Ep 37 - Summer Reading Recommendations!

Gemma and Lewis open in classic British style – celebrating the first proper rain in almost three weeks and admitting national jumper-anxiety. While thunder rolls in the background they: • compare iPhone “floors climbed” stats • share a long digression about government tracking, MI5 recruitment myths and targeted phone ads • recount a huge sweet-chestnut limb that dropped on site after the recent drought, reminding everyone about “summer branch drop” (not just beeches – chestnut and oak too) • play a six-bird quiz using the Birdsong – 150 British & Irish Birds button-book: 1 Raven 2 Jay 3 Lesser spotted woodpecker 4 Great tit 5 Goldcrest 6 Wren + bonus curve-ball: the “mute” swan’s hiss • chat about pheasants, aggressive swans, chicken nappies and Honiton’s “Hot Pennies” festival • talk listening skills: how constant outdoor work tunes you in to any unexpected call in the canopy Main discussion – a quick summer reading list Lewis’ picks – The Science of Storytelling – Will Storr – Flow – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi – Weapons of Mass Instruction – John Taylor Gatto – Mythos / Heroes – Stephen Fry (audio versions recommended) Gemma’s picks – Wonderland: A Year of Britain’s Wildlife – Brett Westwood & Stephen Moss – The Salt Path – Raynor Winn – No Brainer – Ruby Wax (audio) – The Hidden Life of Trees – Peter Wohlleben – The Inner Life of Animals – Peter Wohlleben Forthcoming titles they’re excited about – Critical Issues in Forest Schools – ed. Mark Sackville-Ford & Helen Davenport (Aug release) – The Play Cycle: Theory, Research and Application – Gordon Sturrock & Pete King (new edition) Training reminder Four in-person courses for 2025-26 now open – Outdoor Cookery, Storytelling/Music/Drama, Intro to Whittling, and an EY/KS1 activity day. Full details at theforestschoolpodcast.com. Listener request Send your own must-read outdoor or education books (or even ones that totally disagree with Lewis & Gemma) to admin@theforestschoolpodcast or via Patreon: patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast.