ONLINE TRAINING

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ONLINE TRAINING ⁘

Supercharge your nature play or bush kindy program without the paperwork overwhelm COMPLETELY ONLINE

Advanced Bush Kindy is a complete ONLINE training package that focuses on the practical, on-the-ground skills you’ll need to master the implementation and supervision of adventurous nature play activities such as using hand tools, fire, tree climbing, building temporary structures, ropes and water play with children.

With best practices, procedures, and systems that will give you the confidence to deliver adventurous play programs that will empower children to play boldly in the natural world.

⁘ MODULE ONE ⁘ Bush Kindy Basics

[Philosophy and Pedagogy]

Together we will explore the origins and evolution of Scandinavian Forest Schooling, unravelling its roots and understanding its impact across the world, but specifically how it is implemented in Australian learning settings as Nature Play and Bush Kindy programs.

Participants will undergo self-reflection to clarify their beliefs about education, learning, and the outdoors. The historical context of Forest School offers valuable insights as to why we must challenge conventional measures of academic success, advocating for an environment where children can fail and achieve a deep state of focus through risky play within nature.

At the end of this module you will have clarity around why Bush Kindy is important in your setting. 

    • Reflective practise

    • What is Forest School and Bush Kindy?

    • History of Forest School

    • Philosophy and Pedagogy

    • Children’s Autonomy Framework

    • Create your Vision and Mission for Bush Kindy

    • Benefits, Statistics and Concerns

    • Safe Spaces, Cultural Awareness and Inclusivity

⁘ MODULE TWO ⁘ Bush Kindy Barriers

Getting outside can be easier said than done. In this module we address the common barriers we face to getting our Bush Kindy programs up and running with practical, tried and tested solutions!

You will also have a detailed policy roadmap for the logistical side of running a Bush Kindy, such as, what to do about ratios, risk assessments, toileting, severe weather and optimal play locations.

    • Weather (including Extreme Weather Policy and Procedure)

    • Logistics such toileting and access to water

    • Transit (getting children safely to your site)

    • Insurance

    • Transforming uninspiring spaces

    • Plant safety, identification and seed collection

    • Ratios

    • Risk averse stakeholders and staff

    • Finding a location (including permit requirements)

    • Wildlife (including Wildlife and Snake Safety Policy)

    • Emergency Policy & Procedures

⁘ MODULE THREE ⁘ RISKY PLAY

Help ensure your Nature Play program is as safe as necessary, without watering down children's experiences. This module is your complete guide to why children need Risky Play and how we risk assess to ensure they have access to adventurous play. 

    • The importance of Risky Play

    • Risk Benefit Assessment

    • How to use the Risk Benefit Assessment Template

    • Venue Specific Risk Assessment and Template

    • Dynamic Risk Assessment

    This module comes with a completed General Nature Play Risk Assessment, Venue Risk Assessment Template, Dynamic Risk Assessment tool, Risk Assessment policy and procedures - all downloadable and customisable to your context.

⁘ MODULE FOUR ⁘ Advanced ADVENTURE Skills

[Practical Sessions]

Hold onto your hats, this is where the real fun starts! 

We’re going on a comprehensive journey addressing the challenges and many advantages of managing groups of eager children whilst undertaking adventurous activities.  You’ll be guided on the practical aspects of safely facilitating tree climbing, creek play, mud play, rock play and stick play as we share our proven strategies for managing children’s needs and your duty of care as a play provider.  

From mastering hammers, handsaws, hand drills, and whittling knives to implementing captivating campfires, these comprehensive lessons guide participants through fire safety, bush cooking, and risk assessment documentation. 

We will go beyond theoretical insights, providing essential checklists, templates, and resources for practical application.

We give you all the Hand Tools, Fire, Tree Climbing, Water Play and Rope Play Specific DONE-FOR-YOU Checklists, Risk-Benefit Assessment, Policy and Procedure, and Safety Briefings. We will also give you a copy of our tried and tested ‘Ultimate Bush Cooking Handbook’.  

Lessons include:

  • All the tools, resources and procedures to keep children safe in nature, as a group, including group recall and setting boundaries.

  • How to ensure that children have safe access to everyday nature play experiences with sticks, rocks, mud and more. This lesson includes a Nature Play and Outdoor Learning Policy Template.

  • Everything you need to dynamically risk assess tree climbing in group settings. Includes a Tree Climbing Risk Benefit Assessment Template, Policy Template and Safety Briefing.

  • Water Play and Exploration:

    • Policy

    • Procedures

    • Ratio and Supervision Guides

    • Safety Briefing

    • Risk Assessment

    • Venue Risk Assessment

    • Possible Additional Training Needs

  • Demonstration videos that cover:

    • Personal Protective Equipment

    • Clamps

    • Secatuers

    • Saws

    • Bit and Brace

    • Hand Drills

    • Hammers

    • Whittling with Pocket Knives

    • Policy templates and risk assessments

    • Safety briefing templates

    • Safety equipment

    • How to choose safe fire pit locations

    • How to build and start a fire

    • Choosing and splitting wood

    • Your role as Fire Keeper

    • Cooking safety

    • Kelly Kettle safety

    • How to extinguish a fire

    • Risk assessment and policy documents

    • Safety briefings

    • How to build Temporary Structures such as cubbies and shelters

    • Raft Building

    • Rope play and rope swings

    • Types of ropes

    • Knots and lashings

    • Risk assessment and policy documents

    • Safety briefings


⁘ MODULE FIVE ⁘ Relationships

The success of our programs will come down to the relationships we form with the children, their families and the wider community.

