Ep 230- We Need Your Art: creativity, failure, and celebration in Forest School

In this reflective, funny episode, Lewis and Gemma reunite in the same room, fresh from a Royal Forestry Society award and a whirlwind visit to Westonbirt Arboretum. Using the provocatively titled book *We Need Your Art: Stop ***ing Around and Make Something as a springboard, they unpack how Western culture sidelines creativity, why Forest School’s process-first ethos matters, and how to plan for failure with kinder self-talk. Expect talk of “shitty art” challenges, class and permission to fail, celebrating small milestones without slipping into praise economies, acorn milk experiments, squirrel mysteries, and the radical power of modelling silliness so children feel safe to try, tinker, and try again.

• TENTSILE — Tree tents that transform tricky ground into magical campouts. Listeners get 10% off with code ForestChildren10 at checkout.

• Chris Holland — Nature connection resources we genuinely rate. Explore his 54-page plant guide and more via our affiliate link: https://chrisholland.myshopify.com/?ref=ForestSchoolPodcast

00:43 – Back together: RFS award, Westonbirt Arboretum, and “Square Oil” giggles
04:24 – The book: bold Sharpie manifestos that kick you into making
06:15 – Structure: reflective prompts, a two-week “make something daily” challenge, and looking back
07:36 – Why Forest School is a curriculum-free haven for creativity, not metrics
08:52 – How school and society infantilise art and push it to the margins
11:44 – Product versus process: performances, gifts, and the “motivation soup”
19:18 – Class, safety nets, and permission to fail in creative careers
21:39 – Plan your self-talk for when you fail; modelling kinder language with parents
33:26 – Celebrating small milestones together without turning joy into judgment
52:32 – Stop at 80%: making endings easy, sustainable, and actually enjoyable

🌲 Keywords: Forest School creativity, process-focused learning, failure and self-talk, celebrating milestones, class and creativity, modelling silliness, acorn processing, non-judgemental spaces, child-led practice, practitioner reflection

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