Ep 7 - Flora at Forest School

In this rich, folklore-filled episode of The Forest School Podcast, Lewis and Gemma take a joyful ramble through their favourite plants and trees used in Forest School. Grouped loosely into three themes—cooking, craft, and ethos—they explore not only the practical uses of flora like elder, nettles, wild garlic, and birch, but also the deep-rooted cultural, mythological, and emotional significance of each. Discover why Lewis feels disappointed if a site lacks oak trees, how Gemma links elder with both witches and wellness, and why nettles are a gateway for shifting children's perceptions of the natural world. They also dive into wildflower hapazome art, cordage experiments, tree tapping controversies, and the beauty of being co-discoverers with children. This episode is packed with fun stories, foraging tips, pedagogical reflections, and reverence for the more-than-human world. If you're looking to deepen your relationship with woodland flora, this is the episode to get lost in. ⏱ Chapter Timings: 00:00 – Intro and three plant categories: cooking, craft, ethos 00:34 – Oak trees: useless and yet essential 02:10 – Acorns, biodiversity, and English mythology 03:28 – Dartmoor stone circle and magical tree growth 03:45 – The otherworldly vibe of oak 04:29 – Trees as sentinels across time 04:51 – Elder: the witch’s tree, folklore and function 06:36 – Christianity, sacred trees, and cultural myths 08:15 – Elderflower fritters and crafts 09:02 – Whistles, beads, and elder’s crafting potential 09:39 – Elderberry syrup and flu remedies 10:00 – Nettles: shifting perception through foraging 10:57 – Teaching children to see value in wild plants 11:32 – Nettle cordage dreams and pirate distractions 12:14 – Wild garlic: history, place names, and powerful scent 13:34 – Ancient woodland indicator and oil-rich flavour 14:16 – Naming oddities: garlic vs ramsens 15:00 – Strong opinions on garlic levels 15:40 – Cooking and foraging: personal strengths and openness 16:28 – Co-discovery and child-led exploration 17:02 – Teaching observation through thought narration 17:59 – Avoiding smugness in questions 18:30 – Wildflowers and hapazome art 19:47 – Colour pops and woodland visual variety 20:24 – Birch trees: tapping, bark, and crafts 20:41 – Tapping birch sap and the ethics of doing so 21:47 – Differences in sap flavour by sunlight exposure 22:05 – Birch as the ‘Mother Tree’, and crafting wood 22:42 – Whittling, bark identification, and tree knowledge 🌱 Keywords: Forest School plants, outdoor education, oak mythology, elder tree crafts, wild garlic foraging, nettle cordage, plant folklore, nature-based pedagogy, tree identification, woodland crafts, hapazome, elderflower fritters, birch tapping, co-discovery, seasonal learning, natural dyeing, ancient woodland 🔖 Hashtags: #ForestSchool #OutdoorLearning #NatureCrafts #Foraging #TreeFolklore #WildEdibles #NettlePower #OakTreeMagic #ElderTree #WildGarlic #HapazomeArt #WoodlandEducation #EarlyYearsOutdoor #ChildLedLearning 💬 Get Involved: Got your own favourite Forest School plant or tree story? Share it with us at [email protected] 🌐 Find more at: www.theforestschoolpodcast.com Support the show at www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast