Ep 34 - Tracey Maciver Interview

Lewis & Gemma welcome Tracy MacIver – Forest-School trainer, perennial swearer, and author of three (almost four!) beloved activity handbooks. Between squirrel-raids on the mud-kitchen and tales of backpack knives, the trio wanders through:

• 📚 How Tracy’s first book began as a photocopied “activity diary” for one anxious colleague

• 🪄 Handbag-survival hen parties (tampons = perfect fire-lighters)

• 🤦‍♂️ Adults: the real liability at whittling sessions (“I know how to use a knife… stab”)

• 🌳 Meeting reluctant teachers where they are – and why “any outdoor lesson is better than none”

• 🏫 The curse of 24-hour news & the shrinking childhood roam-range

• ✂️ Self-publishing vs. big publishers (and how a £400 Bloomsbury advance bought one takeaway)

• 🐊 “It’s the crocodile lady!” – early-years kids, MFL in the woods & a bus-ticket whistle game

• 🔥 Why Tracy confiscates all whistles and how she handles camp-chair teachers

⏱ Timestamps
00:00 – Laminated book pages & Kindle confusion
03:00 – Tracy’s path: from nanny ➜ early-years teacher ➜ Forest-School trainer
08:00 – The birth of Forest School Plymouth & training the very first cohorts
12:30 – Writing the first handbook for colleague Miranda (and why pages have blank “note” space)
15:00 – Swearing, Bear Grylls & lesson-plan bonfires
18:30 – Guardian article: “Is Forest School just marketing?” (lively rebuttal!)
23:00 – Why every child should be outside (even if it’s just the football field)
28:00 – Coaches, confidence & meeting adults’ comfort-zones
32:00 – Tracy’s favourite accidental impact stories (hearing-impairment unit & gifted-and-talented kids)
37:00 – Tool book, early-years book, and the next collection (when it’s ready)
40:00 – Hen parties, heart-surgery dads & woodland cake sessions
46:00 – Confession: Tracy’s only major accident = a teacher stabbing his own knee
50:00 – Head-teachers, funding & the power of “Take 12” outdoor lessons
55:00 – Squirrel crashes the mud-kitchen; Louis ponders lesson-plan ashes
57:00 – Why Tracy bans whistles (and what she does instead)
60:00 – Wrapping up: buying direct, future projects, and grand-baby impatience

🔑 Keywords: Forest School · outdoor learning · tool use · adult training · self-publishing · lesson plans · reluctant teachers · meet-them-where-they-are · Playwork · whittling safety

🏷️ Hashtags:
#ForestSchoolPodcast #TracyMacIver #OutdoorLearning #WhittlingFails #HandbagSurvival #PlayBasedTraining #Take12Lessons #MeetThemWhereTheyAre

➡️ Resources & Links
• Tracy’s books & direct orders (support the author!): forestschoolandoutdoorlearning.co.uk
• Guardian article discussed: “Is Forest School Just a Marketing Gimmick?” (June 2025)
• Our past chat with Richard Irvine (whittling guru) – search episode archive

☕ Support & connect
Enjoying the pod? Buy us a coffee (or elderflower fizz) at patreon.com/theforestschoolpodcast — perks include Discord chat & bonus mini-episodes.

👂🏽 We want to hear from you: What’s the worst adult mishap you’ve seen in the woods? Tell us on socials or send an email to [email protected].