The Forest School Podcast

In this wonderfully nerdy, joyful episode of The Forest School Podcast, Lewis and Gemma are joined by Holly, the charismatic fungi educator behind The Fungi Guy . With warmth, wit, and humility, Holly shares his journey from amateur forager to fungi ambassador, describing how a single walk in the woods sparked a lifelong obsession. Together, they explore the wonder of mushrooms through storytellin...

Links from Dr Begeny are at www.children-of-the-forest.com/dr-begeny-podcast In this rich and reflective second part of our conversation with Dr. Chris Begeny, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Exeter, we dive deeper into the gendered tensions of parenting, education, and outdoor settings. Chris joins Lewis and Gemma to unpack how perceptions of fatherhood, safeguarding, praise, and gender...

Links from Dr Begeny are at www.children-of-the-forest.com/dr-begeny-podcast  In this thoughtful and expansive episode of The Forest School Podcast, Lewis and Gemma are joined by Dr Chris Begeny, a social psychologist from the University of Exeter, to unpack the complex interplay between gender, identity, and education. From imposter syndrome to ambient belonging, gendered expectations to power to...

In this essential episode of The Forest School Podcast, Lewis and Gemma are joined by FSA Directors Sarah Collins and Sarah Lawfull to explore the Nature Premium campaign—an urgent and inspiring movement advocating for ring-fenced funding for nature-based experiences in all UK schools and nurseries. They unpack the origins of the campaign, why it emerged during lockdown, and what impact it could h...

In this face-to-face episode of The Forest School Podcast, Lewis and Gemma reflect on their deep dive into bird books, sparked by their recent conversation with Maya Rose Craig. Broadcasting from the woods under crochet blankets and canopy chatter, they explore what it means to become more attuned to birdlife—and the subtle dynamics of naming, noticing, and knowledge. Along the way, they critique...

In this energising episode of The Forest School Podcast, Lewis and Gemma speak with Maya-Rose Craig – also known as Birdgirl – a globally renowned birder, author, and environmental activist. From harpy eagles in the Amazon to rewilding battles in British churchyards, Maya-Rose shares powerful stories that connect birds, identity, justice, and youth-led activism. Together, they explore how birding...

In this lively, research-driven episode of The Forest School Podcast , Lewis and Gemma dig beneath the surface of a post-lockdown playground obsession: swings, hammocks and anything that spins. Using real-time observations, they unlock what the vestibular and proprioceptive systems actually do, why so many children suddenly crave “heavy work”, and how practitioners can read behaviour as a sensory...

In this lively episode of The Forest School Podcast , Lewis and Gemma start with an urgent call to action for the Nature Premium Campaign , then plunge—sometimes literally—into the messy magic of clay . From Devon’s red earth to DIY kilns, they unpack how digging, grinding, mixing and face-painting with soil become powerful vehicles for child-led learning, teamwork, and sensory regulation. Along t...

In this candid, light-hearted episode of The Forest School Podcast , Lewis and Gemma swap the storm-battered cabin for Zoom as they dissect their first two days back in the woods post-lockdown. From ever-shifting government guidance and endless risk-benefit paperwork to aching legs, rusty storytelling and a stubborn fire, they explore what “returning to normal” really looks like for practitioners....

In this lively, time-warped episode of The Forest School Podcast , Lewis and Gemma link up with Stas, creator of Education Bookcast , who joins them from Taiwan (hence the three-second audio delay!). Together they unpack why reading deeply can sharpen outdoor practice, how discovery learning tripped them all up, and where Forest School sits on the traditional-progressive-unschooling spectrum. The...

In this rain-drenched, fireside edition of The Forest School Podcast , Lewis and Gemma park the screen-time guilt and dive head-first into Feral: Rewilding the Land, Sea and Human Life by George Monbiot. They unravel how Monbiot’s radical call for “self-willed land” pushes far beyond the now-familiar story of Wilding , tackling everything from Welsh hill sheep and EU subsidies to megafauna, shifti...

In this wide-ranging, laughter-peppered episode of The Source Code Podcast , Lewis and Gemma start with malfunctioning headsets and end up unpacking what real community looks like in Forest School – and beyond. They contrast Scandinavian hygge with “hard-core” survivalism, question contrived ice-breakers, and show how castles, trebuchets and visiting queens can forge genuine bonds. Drawing on rese...

