The Forest School Podcast

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.SponsorsTENTSILE — 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 Timings00:00 – Cold open and the promise to keep it normal01:06 – Meet Dr Shelley Newstead and what playwork is really about03:18 – From practitioner to PhD and why articulation matters07:15 – A playwork perspective explained11:44 – Sorensen, Lady Allen, and the rise of adventure playgrounds18:26 – Grassroots growth and reinventing the wheel24:19 – The PARS model for articulating, developing, and evaluating practice32:37 – PARS hats for parents and practitioners44:17 – Forest School and playwork, overlap and differences51:41 – Funding fixed parks versus community play and provision for teens🌲 KeywordsPlaywork 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/4WdyIYouTube: https://shorturl.at/3qOUsApple: https://shorturl.at/FxfMFRSS: https://shorturl.at/A0kx9🌐 More Episodes & SupportListen to more and access resources at www.theforestschoolpodcast.comSupport the show and join our community at www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcastFor 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 Timings00:44 – New cold open, studio fidgets, and scene-setting02:30 – Ludo Botany focus: tree climbing, research versus lived experience06:16 – Myths to mechanics: collar development, spacing, and those wrist-width rules12:34 – Trees on slopes, branch distribution, and what that means for access15:09 – Defender branches, orthotropic versus horizontal shoots, and bark wear20:19 – “Nest” trees and fallen logs: comfort, horizontality, and play worlds23:14 – Species and cultivation: coppice, mini-pollards, and live-oak style ramps33:25 – Adult gaze, crowding, etiquette, and height as status in shared trees37:30 – Bodies and brains: startle reflex, evolution, and why trees beat ladders54:31 – 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/4WdyIYouTube: https://shorturl.at/3qOUsApple: https://shorturl.at/FxfMFRSS: https://shorturl.at/A0kx9🔖 Hashtags:#ForestSchool #OutdoorEducation #NaturePlay #TreeClimbing #LudoBotany🌐 More Episodes & Support:Listen to more and access resources at www.theforestschoolpodcast.comSupport the show and join our community at www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcastFor 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 Timings00:00 – Cold open: kneecaps, bandagraphs, and Mr Potato Heads03:14 – Axing the “three look afters”: demands, agency, and who can fail06:06 – Flattened hierarchies or hidden authority: responsibility in practice10:38 – Boundaries, safety, and culture shift for new groups14:49 – Space holding, low-demand setups, and modelling altruism21:27 – Failing well: conditions for struggle without humiliation25:22 – Nunchi: reading the room and tailoring support28:56 – Relational failure, shame versus guilt, and belonging49:22 – Process over product: the “shit spoon” and reframing success1:05:00 – Lily’s trainings, FSA roadshows, and resources🌲 KeywordsForest 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/4WdyIYouTube: https://shorturl.at/3qOUsApple: https://shorturl.at/FxfMFRSS: https://shorturl.at/A0kx9🌐 More Episodes & SupportListen to more and access resources at www.theforestschoolpodcast.comSupport the show and join our community at www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcastFor questions, feedback, or collaboration: [email protected] 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 Timings00:00 – Patreon intro and scene setting01:12 – Halloween, Wales waterfalls, Pen y Fan, London parks, and the deer rut07:02 – Ludo Botany returns and a listener call out for tree climbing nominations09:21 – New song premiere about acorns and seasonal crafting13:28 – Finland’s “forest floor in preschool” study and children’s microbiomes20:12 – Australian follow up and wider wellbeing gains beyond health22:55 – Mud as equity and even an academic intervention for learners26:30 – Ethics and longevity of transplanted soil and maintenance questions33:22 – Practicalities in settings: hygiene, thresholds, roles, and risk benefit35:56 – Alternatives: link settings to real woodlands and use green hedges to cut pollution🌲 KeywordsForest 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/4WdyIYouTube: https://shorturl.at/3qOUsApple: https://shorturl.at/FxfMFRSS: https://shorturl.at/A0kx9📚 Article and studies mentionedGuardian feature: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/29/soil-sandpit-children-dirty-biodiversity-finnish-nurseries-research-microbes-bacteria-aoeFinnish intervention study (Science Advances, 2020): https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aba2578Open-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 & SupportListen to more and access resources at www.theforestschoolpodcast.comSupport the show and join our community at www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcastFor 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 Timings00:00 – Wind, wildlife, and sweet chestnuts: back in the woods03:10 – Glut season: apples, dehydration, and preserving abundance06:16 – The great board experiment: why ditch the linear plan08:20 – Planning with Eight Shields energies instead of activities11:21 – From checklists to a “spoked wheel”: transparency and crossing things out20:42 – The World Designed for Children: minimalist nurseries and built-in play24:54 – Ponds, sandpits, stairs you can climb: architecture as invitation29:16 – Loose parts, display culture, and what “the space is the resource” means34:36 – Brand, logos, patches, shared rituals: identity without uniforms45:06 – Introducing Ludo Botany and “plant baby plant”: designing for play yields🌲 KeywordsForest 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/4WdyIYouTube: https://shorturl.at/3qOUsApple: https://shorturl.at/FxfMFRSS: https://shorturl.at/A0kx9🌐 More Episodes & SupportListen to more and access resources at www.theforestschoolpodcast.comSupport the show and join our community at www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcastFor questions, feedback, or collaboration: [email protected]