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, ethos00:34 – Oak trees: useless and yet essential02:10 – Acorns, biodiversity, and English mythology03:28 – Dartmoor stone circle and magical tree growth03:45 – The otherworldly vibe of oak04:29 – Trees as sentinels across time04:51 – Elder: the witch’s tree, folklore and function06:36 – Christianity, sacred trees, and cultural myths08:15 – Elderflower fritters and crafts09:02 – Whistles, beads, and elder’s crafting potential09:39 – Elderberry syrup and flu remedies10:00 – Nettles: shifting perception through foraging10:57 – Teaching children to see value in wild plants11:32 – Nettle cordage dreams and pirate distractions12:14 – Wild garlic: history, place names, and powerful scent13:34 – Ancient woodland indicator and oil-rich flavour14:16 – Naming oddities: garlic vs ramsens15:00 – Strong opinions on garlic levels15:40 – Cooking and foraging: personal strengths and openness16:28 – Co-discovery and child-led exploration17:02 – Teaching observation through thought narration17:59 – Avoiding smugness in questions18:30 – Wildflowers and hapazome art19:47 – Colour pops and woodland visual variety20:24 – Birch trees: tapping, bark, and crafts20:41 – Tapping birch sap and the ethics of doing so21:47 – Differences in sap flavour by sunlight exposure22:05 – Birch as the ‘Mother Tree’, and crafting wood22:42 – 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.comSupport the show at www.patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast