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Grow Wild Education

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Grow Wild Education

Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Grow Wild Education, Education Website, 290 Makarau Road, Makarau.

Offering School Holiday & One-Day Programmes that inspire a generation of confident, curious & connected children through immersive nature-based learning that nurtures wellbeing, independence & a deep sense of kaitiakitanga.

04/09/2026

🌿 GROW WILD - OPEN DAY! 🌿

Thinking about registering your child for Grow Wild Education in Term 4? Come along to our Open Day and see what we’re all about! 🌳

We’re excited to be opening our second site at the Auckland Swiss Club in Kaukapakapa, and we’d love to welcome families from our local community to come and have a look around.

Come and meet us, explore the site, ask any questions you might have and get a feel for the kind of nature-based learning, adventure, creativity and free play that makes Grow Wild so special. 🔥🪵🌿

📅 Sunday 4th October
⏰ 12pm-3pm
📍 Auckland Swiss Club, Kaukapakapa

If you’ve been thinking about Grow Wild for your child, this is the perfect opportunity to come along and see it for yourself!

We’d love to see you and your family there 💚

🌿 Arrive curious. Leave connected. 🌿

31/08/2026

🌿 School holidays are better outdoors! Join Grow Wild for days of nature, adventure, creativity and wild fun these holidays! 🌳🔥🪵

Get in touch now to secure your child's place - [email protected]

29/08/2026

🍃 Grow Wild Education – Our New Kaukapakapa Site 🍃

We’re excited to introduce a second site for Grow Wild, located at the beautiful Auckland Swiss Club in Kaukapakapa.

From Term 4, Grow Wild Education will be offering our one-day-a-week programme every Tuesday from this special rural setting (as well as the usual Thursdays at Makarau Scout Camp).

The Auckland Swiss Club provides a wonderful environment for children to learn, explore and connect with the natural world. With open spaces, established trees and gardens it gives us another opportunity to deliver the Grow Wild experience in a different and inspiring environment ☀️🌻🍀

Our programme is centred around nature-based learning, outdoor exploration, practical skills, creativity, connection and child-led discovery. We believe children learn deeply when they have the freedom to get outside, get their hands dirty, take manageable risks, follow their interests and spend meaningful time in nature.

Our Kaukapakapa Tuesday programme will carry the same Grow Wild philosophy and values that families know and love, while making the most of everything this new site has to offer.

📍 Auckland Swiss Club, Kaukapakapa
📅 Tuesdays during Term 4
🌿 8.30am (drop off from 8am) - 2.30pm

This new site is an exciting next step for Grow Wild, allowing us to reach more families while staying true to what we value most: giving children time, space and freedom to grow wild.

👍 Get in touch to find out more [email protected]

25/08/2026

🌿 Let Them Be Curious 🌿

One of the beautiful things about childhood is the freedom to explore, experiment and figure things out along the way 🧠✨

At Grow Wild, we love giving kids the space to follow their curiosity, whether that means a stick becoming a paintbrush, a gumboot becoming a bucket, or a completely unexpected idea turning into something wonderful 🌱

Because when we allow children to take the lead:
🔍 Curiosity builds problem-solving skills
🌱 Mistakes become opportunities to learn
💡 Imagination builds confidence

It’s so easy to step in with, “That’s not how you do it,” or “Let me show you.” But sometimes the best thing we can do is pause, step back and let them work it out for themselves.

Those little moments of discovery are where so much learning happens ✨

So let’s give our children permission to wonder, tinker, experiment, get it wrong, try again and discover their own way.

Because learning doesn’t always need to look perfect - sometimes it looks a little muddy, messy and completely unexpected 🌿💛

20/08/2026

❄️☀️ Yesterday at Grow Wild Education - our One-Day Programme! 🌿

We had a day full of creativity, adventure, teamwork and plenty of getting messy!

💡 Creativity & teamwork
A simple pile of scrap cardboard sparked the idea to build a laptop, and suddenly everyone was involved, sharing ideas, solving problems and working together. Exactly the kind of learning we love to see at Grow Wild!

🍃 Nature bracelets
We explored the outdoors collecting little pieces of nature to create our own bracelets (which can now double as bookmarks!).

💦 Pond adventures
Our walk took us to the pond, where some of the group decided that getting muddy was definitely part of the plan!

🔥 Fire-building challenge
After lunch, our kids worked in small groups to collect and sort firewood, build their own fires and learn how to get them going. And of course, there were marshmallows to toast! 🔥

🌈 And everything in between…
Beaded bracelets, Twister, whittling, imaginative games and plenty of fun on the bottom field rounded out a fantastic day.

It was so cool to see the kids leading their own ideas, working together, getting stuck in and simply enjoying being outdoors ❤️

This is what Grow Wild is all about 🌿

Contact us to learn more or register your interest for Term 4 - Tuesdays in Kaukapakapa and Thursdays in Makarau.