    • Respectful Communication

    • Educating Parents

    • Building Community

    • Behaviour Support

    • Your Role

⁘ MODULE SIX ⁘ EQUIPMENT AND PLANNING

This module is set up to help you with all of the on-the-ground logistics and planning from what to wear, what equipment you need and how to plan in response to your curriculum or framework. We also give you tools to assess for sustainability and environmental impact.

    • Essential Equipment

    • Clothing for the Outdoors

    • Resource Provision

    • Planning

    • Mapping tools

    • Sustainability

PAYMENT PLAN $219 x 12 months [MOST FLEXIBLE]

UPFRONT PAYMENT $1997 [BEST VALUE]

👇 Plus you’ll get THESE epic BONUSES 👇

  • ADDITIONAL POLICY TEMPLATES INCLUDING: Toileting and Hygiene, Transit, Ratios, Snakes, Emergency Management, Missing Children, Severe Weather and Organisation Culture & Values

  • Our ultimate EYLF Nature Play Mapping Tool and  ACARA Nature Play Learning Area Tool (Prep & Year 1)

  • Three-Year Sustainability Management Plan Template & Ecological Impact Assessment 

  • Our signature Children's Autonomy Framework

  • Minor & Major Incident Report Template

  • Yearly seasonal planner

  • Insurance Proposal Template

  • Communications Kit for Parents attending your program

  • Behaviour Support Plan Templates, Risk Assessment Templates, Behaviour Management Flowchart and Follow Up Email Template

  • OUR SIGNATURE Emergency Pocket Protocols PDF

ONLINE ACCESS

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ONLINE ACCESS ~

👋 Hello, We’re Nicki & Vicci!

We are former Teachers turned Co-Founders of the Wildlings Forest School. We’ve gone from being stuck indoors trapped under mountains of paperwork and departmental pressure to taking the roof off learning - quite literally!

Over the last seven years, we’ve empowered thousands of children to return to the old ways of learning by playing with hand tools, adventure and the wild, natural world.

We show up to work each day with a smile on our faces knowing that not only will we have an amazing day outdoors (shout-out to our mate, Serotonin) but also that children are benefiting from our time together in nature now and far into their future. 

Push the limits of nature play with the best practices and hands-on knowledge from WOMEN!

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Absolutely! Lifelong learning is just that... life long! If this floats your boat, do it!

  • No, this is not a Diploma, or Certificate 3 in Wild School Skills (AKA University, TAFE or RTO equivalent accredited course), nor a Level 3 Forest School Leader Course (UK). But please be aware that doing a Level 3 from a UK provider does not simply equate or transfer to Cert 3 here in Australia. It is not accredited here in Australia and currently, there is no accredited Wild or Forest School skills course here in Australia. Our course concentrates only on what we truly believe you really need to get outdoors, without the heavy load of assessments these institutes often require.

    That’s not to say we don’t have assessments - we do, but only where safety or values are concerned.

  • Yes! As much as we can - remembering that ratios are dependent on many factors, not limited to: your country/state/industry requirements, mentor experience/skills/quals, needs, ages abilities and skills of children, weather, activity, location etc. But yes, we do give you ratio guidelines for each adventurous activity.

  • Absolutely. This course allows up to 3 people to be assessed/gain their certificate.

    Additional team members/assessments can be purchased at $250 per head. Contact us at hello@wildlingsforestschool.com for large group package rates.

  • What we offer is similar in many ways as many of us are training people in the same skills. However, modules we offer that are different/additional to a typical Level 3 Forest School Leader qualification include:

    • Adventurous Activities

    • Water Play

    • Tree Climbing

    • Temporary Structures (cubbies/raft building) including safety briefing scripts, policies, procedures and how-to’s

    • Everyday Nature Play - including rock play, stick play, mud

    • Safe Outdoor Spaces, Cultural Awareness and Inclusivity

    • Play and your role in the Forest

    • Breaking Down the Barriers Module including

      • Wildlife

      • Plant ID

      • Transport and Transit

      • Logistics such as toileting and water (drinking and washing)

      • People - Risk averse directors, helicopter parents, uninspired staff

      • Insurance

      • How to fix Uninspiring spaces

      • Ratios

    • Children and Risk Assessment

      • Dynamic Risk Assessment

      • Venue Risk Assessment

      • Risky Play

    • Programming and Planning including

      • Resource provision

      • Planning (including multiple planners and tools that link to EYLF and ACARA)

    • Relationships, including:

      • Respectful Communication

      • How to educate parents

      • Building Community

      • Behaviour support

    • Group management (for each adventurous activity and in general)

  • Throughout the course you will be required to submit some small written assessment pieces, complete multiple choice questions and submit videos to demonstrate your understanding and competence in Hand Tools and Fire Safety. You will also be required to produce a Bush Kindy handbook outlining the policy and documentation that is required to run a Bush Kindy or Forest School program safely.


  • Approximately 25 hours of course content plus assessment.

    1. Know students and how they learn

    • Understanding child development in outdoor contexts

    • Adapting to diverse learning needs in nature-based settings

    1. Know the content and how to teach it

    • Demonstrating knowledge of environmental education

    • Integrating nature-based learning with curriculum areas

    1. Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning

    • Designing engaging outdoor learning experiences

    • Implementing play-based and inquiry-led approaches in nature

    1. Create and maintain supportive and safe learning environments

    • Managing risks in outdoor settings

    • Fostering inclusive and respectful outdoor learning spaces

    1. Engage in professional learning

    • Reflecting on and improving Bush Kindy practices

    • Staying current with research on nature-based education

    1. Engage professionally with colleagues, parents/carers and the community

    • Collaborating with families to support nature-based learning

    • Engaging with the local community and environment

Send us as email at hello@wildlingsforestschool.com and ask us any questions.

We want you to be 100% certain whether this training is right for you. We’d love it if you reached out.