is failure?” video discussed: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1CVvtkueZU/?mibextid=wwXIfr

In this lively, idea packed episode of The Forest School Podcast, Lewis and Wem move from Halloween chatter to a full nature reset. Wales waterfalls, Pen y Fan, Regent’s Park squirrels, and the deer rut at Richmond Park set the scene for a deeper dive. Lewis picks up Ludo Botany again and invites listeners to help build a new series, starting with tree climbing. The pair then unpack a Finnish trial that “rewilded” kindergartens with real forest floor to boost children’s microbiomes, compare new Australian findings, and explore equity, ethics, hygiene practice, and culture change. A new original song appears too. It is written from the viewpoint of an oak tree watching its acorns become craft supplies. 🌳

⏱ Chapter Timings

00:00 – Patreon intro and scene setting

01:12 – Halloween, Wales waterfalls, Pen y Fan, London parks, and the deer rut

07:02 – Ludo Botany returns and a listener call out for tree climbing nominations

09:21 – New song premiere about acorns and seasonal crafting

13:28 – Finland’s “forest floor in preschool” study and children’s microbiomes

20:12 – Australian follow up and wider wellbeing gains beyond health

22:55 – Mud as equity and even an academic intervention for learners

26:30 – Ethics and longevity of transplanted soil and maintenance questions

33:22 – Practicalities in settings: hygiene, thresholds, roles, and risk benefit

35:56 – Alternatives: link settings to real woodlands and use green hedges to cut pollution

🌲 Keywords

Forest School, microbiome play, rewilded kindergartens, Finnish early years, Australian study, loose parts, hygiene thresholds, equity in education, tree climbing, Ludo Botany, Richmond Park deer rut, Welsh waterfalls

🔖 Hashtags

#ForestSchool #OutdoorEducation #NaturePlay #EarlyYears #ChildDevelopment

🎧 Catch the full episode:

Spotify: https://shorturl.at/4WdyI

YouTube: https://shorturl.at/3qOUs

Apple: https://shorturl.at/FxfMF

RSS: https://shorturl.at/A0kx9

📚 Article and studies mentioned

Guardian feature: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/29/soil-sandpit-children-dirty-biodiversity-finnish-nurseries-research-microbes-bacteria-aoe

Finnish intervention study (Science Advances, 2020): https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aba2578

Open-access version: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7556828/

Australian childcare soil microbiome study (2024): https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38583619/

Flinders news summary: https://news.flinders.edu.au/blog/2024/06/18/dose-of-dirt-for-healthy-play/

On playground pollution barriers with hedges: https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/roadside-hedges-can-reduce-harmful-ultrafine-particle-pollution-around-schools

and https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-18509-w

🌐 More Episodes & Support

Listen to more and access resources at www.theforestschoolpodcast.com

Support the show and join our community at www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast

For questions, feedback, or collaboration: [email protected]

In this reflective, good-humoured episode of The Forest School Podcast, Lewis and Gemma wander from hornets and sweet chestnuts to big ideas in space design and session planning. They unpack a fresh “great board experiment” that swaps linear timetables for an Eight Shields-inspired planning wheel, then dive into a beautiful Japanese coffee-table book, The World Designed for Children, to ask how architecture can invite play. Along the way: apples, dehydrators, built-in play features, minimalism versus loose parts, logos and community identity, and a brand-new concept Lewis coins on air — Ludo Botany — matching kinds of play with specific plants and woodland management over time. It is a lively mix of practice, philosophy, and proper woodland gossip. 🌳

⏱ Chapter Timings

00:00 – Wind, wildlife, and sweet chestnuts: back in the woods

03:10 – Glut season: apples, dehydration, and preserving abundance

06:16 – The great board experiment: why ditch the linear plan

08:20 – Planning with Eight Shields energies instead of activities

11:21 – From checklists to a “spoked wheel”: transparency and crossing things out

20:42 – The World Designed for Children: minimalist nurseries and built-in play

24:54 – Ponds, sandpits, stairs you can climb: architecture as invitation

29:16 – Loose parts, display culture, and what “the space is the resource” means

34:36 – Brand, logos, patches, shared rituals: identity without uniforms

45:06 – Introducing Ludo Botany and “plant baby plant”: designing for play yields

