Wildlings is a hub for Self Directed Learning

What does a Wildlings session look like in practice?

We look like a Forest School but we are so much more….

A variety of activities are readily available. Children can always choose what to take part in and are free to create their own games, whether in a group or on their own.

Some typical activities for young people, available through the seasons:

• Democratic circle meetings

• Fire making

• Camp fire cooking 

• Whittling 

• Den building

• Nature crafts 

• Bushcraft skills

• Nature awareness 

• Tracking 

• Wildlife id

• Foraging

• Clay sculpting

• Nature games

• Basic tool skills

• Singing

• Preparing and crafting for seasonal festivities

Consent based education. What is it?

It certainly isn’t about letting children run around doing anything, no matter how disrupting or negatively impacting on themselves or others it may be.

It is all about hearing the voice of every child in the space, recognising their agency and ensuring there is the environment to hold the needs and views of each individual present in the space. This includes the adult Facilitators. We have a space where all voices are heard. All are respected.

Consent is via a yes, a no, or a maybe.

Consent is of the mind, the body, the emotions and the spirit of each person.

Consent extends beyond people and into our environment - including the Wildlings dogs, the Wildlings land, the sheep in the field, the berries on the bush… how far can you imagine consent extending when you listen its voice?

Conflict and resolution

We explore ways each day, where we can widen our perspective around conflict, or recognise and give voice to conflict, rather than forcing a limiting solution or a coerced “apology”.

Exploring conflict means children don’t have to fear it.

It means we can find more agile ways of navigating conflict instead of trying to escape it, ignore it or do battle with it.

Nature Connection

“Being naturalized to place means to live as if this is the land that feeds you, as if these are the streams from which you drink, that build your body and fill your spirit. To become naturalized is to know that your ancestors lie in this ground. Here you will give your gifts and meet your responsibilities. To become naturalized is to live as if your children’s future matters, to take care of the land as if our lives and the lives of all our relatives depend on it. Because they do.” 

― Robin Wall Kimmerer

We know that humans have developed for the vast majority of evolution, living within nature. We are adapted and highly attuned to the natural elements throughout our biology.

We know that the modern world takes us away from nature in many ways. We generally have to consciously put ourselves back in contact with nature to redress this balance. This act can often feel contrived and separate from nature, as if it is a commodity to consume, rather than a space to just be.

At Wildlings, we bring our daily lives back to simplicity at the Camp. We do our usual daily activities, but outside. We return to just “being” within the elements. We bring the reciprocity of life into our routine.

Facilitation

We feel very passionately that children generally, are the best equipped to decide what they need to be learning and when. What does learning look like most of the time? It looks like play! There are many crucial activities that take place within play, such as making assessments and taking risks. Children will often act out pseudo conflict situations within games to explore their boundaries and experience the thresholds around power.

“Collecting data on human learning based on children’s behavior in school is like collecting data on killer whales based on their behavior at Sea World.”

― Carol Black

At Wildlings, we trust in the unique way that each child navigates their learning. They have an innate ability to learn in the way that they need to. Just like babies learn an immense amount within their first two years, such as sitting up, walking, talking etc. These are huge feats of development and show that when a child is thriving (safe, respected and nourished), these learning capacities are at their greatest.

We know about this optimal brain function through many studies which show that there is a state known as “Flow”. A common example of someone in flow state would be a musician playing their instrument, or an artist mid painting; a gardener mid pruning or a chef mid cooking; a mathematician mid equation or an author mid writing. The clue is in the name: Flow. Children are experts at reaching flow state and have their compass directed towards it naturally. Only through social conditioning, trauma, busy, modern lives and many other factors great and small, does it become a state that is more difficult to attain and/or maintain in adulthood.

With this in mind as Facilitators, our fundamental role is to simply ensure this environment is maintained for those attending, so that they can find their flow unhindered, in their own rhythm. This will at times be in harmony with others and at other times there might be elements of discord. Facilitators are there to note these moments and offer opportunities to hold and guide, reflect and support, as needed.

Wildlings Facilitators hold the most meaningful task of the day most preciously: to ensure your children feel safe to be, safe to express, safe to connect.

All the rest follows from here…