10 Pillars of Wildschooling & How We Meet Them at Wildlings
“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” John Muir
One of our main guiding principles at Widlings Forst School is putting the dirt back in childhood. In this ever changing world, it is important to remember our roots and take time to participate in a timeless human tradition, allowing children to play and learn in nature.
Although the concept of our Forest School is not an exact replica of Nicolette Sowder’s Wildschooling, we share fundamental ideas with the philosophy. The ten pillars that Sowden expounds stand tall and strong like grandmother trees at Wildlings Forest School. Let’s take a closer look at Sowden’s Pillars.
1. Recognises nature connection as a fundamental human need, right, and state of being.
We are advocates for children’s rights. Forest school is a place where kids can be kids and relish in the most special parts of their childhood. Imagine the place you connected most with as a child. Most likely, as you are a product of your generation, it is in nature. Maybe it is the gnarled fig tree in your backyard, the lively rockpools at your grandparent’s local beach access, or the park filled with native greenery you played in with your neighborhood friends. Reflect on the feelings and emotions that you felt in that space. Independence, confidence, curiosity. We provide the opportunity for children to feel and express themselves in their own sacred space. Not without boundaries, but with the ability to just be, which brings us to pillar number two.
2. Values and respects the whole child
Forest school is a no judgement zone. They are free to express as they like, be themselves and in doing so, discover who they are. When given the freedom to challenge boredom with curiosity and wonder, children are able to discover what truly lights them up and find joy. While children can and do learn numeracy and literacy in the forest, the focus is not purely on academics, rather, Forest School focuses on a holistic education, with well-being being a centre focus. Children can run and jump and play as their bodies are made to, they can use their outdoor voices, they can be creative and use their imaginations. Wildlings learn to respect their friends and be accepting of people from many different backgrounds which is in alignment with our next pillar.
3. Is relationship led
Social skill development is perhaps the most important component missing from the current practices that traditional schools and institutions are implementing. With so much screen time and technology, the ability to form bonds, work with others and learn about mutual respect is faltering. At forest school we focus on teamwork, honouring the other wildlings and creating lasting friendships. There is also a profound honouring of the nature-to-child relationship too. As children learn about their natural environment, they begin to care and with care comes respect and the inspiration to take responsibility for the places they hold dear.
4. Favours place bonded, conceptual learning
With the above mentioned idea, place bonding comes with the relationship our Wildlings form with their forest or beach or whichever place they find themselves in. Wildlings Forest School has locations across the Sunshine Coast and in Brisbane. The diversity of locations creates different interactions with different environments which helps children conceptualize the diversity of the world and find their place in it. They learn about the land and about themselves through nature play and mother nature.
5. Aligns with Nature’s rhythms
There is so much to learn from mother nature herself. She is the greatest teacher when we stop and listen to her messages. At Forest School, we honour this with seasonal activities. Raft building in the cool and refreshing creek on hot summer days, and rugging up next to camp fires and cooking damper over the flames when winter comes. We learn as we watch the space change with time, seeing how people and nature change in non linear ways. We notice seasonal synchronicities such as the Camphor Laurel (weed) fruiting when the Hairy Catepillars are about. Children experience the seasons first-hand and in turn get to know their space and find a sense of belonging in nature.
Wildlings following their own interests, working together to saw a log for the ladder they decided to make.
6. Emergent Learning
Emergent learning is a term used to describe a flexible pedagogical approach that relies on the children's interests and the circumstances of the day to dictate the learning content. Forest School leaders provide the space, the time, the resources and guidance - should children request it. We may offer raft building as an activity on the day but one child uses the materials to build a cubby instead, another uses the saw to just saw for an hour and yet another builds a triple decker raft far beyond anything we could have ever imagined or taught ourselves. Forest school meets the child at their developmental stage on any given day.
7. Encourages Village Building
We all know it takes a village. One of the best parts of Forest School is the community. Mothers and fathers alike have fostered new friendships down in the forest along with their children. People come together, share stories and ideas about parenthood and connect to families outside their own. It offers the opportunity to learn with your child. Parents often join Forest School for their children but come back for themselves.
8. Respects and honours ancestral knowledge
Running Forest School programs on country allows us to acknowledge our indigenous ancestors here in Australia and all around the world. It makes learning about indigenous culture easier and more authentic. We learn about flora and fauna and incorporate it into our programs, such as only using non native and invasive flora for whittling and cubby house building. Most importantly, we learn to coexist and utilise natural resources in a respectful way.
9. Preserves and honours stories
One of the ways Forest School allows our young wildlings to build character and skills is through risky play and storytelling. For example, they might share a past experience with a friend before they attempt to climb up a rope in a tree. They might advise to pull on a branch to test its weight first before climbing a tree, having had a past experience where a branch broke on them. These stories get passed down from term to term, program to program, generation to generation. Sharing stories bonds the children together, keeps them safe and empowers them to take on new challenges.
10. Supports a future paradigm
Perhaps the essential key to this ideology is sustainability. It fosters a deep understanding for the earth and with understanding comes compassion. It is establishing a healthy upbringing that will be passed onto our children and their children’s children. Being a parent to a wildling allows you to play a vital role in the preservation of the true nature of childhood and nature itself.
Children deserve to have the opportunity to run wild in nature, to learn, to take risks, to form relationships, to build resilience and thrive as they were meant to. For how can children learn to love and protect nature, if they’ve never had a childhood in it?
If you are interested in finding out more about Wildschooling, you can listen to our Wildschooling episode on the Raising Wildlings podcast here.
Stay wild x
Source: Wild Child by Nicolette Sowden