🌲 Keywords

Forest School planning, Eight Shields, session design, Japanese early years architecture, built-in play, loose parts, brand and community, reflective practice, woodland management, Ludo Botany

🔖 Hashtags

#ForestSchool #OutdoorEducation #ReflectivePractice #LooseParts #NaturePlay

🎧 Catch the full episode:

Spotify: https://shorturl.at/4WdyI

YouTube: https://shorturl.at/3qOUs

Apple: https://shorturl.at/FxfMF

RSS: https://shorturl.at/A0kx9

🌐 More Episodes & Support

Listen to more and access resources at www.theforestschoolpodcast.com

Support the show and join our community at www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast

For questions, feedback, or collaboration: [email protected]

In this reflective, funny episode, Lewis and Gemma reunite in the same room, fresh from a Royal Forestry Society award and a whirlwind visit to Westonbirt Arboretum. Using the provocatively titled book *We Need Your Art: Stop ***ing Around and Make Something as a springboard, they unpack how Western culture sidelines creativity, why Forest School’s process-first ethos matters, and how to plan for failure with kinder self-talk. Expect talk of “shitty art” challenges, class and permission to fail, celebrating small milestones without slipping into praise economies, acorn milk experiments, squirrel mysteries, and the radical power of modelling silliness so children feel safe to try, tinker, and try again.

• TENTSILE — Tree tents that transform tricky ground into magical campouts. Listeners get 10% off with code ForestChildren10 at checkout.

• Chris Holland — Nature connection resources we genuinely rate. Explore his 54-page plant guide and more via our affiliate link: https://chrisholland.myshopify.com/?ref=ForestSchoolPodcast

00:43 – Back together: RFS award, Westonbirt Arboretum, and “Square Oil” giggles
04:24 – The book: bold Sharpie manifestos that kick you into making
06:15 – Structure: reflective prompts, a two-week “make something daily” challenge, and looking back
07:36 – Why Forest School is a curriculum-free haven for creativity, not metrics
08:52 – How school and society infantilise art and push it to the margins
11:44 – Product versus process: performances, gifts, and the “motivation soup”
19:18 – Class, safety nets, and permission to fail in creative careers
21:39 – Plan your self-talk for when you fail; modelling kinder language with parents
33:26 – Celebrating small milestones together without turning joy into judgment
52:32 – Stop at 80%: making endings easy, sustainable, and actually enjoyable

🌲 Keywords: Forest School creativity, process-focused learning, failure and self-talk, celebrating milestones, class and creativity, modelling silliness, acorn processing, non-judgemental spaces, child-led practice, practitioner reflection

Spotify: https://shorturl.at/4WdyI
YouTube: https://shorturl.at/3qOUs
Apple: https://shorturl.at/FxfMF
RSS: https://shorturl.at/A0kx9

🔖 Hashtags:
#ForestSchool #OutdoorEducation #ProcessOverProduct #CreativeConfidence #NatureBasedLearning

🌐 More episodes and support:
Listen and find resources at www.theforestschoolpodcast.com
Support the show and join our community at www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast

For questions, feedback, or collaboration: [email protected]

Sponsors and partners⏱ Chapter timings🎧 Catch the full episode:

A heartfelt conversation with Mell Harrison about Kinda Education’s plan to become the new custodians of Ringsfield Hall and bring a living school to life. We explore the vision, the sociocratic way of working, multi-generational learning in practice, and the immediate ways listeners can help.

• TENTSILE: Outdoor leaders save 10% with code ForestChildren10 on tree tents and hammocks.

