The Wildlings Outdoor School

30 degrees and the forest still knows exactly what children need 🌿☀️

💧 water play in the shade
🌳 cool toes in the grass
🌼 sitting, making daisy chains
🪵 quiet den building
🍓 picnic snacks outdoors
🐌 hunting for tiny creatures hiding from the sun
💚 slowing down

A wonderful thing about outdoor childhoods is how naturally children learn to listen to their bodies and environment. On hot days, the forest seems to soften everything. The pace changes. The play changes. The children adapt beautifully.

No flashing screens.
No overstimulation.
Just fresh air, shade, movement, imagination and connection 🌿

What’s your child been doing to stay cool today? ☀️👇

What’s your child’s current “thing” at the moment? 🌿✨

Sticks?
Diggers?
Collecting rocks?
Puddles?
Climbing EVERYTHING?
Carrying things twice their size for absolutely no reason? 😂

One of our favourite things about spending time outdoors with children is watching them naturally gravitate towards the exact kind of play their growing brains and bodies need.

Children really do learn best when they’re free to explore, create, move and wonder in their own way. 🤎

Tell us your child’s current obsession below 👇

At forest school, some of the richest learning happens in the simplest moments. 🌿

Last week, a favourite game involved nothing more than a stone, two children and a set of ever-changing rules. Pat the stone. If the other player picks it up, knock the ground instead. Get it wrong and you’re out!

What looks like “just a game” is actually children building:
✨ concentration
✨ impulse control
✨ reflexes
✨ memory
✨ rhythm and timing
✨ social communication
✨ emotional regulation
✨ flexible thinking

No screens. No plastic toys. No adult-led worksheet. Just children naturally creating the exact kind of play their developing brains need.

When children are given time, freedom and a rich natural environment, they instinctively seek out activities that challenge and grow them. They negotiate rules, test boundaries, solve problems, take risks and adapt — all through play.

Sometimes the best curriculum is simply space to explore, imagine and be wonderfully, wildly human. 🍃

🌿 Autumn Term Enrolment Now Open🌿

Give your child an experience like no other.

At The Wildlings, our children spend their days climbing trees, splashing through puddles, building dens, lighting campfires, discovering wildlife, and forming deep friendships in the heart of nature.

Our nurturing forest school environment gives children the freedom to explore, create, imagine and truly grow, all while developing confidence, resilience, independence and a lifelong love of the outdoors.

Whether your child is taking their very first steps into group learning or seeking adventure beyond the classroom, there’s a place for them here.

🌱 Mondays – Mixed Age Forest School

Ages 2.5 – 13 years

A truly special mixed age community where younger children learn alongside older role models, and older children naturally develop leadership, empathy and confidence.

Each week brings new woodland adventures including den building, campfire cooking, tool use, rope swings, woodland crafts, wildlife exploration and muddy outdoor play.

A beautiful, family style learning environment where children of all ages thrive together.

🌿 Tuesdays – Forest School Kindergarten

Ages 2.5 – 5 years

(Including Reception aged children & home educated children)

A gentle, nurturing introduction to learning through nature. Perfect for little ones longing for something more than a traditional classroom, or families looking for a slower, more connected childhood experience.

Sessions focus on imaginative play, social confidence, emotional wellbeing, early independence and hands on discovery in the natural world.

No rushing. No projector screens. No interactive whiteboards. No overstimulation.

Just muddy boots, fresh air, stories, real world learning, friendship and wonder.

🍃 Wednesdays – Outdoor Learning Groups

Kindergarten Group

Ages 2.5 – 5/7 years

Forest School Group

Ages 5/7 – 13 years

Our Wednesday sessions allow children to learn and explore at a pace that suits them best.

Younger Wildlings enjoy sensory rich outdoor play, storytelling, nature crafts and confidence building adventures, while older children take on greater challenges including shelter building, fire skills, woodland problem solving and teamwork activities.

For children aged 5–7, parents can choose the group that best matches their child’s confidence, interests and natural stage of development.

🌿 Thursdays – Forest School Kindergarten

Ages 2.5 – 5 years

(Including Reception-aged children & home educated children)

Another beautiful day for our youngest Wildlings to learn, grow and explore through nature-led play.

Thursday sessions offer the same calm, nurturing forest kindergarten experience filled with muddy adventures, storytelling, imaginative play, woodland crafts, songs, nature discovery and gentle social learning.

Children build confidence, independence and friendships naturally through outdoor exploration — all within a warm and supportive environment where childhood is protected and celebrated.

Perfect for families seeking a slower, more connected approach to early years education.

Fresh air. Open skies. Tiny muddy boots. Endless wonder.

