Wild Earthlings

At Wild Earthlings we believe that the two most sacred things are the Earth and our children. Our aim is to continue the work that our Earth has been doing for millions of years and encourage the youngest among us to walk peacefully through the environment and learn the endless lessons it has to offer.

We believe in a slow childhood, and aim to provide a setting where children are free to explore at their own pace and interact with the world around them in an authentic and unhurried way. Play is the highest form of research and we want to honour this by sparking children’s imagination every day. As well as this, providing invitations and provocations to learning within this natural setting, based on the children’s interests, will allow us to follow along the path of knowledge with each child.

We believe in holistic approaches; although the Earth is a powerful teacher, what we do on the Earth can make childhood even more rich. Music, art, culture, science, movement, history, literacy, numeracy, social skills and emotional development are all practised on a daily basis by children and as such we will provide experiences that feed every child’s innate yearning to learn and grow.

We believe that dirt, mud, water, rocks, timber, fire, dew, smoke, ash, rain, wind, bark and leaves all have a place in children’s lives and indeed play a special role in guiding how they relate to others, who they become and who they know themselves to be. Immersing children in this is how we plan to see them grow and develop.

Our land is an ancient beauty, which has a sacred knowledge, held by our First Nations people. We honour those who were here before us by learning traditional practices, building local connections and building respect and reverence amongst our little people. Not only this, but acknowledging and exploring our shared history and exploring difficult concepts in respectful and open ways. Including Indigenous perspectives in our practice is an important part of not only celebrating the earth but instilling a childhood full of perspective, respect and timeless wisdom and knowledge.

We believe in supervised risk taking as a major part of children’s learning. As adults, it can be difficult for us to watch children take risks however when given the opportunity to test their limits, they find what they can do and what they are still yet to learn. We promote these opportunities and recognise that cuts and grazes develop resilience, problem solving skills and deep rooted physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

In a world of growing technological and industrial emphasis, children are finding themselves in nature less and less so even at this early stage of their life, it may be necessary to not only establish connections, but RE-connect. It is our hope that having an unplugged period of time will show positive effects on the children both in our space as well as when they venture into the wider world.

We believe in respect for all things sacred, and one of these things is family, however this looks for you. We welcome a diverse range of families to our space and welcome the various perspectives they bring with them. We encourage all family members to go on the journey with their children and taking this special time together to build upon the bonds you already have.