Ep 21 - Setting Goals!

In this reflective and surprisingly passionate episode, Lewis and Gemma kick off the new year by unpacking what it means to set goals for yourself, your Forest School, and the children in your care. They explore their chosen theme for the year—Nature Connection—and the thinking behind it. What does it look like to move beyond "just being outside" and intentionally build stillness, presence, and deeper engagement with nature into sessions? They discuss real-life examples of nature connection activities (some of which feel wonderfully weird), the tricky balance between child-led and adult-initiated moments, and how trust and relational ‘bank accounts’ help children engage with unfamiliar experiences. Along the way, they wrestle with broader issues of early years observation, goal setting in education, and whether the current school system actually supports real learning at all. Expect rants about curriculum design, passionate defences of play, and practical reflections on integrating maths into early years provision without killing curiosity. ⏱ Chapter Timings 00:00 – 2019: a futuristic year, back in the woods 01:00 – Christmas breaks and conversational autopilot 01:37 – Personal resolutions: finances, autopilot, and systems 03:38 – Forest School’s 2018 theme: Order 04:30 – 2019 theme: Nature Connection 05:28 – The lens of nature connection in session planning 06:44 – The challenge of balancing child-led vs guided activities 07:43 – Why some activities feel weird—but why they matter 08:26 – Group dynamics and the linchpin child dilemma 09:40 – Relationship bank accounts and building trust 10:31 – Shared experiences and group attunement 12:09 – Arrival routines, stillness, and mental clarity 13:21 – Nature connection and behaviour management 14:00 – Stillness supporting intentional play 14:57 – How goal setting works differently for each of them 15:55 – Forest School planning as a reflective cycle 16:56 – Cold turkey vs slow habit change 17:47 – Social media boundaries and digital decluttering 18:40 – Language and the power of “should” (hello, NVC) 19:35 – Autonomy and choice in adult and child goals 20:35 – The illusion of child choice in traditional schooling 21:30 – Who decides what goals matter? 22:04 – The real learning of primary school: how to be a person 23:20 – Observational teaching and following children’s interests 24:20 – Bob Hughes’ play types and the lens of play 25:12 – The tragedy of squashing play for content 26:03 – Goal setting in early years Forest School 27:43 – Observations, maths, and subtle invitations 28:44 – Spotting cues vs top-down planning 29:44 – Preparing children realistically for school 30:42 – Pushing school readiness onto toddlers 31:28 – Teasing next episode on Bob Hughes 32:21 – Want to get in touch? (See below) 🔍 SEO Keywords: Forest School goal setting, nature connection in Forest School, early years observation, outdoor education planning, child-led learning, guided play outdoors, Forest School themes, Bob Hughes play types, Forest Kindergarten, nature-based curriculum, reflective practice, Forest School planning, EYFS outdoors, nonviolent communication in education 🔖 Hashtags: #ForestSchoolPodcast #NatureConnection #ForestSchoolPlanning #OutdoorEducation #EarlyYearsOutdoors #ReflectivePractice #BobHughes #ChildLedLearning #PlayBasedEducation #EYFS #ForestKindergarten #NaturePlay #ForestSchoolGoals #NonviolentCommunication #EducationReform 🌐 More Episodes & Support Find all episodes, resources and links at www.theforestschoolpodcast.com Support the podcast and access bonus content at www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast For questions or comments, reach out via [email protected]