[email protected]

18/08/2026

"🌱 Grow Wild Education helps kids thrive by taking them outdoors!

Our one-day programme running each term offers more than just fun - they give children their own nature-fueled “stress reset.”

Through grounded immersion and playful exploration, your kids gain:

✅ A natural outlet for energy and emotions
✅ A calming, sensory-rich experience that eases tension
✅ A chance to reset and return home happier and more settled

👉 How to Sign Up:
Spots for our One-Day Programme in Term 4 are limited!

📌 Email us - [email protected] or flick us a message to find out more

Give your child the gift of calm, confidence, and connection with nature 🌿✨"

15/08/2026

🌿 Why is risky play so important? 🌿

At Grow Wild, we believe children need opportunities to take safe, manageable risks - to climb, balance, build, explore, get muddy and test their own limits 🌱

Risky play helps kids develop:

🧠 Problem-solving skills – “How can I do this?”
💪 Confidence & resilience – learning that mistakes are okay
⚖️ Coordination & body awareness – understanding what their bodies can do
🤝 Independence – making choices and trusting their own judgement
❤️ Emotional regulation – learning to manage excitement, uncertainty and challenge

There’s an important difference between risk and danger. Danger is something a child cannot reasonably assess or manage. Risky play gives children the chance to experience challenge while adults create an environment where they can explore safely.

Sometimes it’s tempting to step in and say, “Be careful!” But when we give children a little space to work things out for themselves, we’re helping them build the skills they need to navigate the bigger world.

At Grow Wild, we don't aim to eliminate every risk.

We help children learn how to manage it 🌿

Because confidence doesn't grow from always being kept safe — it grows from discovering, “I can do this” 💚

13/08/2026

🐥 Chick cuddles at Grow Wild! 🐥

We had such a lovely time bringing along our one-week-old chicks to Grow Wild for the children to cuddle, observe and discover what chicks actually do 🤍

There was plenty to watch - little peeps, tiny feet exploring, feathers fluffing up, eating, sleeping and lots of curious chick behaviour!

Our fluffy little visitors sparked so many wonderful questions and conversations from the children. Why do chicks peep? What do they eat? Why do they sleep so much? How do they know where to go? And what will they grow into? 🐣

These hands-on experiences are such a beautiful way for children to learn, through curiosity, observation, gentle interactions and asking questions about the world around them.

It was so special seeing the children’s faces as they met our newest little friends 💛🐥

11/08/2026

One of the greatest privileges of running Grow Wild is getting to see the benefits my own two boys get from being part of our one-day programme.

My oldest, Raè, isn’t the most boisterous of boys. He’s gentle, thoughtful and happiest building with Lego, reading a book or playing a board game ❤️

When we started Grow Wild almost a year ago, I remember him being in tears because he couldn’t climb trees like so many of the other kids could. It was hard for him watching others scramble up while he struggled to find his confidence.

Fast forward to now… and he’s often the first one up a tree! 🌳 These days, I’m the one calling out, “Check your height, Raè! Have you got a plan for getting down?”

Yesterday, he took on the Kumeu Tough Guy and Gal Challenge, and I honestly couldn’t be prouder of him.

He gave it everything he had. He ran the whole way. He challenged himself. He did it in his own way, without worrying about what anyone else was doing or comparing himself to others.

And then today, seeing him proudly walk into school wearing his medal absolutely lit up my heart 🥹❤️

It reminded me why I love what we’re creating with Grow Wild.

It’s not about every child being the loudest, fastest, strongest or most confident. It’s about giving them opportunities to discover what they are capable of, to push through the things that feel hard, to build confidence and resilience, and to find their own version of success.

Watching Raè grow from the little boy who was upset because he couldn’t climb a tree, to the boy who now charges up them without hesitation, has been pretty special.

And I feel incredibly lucky that I get to witness that kind of growth, not just in my own boys, but in so many of the children who come through Grow Wild 🌿💚

09/08/2026

💚 Grateful for the Support of Our Local Schools 💚

One thing that has become increasingly clear to us is just how fortunate we are to have the support of our local schools.

We've had parents share that their child's school has been incredibly supportive of them attending Grow Wild one day a week. Even more encouraging, teachers have noticed positive changes, not only in the child's learning back at school, but also in their confidence, engagement and overall happiness. That means so much to us.

Grow Wild has never been about replacing school. It's about complementing it by giving children opportunities to connect with nature, build confidence, develop resilience, and learn through real-world experiences. Seeing those benefits carry over into the classroom is exactly what we hope for.

To the schools that have embraced what we're doing and worked alongside families to support their children - thank you. We truly value your support and look forward to continuing to work together to help children thrive, both in nature and in the classroom 🌿

Address

290 Makarau Road
Makarau
0873

Opening Hours

Tuesday	8am - 2:30pm
Thursday	8am - 2:30pm

Telephone

+642102596168

Website

https://www.growwildeducation.co.nz/

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