Ep 212: Does Forest School need more 'Clean' Language?

🌿 What Is Clean Language & Should You Use It Outdoors?

In this introspective solo episode, Lewis reflects on Contempt to Curiosity by Caitlin Walker—an exploration of Clean Language, group metaphors, and truly non-judgemental communication.

What begins as a quiet Friday morning in the woods becomes a deeply personal and practical unpacking of:

What Clean Language actually is and where it came from 👂

Why exploring someone’s “inner world” is powerful—and risky

How metaphor can unify (or divide) groups 🌀

Practical uses of Clean Language in Forest School

Whether this approach is clunky-but-useful—or core practice

💬 Plus, Lewis shares a raw personal story of being on the receiving end of Clean Language coaching… and the surprising discomfort that followed.

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⏳ Episode Chapters

00:00 – Intro, birdsong, forest stillness 🌳

02:00 – Feeling isolated as a leader

04:00 – Housekeeping & community shout-out

06:00 – What is Clean Language? Who created it?

08:30 – Metaphors, coaching & autonomy

10:00 – The “clunky but useful” language tools

13:00 – Forest School Association anecdote

20:00 – What “Smell. Soil.” taught Lewis

27:00 – What Clean Language missed in his response

30:00 – Can metaphors create better group cohesion?

33:00 – Why Forest School needs shared metaphors

36:00 – Facilitating feelings, not just activities

40:00 – Cocktail bars & metaphor-building 🍸

44:00 – When “mycelial network” isn’t enough 🍄

47:00 – Clean Language as a practice addon—not a necessity

50:00 – Is this book for beginners or advanced practice?

📚 Mentioned in This Episode

Contempt to Curiosity by Caitlin Walker

David Grove’s Clean Language

Nonviolent Communication (NVC)

Forest School Association Strategy Weekend

Declarative language in outdoor education

“Mycelial Network” (metaphor bingo!) 🍄

💬 Join the Discussion

🌱 What metaphor would your Forest School group use to describe itself?

Do you already use metaphors in your practice—or avoid them entirely?

We’d love to hear YOUR stories. Drop us a message on social media or email [email protected]

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