3 Lesson From Doing 50 Recorded Episodes On Forest School!

Today, I’m marking the big 50th episode!

But perhaps not in normal fashion.

You may be wondering where is my accompanying video, bringing joy into your life?

Well to be truthful I’m a little tight for time at the moment, for reasons that may or may not be obvious.

More on that tomorrow.

But today I had to mark the 50th episode with 3 things I’ve learnt doing 50 episodes.

#1 I love Forest School more now than ever before.

Creating this podcast has allowed me the opportunity to delve deeply into my passion, in a way that the last time I experienced something on the same level, was when I first fell in love with it.

Often we get so deep in our passions as we learn more and more about it and geek out on all its fancy terms, techno babble and deeper connections and ideas that sit at it’s very heart.

Yet we often forget that epiphany moment that made us fall madly in love with it.

I challenge you over the next couple of days to remember why you feel in love with your partner or hobby that you can’t live without.

What about them or it made those butterflies start to rumble in you tummy. How did you meet?

By chance or through some other sordid way?

This act of reflection makes us ponder, discover and re imagine our most deepest thoughts, which bring us closer to who we need to be, ourselves.

Checking in on our selves and progress or lack there of, can be essential to our mindfulness and wellbeing.

I’ll admit through scheduling some of these episodes I’ve had to pause,

contemplate and reflect on literature,

or others blog posts or videos and metacognitise — think about my thoughts of what I understand in that moment and how it addresses what I wish to speak about.

It really is a humbling thing to do and I’d encourage anyone to give this a go!

#2 People ACTUALLY listen

Real life people, breathing, heartbeating, human beings actually listen to me?

Are you mad!

I’m just a regular guy spouting on about something he loves that would bore an otter to sleep.

How do you guys like my stuff?

That’s one thing I’m terrible at is accepting ‘praise’ give me a constructive comment anyday.

I know how to respond to them.

You know when you work so damn hard on your dream it can become a lonely road and it’s hard sometimes to get the doubters ,who are often your closest tribe to see the horizon beyond the mud.

Is it there fault? Not at all, they care so much and don’t want to see you fall or fail.

They will try to convince you to stay on the safe route.

But nobody achieved anything sitting in their comfort zone.

That’s something I press into all the learners at Forest School.

The job of a good Forest leader is to skilfully and subtly remove the learners perceived barriers or misconceptions of themselves and take them out of their comfort zone, into a place called the zone of proximal development.

It’s kind of like an animal whose in a field that they’ve eaten nearly all the grass in- their comfort zone and by the farmer moving the fence just enough or opening the gate and guiding the animal through step by step, to allow them to explore new pasture and begin to feed their appetite again.

That is what it means to take a learner into their zone of proximal development. We all have an appetite to learn and develop, that’s why we seek out new experiences.

Children are no different, they just need a little help sometimes opening the gate.

#3 The first few episodes I thought robot voice was good.

‘Cringworthingly’ I listened back to my first few episodes and felt speaking slowly and in a weird way was….well normal.

At the time it was and it made me ponder when and where did i sort of transition to a place where I’m seemingly more happy about my tones.

I also noticed my intros and outros were quite long, but reflected on the fact that those were a natural element in the early content that was about thoughts, ideas and personal images

All from a time that shaped who I am today, as apposed to lived factual representations or real forest school practice.

I have continued this with my sit down Sunday episodes and personally feel this works well striking a balance between short bitesized, car journey to the shops or school, middle of the week episodes and longer, more deeply awakening weekend ideas

#Bonus Lesson 4 I’m getting better at interviews.

I have come to the understanding that perhaps I listen to intently to my interviewees as I’m so hooked in what they’re saying.

After all having them on the show is somewhat of a guilty pleasure of mine as they are people who interest me!

Shock!

Whilst also being able to form an incredible knowledge base for you the parent listeners.

I think I have to become a little less star struck and perhaps it made lead to even more better hosting, who knows.

My guests rock it everytime though don’t they! As a non selfish move, would love to hear who I should invite on next from you the listener.

Plus, by the way you can leave me a voice message over on the podcast which I shall happily put to guests or even answer myself…as long as it’s clean.

So there you are, three lessons and a bonus I’ve learnt from doing 50 episodes.

You’re Just One Session Away!