Ep 32 - Side Effects May Include....

In this rain-tapping, fireside-style episode of The Forest School Podcast, Lewis and Gemma explore the unexpected side effects of being a Forest School practitioner. Born from a moment of atmospheric pressure-drop telepathy, this conversation drifts through proprioception, weather instincts, sensitivity to group energy, and the profound (and often hilarious) personal changes that unfold after years of working outdoors with children. From dodging skinny trousers in favour of squatting-friendly kit, to developing slug-on-head bravery and nettle-eating confidence, the pair share how the job rewires your senses, reshapes your social filters, and alters your wardrobe, immune system, and relationship with food. They unpack the “spidey senses” of vibe-checking group dynamics, balancing limits with intuition, and why truly knowing a child goes far beyond levels and curriculum. With side quests into tattoos, wildflower road rage, Wim Hof, and buried ferrets, this episode is an invitation to reflect on how you have changed since spending more time in the woods. ⏱ Chapter Timings: 00:15 – White noise, walnut gifts & dropping off to our voices 01:00 – Coyote Guide & mind-mapping woodland flora 02:00 – Whistles, ferns & observer bias 03:30 – Side effects of outdoor work: a practitioner’s body barometer 04:30 – Pressure-drop awareness & animal instincts 06:15 – Wind obsession & becoming a human weather app 07:00 – Childcare senses: vibe-checking & tension awareness 08:30 – High-energy days & predictive planning 09:50 – Intuition vs logic when setting boundaries 11:10 – Group dynamics & listening to “something’s off” 12:30 – Smiling less: reading the internal play state 13:30 – When stomping doesn’t mean sulking 14:05 – Appearances: picking up your child while looking like “a player” 15:30 – Functional fashion & outdoor uniforms 17:15 – Skinny trousers & the anti-squat epidemic 18:10 – Balancing beards, tattoos & approachability 19:30 – Scared of parents: overcoming adult anxiety 20:40 – Speaking to groups & growing confident CPD voices 21:55 – Phone phobia & generation-specific stress 22:15 – Dietary changes & eating like a guide 22:45 – From slug phobia to slug headwear 23:45 – Grasping nettles, literally & metaphorically 24:20 – Global awareness & feeling slightly "other" 25:00 – Five-square-mile richness & noticing locally 26:00 – Lewis’ Dorset grandad & buried guns (tangent alert!) 27:30 – Dead ferrets & local eccentricity 28:15 – Wildflower road rage & hedge-bank overload 29:00 – Deep knowledge of individuals beyond school stats 30:15 – Seeing children fully vs curriculum caricatures 31:45 – Being a person, not a curriculum machine 32:15 – Repetitive anti-school trauma bonding at gatherings 33:00 – Lighthouse not lifeboat: modelling, not fixing 34:00 – Forest School & immune system upgrades 35:00 – Embodied awareness: tired muscles, terrain memory 36:00 – Wim Hof, breathwork & reptilian brain talk 37:00 – Starving at 4pm: feast, famine & flapjack reflexes 38:10 – Upcoming: Forest School CPD and outdoor cooking day 39:50 – Rocket stoves, pizza ovens & gendered workshops 39:56 – Goodbye & rain-fuelled ramblings 🌲 Keywords: Forest School side effects, practitioner intuition, child-led limits, weather instincts, group energy, woodland fashion, outdoor eating, proprioception, immune system, feral anecdotes, forest school community 🔖 Hashtags: #ForestSchool #ChildLedLearning #ReflectivePractice #NatureBasedLearning #ForestSchoolPodcast #OutdoorEducator #WeatherSense #WoodlandWardrobe #ImmuneBoostingPlay #CPD #ForestSchoolTraining #GroupDynamics #SlugOnHead #SpideySenseTeaching 🌐 More Episodes & Support: ▶️ Browse more & get extras: www.theforestschoolpodcast.com ☕ Back the pod & join our Discord: www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast 📬 Say hi or collab with us: [email protected]