In this wide-ranging conversation, Lewis and Gemma sit down with legendary Forest School pioneer John Cree —the movement’s first ever Ambassador—to explore how practitioners can support children returning after lockdown. Drawing on decades of youth-work, neuroscience and somatic therapy, John discusses adverse childhood experiences, grief, trauma and “challenging behaviour”, and explains why groun...

In this wide-ranging conversation Lewis and Gemma sit down with autistic advocates Michael James and Andy Smith to explore how Forest School can become genuinely neuro-inclusive. They trace the pair’s friendship from a LinkedIn book-review message to joint conference keynotes, then dive into masking, flow states, pathological demand avoidance (PDA) and why “structure” is more about safety-nets tha...

In this wide-ranging lockdown episode of The Forest School Podcast , Lewis and Gemma sit down (remotely) with fellow practitioner Froo and her teenagers Emma (18) and James (16). From solo bird-watching missions on the Mersey mudflats to turning the family kitchen into a West End dance studio, the trio unpack what happens when young people suddenly have time, freedom and trust. They explore boredo...

In this wide-ranging, laughter-laden episode of The Forest School Podcast , Lewis and Gemma shelter from a rain-lashed lockdown and dive deep into storytelling: why humans spin tales, how narrative shapes children’s play, and what makes a therapeutic story “work”. Bouncing between Jonathan Gottschall’s The Storytelling Animal , Susan Perrow’s Therapeutic Storytelling , gender studies, dream scienc...

In this gently candid episode of The Forest School Podcast , Lewis and Gemma swap the woods for the living-room and wrestle with an unexpected theme: being “on tap, not on top” during lockdown. They unpack Tom Richardson’s phrase, explore why constant availability to children is so draining, and reflect on the ego-hits that come from losing outdoor sessions and instant feedback. From brain-chemist...

In this relaxed yet far-ranging episode, Lewis and Gemma swap the windy outdoors for a paper-strewn desk to unpack The Power of Showing Up by Daniel Siegel & Tina Payne Bryson. From audiobook PDFs and Amazon reviews to bedtime “defrag” chats, they explore the book’s four-S framework (Safe, Seen, Soothed, Secure), “mindsight”, and how secure attachment ripples from home to Forest School, classr...

In this reflective round-table episode of The Forest School Podcast , Lewis and Gemma invite long-time colleagues Nick (Curious School of the Wild, Cornwall) and Charlie (Devon-born, now Sheffield) to unpack the big question every outdoor educator is wrestling with under lockdown: “Should we be flooding the internet with Forest School content—or stepping back?” Together they explore the sudden sur...

In this relaxed, bird-filled episode of The Forest School Podcast , Lewis and Gemma perch indoors after a blustery start and let the conversation take flight. Beginning with the simple observation that “birds are everywhere”, they spiral into how avian encounters shape outdoor learning: from inventing silly mnemonics for calls, to tuning your brain to seasonal song, to building human-sized nests a...

In this reflective, wind-ruffled episode of The Forest School Podcast , Lewis and Gemma huddle round hot chocolate under a parachute canopy and dive deep into the meeting point between playwork and Forest School . From the struggle to find credible playwork training to the thorny online debates about who “owns” the term play , they unpack the eight Playwork Principles one by one, comparing them wi...

In this wide-ranging, good-humoured episode, Lewis and Gemma link up (10,000 miles apart!) with Jen and Narelle from Birdwings Forest School in subtropical Queensland. A dropped mic, a previously lost recording and torrential rain set the scene for a conversation about embracing imperfection, working on flooded bushland, and letting the landscape re-shape the day. They explore how First Nations ac...

In this wide-ranging conversation, Lewis and Gemma welcome Tom Barden of Green Man Learning to unpack why he created the Wild Passport and how it offers another “arrow in the quiver” for outdoor educators. Together they explore the cultural roots of tool use, balancing learner-centred play with curriculum pressures, the ecological footprint of woodland sites, and the perennial question of what tru...

In this reflective, free-flowing episode of The Forest School Podcast , Lewis and Gemma retreat to the cabin and let a single newspaper article take them down multiple woodland rabbit holes. Beginning with signs of spring and the comforts (and perils) of recording indoors, they unpack a recent Guardian piece on children’s questioning, ponder why curiosity collapses once formal schooling begins, an...

In this lively, idea-packed episode of The Forest School Podcast , Lewis and Gemma abandon their promised “earthworm special” to sit down with celebrated natural navigator Tristan Gooley . The trio roam from comedy intros to deep cognition, unpacking how fast-and-slow thinking shapes our perception outdoors, why letting children wander off-trail builds real learning, and how tiny clues—puffball sp...