In this lively, laugh-filled episode of The Forest School Podcast, Lewis and Gemma welcome long-time online linchpin Lily Horseman (Chair of the Forest School Association and founder of Kindling) for a free-ranging chat that moves from stationery obsessions to slime-mould revelations. Together they explore:
the comfort—and peril—of social-media echo chambers for practitioners
Lily’s journey from feral childhood through playwork to Forest School training
why Forest School has flourished while playwork funding has withered
balancing practical skills with deep ethos on leader courses
using doodles, matchboxes and wallpaper rolls to make theory stick
creating a sense of wilderness in a bus-stop-sized urban copse
how nature connection reframes risky play (and teaches respect for bark and worms)
weather, wind speeds and the art of saying “it depends” with confidence
the magic of authentic presence, permission and collective silliness around the fire
⏱ Chapter Timings
00 : 00 – Banter, missing video & the lure of fresh notebooks
02 : 43 – Meet Lily: FSA chair, Kindling founder & Facebook hive-minder
06 : 44 – From tree-climbing teen to playworker to Forest School trainer
09 : 43 – Forest School vs playwork: politics, funding and public appetite
14 : 31 – Training leaders: ethos first, skills second—and why “it depends”
32 : 14 – Wind-risk doodles, social-media pile-ons and holding boundaries online
42 : 35 – Tiny urban woodlands that feel vast after four immersive days
56 : 10 – Hide-and-seek as a gateway to hard-wired nature connection
1 : 08 : 33 – Tree-bashing, worm care & repairing relationships with the more-than-human world
1 : 16 : 44 – Grumpy Badger cream fights, year-end rituals and joyful nonsense
🌲 Keywords: Forest School training, playwork decline, online community, risk & wind, reflective practice, doodle pedagogy, tiny woodlands, nature connection, authenticity, child-led play
🔖 Hashtags:
#ForestSchool #Playwork #NatureConnection #OutdoorLearning #ReflectivePractice #ForestSchoolTraining #ChildLedPlay #CommunityOfPractice #SlimeMouldLove #Kindling
🌐 More Episodes & Support:
Listen to more and access resources at www.theforestschoolpodcast.com
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Training & face-to-face courses: www.childrenoftheforest.com
Questions or collaboration: admin@theforestschoolpodcast.com
