Born Wild Community

26/08/2026

Born Wild Academy is our nature-based learning and literacy and numeracy enrichment program for primary-aged children.

We combine explicit teaching with Forest School pedagogy, outdoor learning, hands-on experiences and weekly quests.

Children might read, write, spell, calculate, measure, map, investigate and solve mathematical problems.

They might also build a shelter, follow clues, navigate the bush, investigate fire, design a water holder or solve a problem using whatever they can find around them.

The learning is intentional.

The environment is different.

We believe children don’t have to choose between academic learning and the freedom to explore.

They can have both.

And there are several ways to experience Born Wild learning:

Full-day or Half-day Born Wild Academy for homeschool families or flexi-school families. Children attending mainstream schooling but taking a day for alternative learning are also welcome. Trialling now.

1.5-hour After School Academy for school-aged children. Starting soon.

Personalised 1:1 tutoring, outdoors or online. Available now. Limited spaces.

Send a PM to find out more.

22/08/2026

So what does a day at Born Wild Explorers - Bush Kinder actually look like?

We have a rhythm rather than a rigid schedule.

We begin with an outdoor learning invitation — something to investigate, create, collect, observe or wonder about.

We might move into a workshop, quest or mission, depending on the day.

Children could be building, making, experimenting, exploring or solving a challenge together.

Then we join together for storytime.

After that, it’s time to head out on our bushwalk.

We notice. We listen. We play!

We look for tracks, birds, insects, plants and seasonal changes.

Back at camp, we gather around the campfire.

There’s a chance to fire strike and cook something.

The afternoon might flow into more campfire cooking, nature play and our Artist Studio.

Painting. Drawing. Weaving. Nature journalling. Sculpture. Storytelling. Creating with natural materials.

The rhythm stays familiar but the experience changes every week.

And importantly, children aren’t expected to be ready for everything on day one.

They are given time to become comfortable with the people, place and rhythm of the community.

20/08/2026

If anyone in our community has old tree guards, chicken wire and/or stakes or star pickets they are willing to donate, we would be really grateful so we can protect our new plantings from the rabbits!

We are proud to be a recipient of the Wheen Bee Foundation’s Trees for Bees Community Tree Grant.
Through this project, we’ll be planting pollinator-friendly trees and shrubs to create more food and habitat for bees and other pollinators.
Stay tuned as our planting project comes to life.
The grants are proudly supported by Flow and Rabobank’s Rabo Community Fund.

19/08/2026

Its initiatives like these that make us believe at Born Wild, that we CAN rewild our cities, we CAN combat climate change and we CAN improve biodiversity.

19/08/2026

19/08/2026

“Is it just free play?” It’s a fair question. And the answer is no.

Born Wild Explorers is intentionally planned and directed by a registered teacher.

Our sessions are designed with clear learning intentions, while still leaving plenty of space for children to follow their interests and take ownership of their play.

A building experience might develop problem solving, spatial awareness and collaboration.

A bushwalk might develop observation, vocabulary, physical confidence and environmental understanding.

Cooking might involve counting, measuring, sequencing and science.

Art might develop fine motor skills, creativity, planning and self-expression.

Storytime builds language, listening and imagination.

Open-ended play allows children to practise decision making, negotiation, persistence and independence.

And our educators are there to notice, respond, extend and support children’s learning as it unfolds. Like hearing a Banjo Frog, knowing that male frogs are often the ones calling at this time, and then creating a female frog from a foraged rock.

We don’t believe intentional teaching means children need to sit still while an adult tells them what to learn.

Some of the richest learning happens when an adult carefully prepares the environment, introduces an idea and then gives children space to explore it.

That’s what we mean by intentional, child-led learning.

18/08/2026

What if kindergarten felt more like an adventure?

Welcome to Born Wild Explorers.

We’ve realised that many Bellarine families don’t know we exist, so we wanted to introduce ourselves…

Our Bush Kinder and nature play program for 3–6 year olds is a place for children to explore, create, investigate, move, make, imagine and connect with the natural world.

While our days might look wild and free, there is a lot of intention behind what we do.

Every session is thoughtfully planned and directed by a registered teacher, with experiences designed around children's development, interests, curiosity and the natural environment around us.

Our rhythm includes:

Outdoor learning invitations
Hands-on workshops
Missions to complete
Storytime
Bushwalks
Campfire time and cooking
Artist Studio
Open-ended nature play

Children climb, build, create, investigate, tell stories, watch quietly.

There is room for all.

And there's a space for parents too.

We know that not every three, four or five year old is ready to separate completely from their caregiver. So at Born Wild Explorers...

You can stay.

You can gradually step back.

Or, when your child and family are ready, you can choose to drop them off.

We believe kindergarten should be a gentle ease into time away from a caregiver, not a sudden drop-and-leave experience.

This is a community children can gradually grow to know, trust and belong to.

Bush Kinder and Nature Play for 3-6 year olds.

Come and explore with us.

Know a family who would love this? We’d be so grateful if you shared this post with them.

16/08/2026

Did you know there's a bush playgroup on the Bellarine? And one of the things we do is sensory play through planting. Dirt, mud, leaves, worms - so many textures to explore with all of our senses. We’ve got a few Dianella’s to put in the ground this week. They are a key species in our Butterfly project. The place comes alive with butterflies in the warmer months. Join us for the second half of this term, or visit us for a 1 hour stay and play. Booking link in the comments.

14/08/2026

Slow days at Born Wild Community.

Childhood that isn’t rushed.

Time to wander, to notice, to wonder, to get muddy, and to figure things out.

There are mentors here to teach when children are looking for knowledge, but we don’t rush to fill every moment with instruction. We trust that learning happens through time, space, connection and experience.

Children learn to read the landscape, use their hands, solve problems, take appropriate risks, care for one another and become comfortable in the outdoors.

We’re not just preparing children for school.

We’re giving them the foundations for becoming capable, connected and well-adjusted adults who know how to be in the world, and in the natural world around them.

Bookings for term 4 open soon. Or join us for the 4 sessions we have remaining this term.