🔥 Monthly Friday Programme

OCN Level 1 Award

Ages 11+

An exciting accredited outdoor learning programme designed for older children and teens ready to build real world skills and confidence.

Participants develop practical bushcraft and outdoor skills, teamwork, leadership and personal resilience while working towards a recognised qualification in a supportive and encouraging environment.

Ideal for home educated young people, alternative learners, or those who simply thrive outside the traditional classroom.

🌲 Why Families Choose The Wildlings

✨ Small, nurturing groups

✨ Child led learning rooted in nature

✨ Qualified and experienced staff

✨ Confidence & wellbeing focused

✨ Screen free childhood adventures

✨ Government funded hours accepted (small top-up applies)

✨ Based within beautiful Baggeridge Country Park

Spaces are limited and many sessions fill quickly.

Come and experience the magic of outdoor childhood with us.

DM us or email [email protected] to get your information pack.

🌲 What’s On This Week🌲

This week The Wildlings are

❌ Not sitting still
❌ Not keeping clean
❌ Not looking at a screen
✔️ Climbing trees like it’s their job
✔️ Carrying very important sticks (that absolutely cannot be swapped)
✔️ Coming home muddy, tired, and ridiculously happy

Sound like your kind of childhood? 💚

Here’s what we’ve got going on:

🌿 Mon-Thur | Forest School (Drop-Off)
9am – 3pm

A full day of freedom, fresh air, flora, fauna and fun.

🌳 Wednesday | Stay & Play
9:30am – 11am

For little ones and their grown-ups, slow, simple, wholesome mornings in the woods.

🔥 This week’s adventures might include:

• Campfire snacks
• Den building & woodland missions
• Balancing, climbing & confidence-building play
• Nature crafts & muddy masterpieces
• Negotiating over sticks… lots of stick negotiations 🌿😄

And the best bit?

No pressure. No expectations. Just children being children… the way it should be.

💬 Comment “INFO” or send us a message to grab a space this week (they go quicker than you’d think 👀)

🌲 The Wildlings Outdoor School
📍 Baggeridge Country Park, DY3 4HB
🎉 Forest Parties • Bushcraft Camps • Woodland Retreats Available
📩 Message us to book your place or enquire

🪾Sticks🪾
At forest school, our children play with sticks every single day.

And without fail, one of the biggest debates is:
“THAT’S MY STICK!”

In a forest.
Full of sticks.

To us, they all look the same. Interchangeable. Replaceable.

But to our kids?
That stick is just right.
The perfect weight.
The perfect shape.
The one that became a fishing rod, a magical lightning staff, a pirate sword, a mud pie stirring spoon...

And no other stick in the whole forest will do.

It’s an absolute wonder to watch; how children see meaning where we just see "things.”

How they attach stories, value, and belonging to something so humble.

Maybe it’s a little reminder for us too.
That what matters to our children, matters most. Even when we don’t quite understand it. Because, once upon a time, we did 💚

If you’ve ever been handed a “very special stick” to take care of, you’ll understand.

🌳🌲Dirt! ... And the immune system🌲🌳

Getting a little bit muddy is one of our favourite things.

In a world of hand sanitiser, screens, and staying indoors, children’s immune systems aren’t getting the practice they once did.
But out here, with The Wildlings at Baggeridge Country Park , our children get ample opportunity🌲

💨 Fresh air filling growing lungs
🖐️ Hands in soil, building healthy bacteria
🌦️ Rain, wind, sun, snow; Gently teaching the body how to adapt and regulate itself

It’s not about being “dirty", it’s about giving their immune system the chance to learn.

Every stick picked up, every puddle splashed in, every tiny hand that pats a tree trunk or rescues a wiggly worm; its all helping their body become stronger, more resilient, and better prepared for the world around them 🌿

🌿✨ Stay & Play ✨🌿

Join our wonderful practitioner, Millie, tomorrow for a gentle, joy filled Stay & Play session at The Wildlings Outdoor School in Baggeridge Country Park 🌲

There’s something truly special about slowing down in nature, watching your little ones explore, create, and connect at their own pace in such a beautiful natural setting.

Whether it’s mixing potions in the mud kitchen, building dens, swinging in hammocks, or simply sitting together by the fire circle for a story and biscuits, this is where childhood magic happens 💛

🌱 A chance to really deepen that bond with your child
🌱 Meet other like-minded families
🌱 Enjoy the calm, grounding rhythm of the woods

🕤 Time: 9:30am – 11:00am
📍 Location: Baggeridge Country Park

No rush. No pressure. Just fresh air, freedom, and play. Why not explore the woods afterwards.

✨ We’d love to see you there. Wrap up warm and come and make some beautiful memories with us ✨