• Chris Holland: Get the 54-page plant guide with our exclusive discount and support the show: https://chrisholland.myshopify.com/?ref=ForestSchoolPodcast

Donate or fundraise now

• Crowdfunder main page: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-kinda-education-save-ringsfield-hall Crowdfunder UK

• Create a supporter fundraiser page: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/help-kinda-education-save-ringsfield-hall/multiply Crowdfunder UK

Learn about the project

• Kinda Education’s Ringsfield vision and plan: https://www.kindaeducation.org.uk/ringsfield Kinda Education

• Kinda Education homepage: https://www.kindaeducation.org.uk/ Kinda Education

Follow and share updates

• Kinda Education on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KindaEducation/ Facebook

• Launch post about saving Ringsfield Hall: https://www.facebook.com/KindaEducation/posts/1409356451195227/ Facebook

• Kinda Education video update: https://www.facebook.com/KindaEducation/videos/1935777910328794/ Facebook

• Instagram fundraiser reel: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPUEKUOiEew/ Instagram

• Instagram update post: https://www.instagram.com/p/DPD3MvzDZ9K/ Instagram

• Ringsfield Hall on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ringsfieldhall/ Instagram

• Ringsfield Hall on X: https://x.com/ringsfieldhall X (formerly Twitter)

1. Donate or start a mini fundraiser on the crowdfunder.

2. Share the crowdfunder link and the Instagram reel in your groups.

3. Follow Kinda Education on Facebook and Instagram to boost reach.

4. If you have relevant skills or local knowledge, contact Kinda via the website.

• 00:00 Intro and why this matters

• 02:31 Mell’s background and the roots of Kinda

• 07:30 The project reveal and why Ringsfield Hall

• 13:39 How the living school will work day to day

• 16:26 What living curriculum means in practice

• 19:47 Working with different stakeholders through clear layers

• 23:32 Social impact, elders, and a transferable model

• 27:50 Momentum in alternative education and home education

• 31:49 Starting points for new projects and sociocracy

• 37:07 The crowdfunder and immediate next steps
  #ForestSchool #AlternativeEducation #HomeEducation #OutdoorLearning #NatureConnection #Sociocracy #CommunityEducation #SEND #TraumaInformed #RingsfieldHall #KindaEducation

Sponsors and supporter perksListen and take actionHow to help in two minutesChapter timings

In this calm, reflective conversation, Lewis and Wem sit down with play worker and artist Max Alexander of Play Radical to explore autistic play as a joyful, valid, and richly varied landscape. Max shares how one to one playwork can reconnect isolated young people to authentic play, why reflection habits from nursing training shaped their practice, and how non extractive documentation like session haiku can honour privacy while communicating value. The trio unpack the difference between rigid taxonomies and Max’s lighter play shapes, discuss why autistic play matters for wellbeing today rather than only for future outcomes, and explore practitioner shorthand that helps teams notice and scaffold emerging shapes. The second half turns to adult play, instincts, and the social barriers that police how bodies move in public. The result is a practical and humane guide to noticing more, intervening less, and creating space where play can breathe.

TENTSILE is supporting this episode. Forest School leaders can get 10 percent off a Stingray tree tent with the code ForestChildren10 at checkout.
Chris Holland is also supporting this episode. Grab his 54 page plant guide with our affiliate link and discount: https://chrisholland.myshopify.com/?ref=ForestSchoolPodcast

00:43 Windy morning intro and Max joins the chat
02:11 What Play Radical is and how Max works across roles
03:47 One to one playwork and inclusion for isolated autistic children
05:22 From nursing to The Yard and how practice took shape
08:03 Reflection habits and a commitment to accessible information
13:06 Haiku as non extractive documentation and a live example
16:25 Play shapes versus taxonomies and how to hold them lightly
22:34 Why autistic play matters for wellbeing and joy right now
23:26 Practitioner shorthand and supporting emerging shapes
33:42 Adult play instincts and barriers in public spaces

Autistic play, play shapes, neurodiversity, inclusive playwork, one to one playwork, reflective practice, haiku documentation, Forest School, Bob Hughes play types, practitioner shorthand, adult play, privacy in play, anti ableism, teen play, Play Radical, The Yard Edinburgh

🎧 Catch the full episode:
Spotify: https://shorturl.at/4WdyI
YouTube: https://shorturl.at/3qOUs
Apple: https://shorturl.at/FxfMF
RSS: https://shorturl.at/A0kx9

#ForestSchool #AutisticPlay #OutdoorEducation #ReflectivePractice #Neurodiversity

🌐 More Episodes and Support
Listen to more and access resources at www.theforestschoolpodcast.com
Support the show and join our community at www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast

For questions, feedback, or collaboration: [email protected]