{"podcast":{"title":"The Forest School Podcast","slug":"the-forest-school-podcast-1141815","podcast_index_feed_id":1141815,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/3faf584/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://www.theforestschoolpodcast.com","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/567785/567785-1759568785576-d60f1cc966b6a.jpg","author":"Lewis Ames and Wem Southerden","episode_count":252,"summary":"Wem Southerden & Lewis Ames have run Forest School and training centre Children of the Forest since 2017. The Forest School Podcast was born when they wondered if their daily wafflechats and reflections about pedagogy, play and nature connection might be of interest to others. The podcast aims to inform and support educators, parents, outdoor and play practitioners and anyone interested in nature and the outdoors. Through book reviews – interviews with experts, practitioners and authors – sharing our experience as educators and business owners – deep dives on fascinating topics –","last_synced_at":"2026-07-25T18:20:39.739581+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-forest-school-podcast-1141815"},"episode":{"title":"228 - Creating Play Taxonomies with Max Alexander","slug":"228-creating-play-taxonomies-with-max-alexander","published_at":"2025-09-22T14:10:39+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-forest-school-podcast-1141815/228-creating-play-taxonomies-with-max-alexander","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-forest-school-podcast-1141815","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theforestschoolpodcast/episodes/228---Creating-Play-Taxonomies-with-Max-Alexander-e38i90f","audio_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/3faf584/podcast/play/108650959/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-8-22%2F407932622-44100-2-c61d315b93e0a.mp3","summary":"In this calm, reflective conversation, Lewis and Wem sit down with play worker and artist Max Alexander of Play Radical to explore autistic play as a joyful, valid, and richly varied landscape. Max shares how one to one playwork can reconnect isolated young people to authentic play, why reflection habits from nursing training shaped their practice, and how non extractive documentation like session haiku can honour privacy while communicating value. The trio unpack the difference between rigid taxonomies and Max’s lighter play shapes, discuss why autistic play matters for wellbeing today rather than only for future outcomes, and explore practitioner shorthand that helps teams notice and scaffold emerging shapes. The second half turns to adult play, instincts, and the social barriers that police how bodies move in public. The result is a practical and humane guide to noticing more, intervening less, and creating space where play can breathe. TENTSILE is supporting this episode. Forest School leaders can get 10 percent off a Stingray tree tent with the code ForestChildren10 at checkout. Chris Holland is also supporting this episode. Grab his 54 page plant guide with our affiliate link and discount: https://chrisholland.myshopify.com/?ref=ForestSchoolPodcast 00:43 Windy morning intro and Max joins the chat 02:11 What Play Radical is and how Max works across roles 03:47 One to one playwork and inclusion for isolated autistic children 05:22 From nursing to The Yard and how practice took shape 08:03 Reflection habits and a commitment to accessible information 13:06 Haiku as non extractive documentation and a live example 16:25 Play shapes versus taxonomies and how to hold them lightly 22:34 Why autistic play matters for wellbeing and joy right now 23:26 Practitioner shorthand…","meta_description":"In this calm, reflective conversation, Lewis and Wem sit down with play worker and artist Max Alexander of Play Radical to explore autistic play as a joyf…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2603,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-forest-school-podcast-1141815/episodes/228-creating-play-taxonomies-with-max-alexander/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-forest-school-podcast-1141815/228-creating-play-taxonomies-with-max-alexander.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}