Ep 212: Does Forest School need more 'Clean' Language?

🌿 What Is Clean Language & Should You Use It Outdoors? In this introspective solo episode, Lewis reflects on Contempt to Curiosity by Caitlin Walker—an exploration of Clean Language, group metaphors, and truly non-judgemental communication. What begins as a quiet Friday morning in the woods becomes a deeply personal and practical unpacking of: What Clean Language actually is and where it came from 👂 Why exploring someone’s “inner world” is powerful—and risky How metaphor can unify (or divide) groups 🌀 Practical uses of Clean Language in Forest School Whether this approach is clunky-but-useful—or core practice 💬 Plus, Lewis shares a raw personal story of being on the receiving end of Clean Language coaching… and the surprising discomfort that followed. 🌟 Sponsors: TENTSILE & Chris Holland 🌲 TENTSILE – Create magical canopy spaces with TENTSILE’s world-famous hammock tents. 🍃 Chris Holland – Discover Nature Connection & the 54-Plant Guide—perfect for Forest School leaders. 👉 https://chrisholland.myshopify.com/?ref=ForestSchoolPodcast ⏳ Episode Chapters 00:00 – Intro, birdsong, forest stillness 🌳 02:00 – Feeling isolated as a leader 04:00 – Housekeeping & community shout-out 06:00 – What is Clean Language? Who created it? 08:30 – Metaphors, coaching & autonomy 10:00 – The “clunky but useful” language tools 13:00 – Forest School Association anecdote 20:00 – What “Smell. Soil.” taught Lewis 27:00 – What Clean Language missed in his response 30:00 – Can metaphors create better group cohesion? 33:00 – Why Forest School needs shared metaphors 36:00 – Facilitating feelings, not just activities 40:00 – Cocktail bars & metaphor-building 🍸 44:00 – When “mycelial network” isn’t enough 🍄 47:00 – Clean Language as a practice addon—not a necessity 50:00 – Is this book for beginners or advanced practice? 📚 Mentioned in This Episode Contempt to Curiosity by Caitlin Walker David Grove’s Clean Language Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Forest School Association Strategy Weekend Declarative language in outdoor education “Mycelial Network” (metaphor bingo!) 🍄 💬 Join the Discussion 🌱 What metaphor would your Forest School group use to describe itself? Do you already use metaphors in your practice—or avoid them entirely? We’d love to hear YOUR stories. Drop us a message on social media or email [email protected] 🎧 Listen now: 🎙️ Spotify: shorturl.at/4WdyI 📺 YouTube: shorturl.at/3qOUs 📻 Apple Podcasts: shorturl.at/FxfMF 💻 RSS: shorturl.at/A0kx9