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 voices01:00 – Coyote Guide & mind-mapping woodland flora02:00 – Whistles, ferns & observer bias03:30 – Side effects of outdoor work: a practitioner’s body barometer04:30 – Pressure-drop awareness & animal instincts06:15 – Wind obsession & becoming a human weather app07:00 – Childcare senses: vibe-checking & tension awareness08:30 – High-energy days & predictive planning09:50 – Intuition vs logic when setting boundaries11:10 – Group dynamics & listening to “something’s off”12:30 – Smiling less: reading the internal play state13:30 – When stomping doesn’t mean sulking14:05 – Appearances: picking up your child while looking like “a player”15:30 – Functional fashion & outdoor uniforms17:15 – Skinny trousers & the anti-squat epidemic18:10 – Balancing beards, tattoos & approachability19:30 – Scared of parents: overcoming adult anxiety20:40 – Speaking to groups & growing confident CPD voices21:55 – Phone phobia & generation-specific stress22:15 – Dietary changes & eating like a guide22:45 – From slug phobia to slug headwear23:45 – Grasping nettles, literally & metaphorically24:20 – Global awareness & feeling slightly "other"25:00 – Five-square-mile richness & noticing locally26:00 – Lewis’ Dorset grandad & buried guns (tangent alert!)27:30 – Dead ferrets & local eccentricity28:15 – Wildflower road rage & hedge-bank overload29:00 – Deep knowledge of individuals beyond school stats30:15 – Seeing children fully vs curriculum caricatures31:45 – Being a person, not a curriculum machine32:15 – Repetitive anti-school trauma bonding at gatherings33:00 – Lighthouse not lifeboat: modelling, not fixing34:00 – Forest School & immune system upgrades35:00 – Embodied awareness: tired muscles, terrain memory36:00 – Wim Hof, breathwork & reptilian brain talk37:00 – Starving at 4pm: feast, famine & flapjack reflexes38:10 – Upcoming: Forest School CPD and outdoor cooking day39:50 – Rocket stoves, pizza ovens & gendered workshops39:56 – 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]