What should I bring to Forest School?
No matter the session, whether it be Playgroup or a High School Excursion, we recommend children bring the following:
Food
Water
Hat
Closed in shoes (we recommend aqua shoes, crocs, old runners or canvas shoes they're happy to get wet and muddy). Gumboots can be frustrating for young children. No thongs please!
Long lightweight pants to minimise the risk of bites and scratches but shorts are fine.
Insect repellant/sunscreen
Swimmers, rashie, towel
Wet gear if rain is predicted - rain jacket, pants, gumboots
Spare change (or two) of clothes, including spare shoes and socks
What is Forest School?
Forest School is an inspirational educational philosophy that offers ALL learners regular opportunities to achieve success and develop confidence and self-esteem through hands-on learning experiences in a wild space or natural environment. Forest School is a specialised learning approach that sits within and compliments the wider context of outdoor education (www.forestschoolassociation.org).
Are you a school?
Whilst the word 'school' is part of our name, we are NOT a school. We are an outdoor activity provider that follows the Forest School educational philosophy.
However, we are now the proud owners of Little Wildlings, a government approved regulated early learning centre in Capalaba, Brisbane, QLD. There we run both a pre-kindy and a government approved Kindergarten program that is eligible for CCS, Free Kindy, and meets both the Early Years Learning Framework and National Quality Standards. Click here to find out more.
What is the difference between Wildlings Forest School and other learning programs?
Wildlings Forest School takes place predominantly outdoors, is experiential, child-led and largely unstructured. We want our children to be able to learn in a natural environment which provides them with risks, challenges and a love and respect for the environment. Because of this, children spend their entire time outdoors at our Forest School driving their own learning through the exploration of the natural environment. We aim to raise a community of empathetic, kind, global minded, environmental stewards. We do not follow the National Curriculum and are not out to tick curriculum boxes (though we of course do this incidentally every single day). We see parents as the child's first and best teacher and nature as the the third teacher and feel that an environment in which they are surrounded by their family, their community and nature, is the environment most conducive to learning.
Wildlings Forest School is not registered as an Education Provider by the Department of Education or ACECQA. We aim to be an Activity Provider and are working closely with DETE and ECIS to ensure we stay within the bounds of National Education Laws.
Are we covered by NDIS?
We have many families accessing our programs with NDIS funding under the social and community category! However, we do recommend talking to your plan manager first to see if Wildlings will be an approved activity as we cannot guarantee funding. We are not an NDIS provider so we cannot issue invoices directly to NDIS or plan managers. We ask customers to book as usual and then reply to your confirmation asking for proof of payment with the NDIS participant's details noted so we can include all the necessary information. We then issue detailed paid invoices back to you so you can seek reimbursement from your plan managers. Unfortunately, as it is quite unpredictable and each plan is entirely personalised, we do require payment before the program as we have had issues in the past where we are left covering the cost of the child's session due to funding not coming through.
What is the difference between your programs?
The main difference between the groups is the age range they are designed for. Nature Playgroup is for ages 0-3, Forest Kindy is for ages 3-6 and our Homeschool program is for ages 7+. Younger children can attend our Homeschool and Forest Kindy programs with their siblings. All groups are centred around free nature play.
Our Playgroups run for two hours. They have a special focus on Mum and bub time, Mother's group connection, nature crafting, exploration and sensory experiences in nature.
Our Forest Kindy program is still about all of those things, but has a greater focus on project based activities and risky play including hand tools, water play, fire and tree climbing.
Our Homeschool program is Forest School for the big kids. We run this group based on democratic education principles, so the children select what they want to learn about each term based on their interests, passions and curiosities. We build play based curriculum around these ideas and spend the term diving into what they love most while honouring all the aspects of the Forest Schooling philosophy.
You are welcome to come and try any program by booking a casual session that suits your children's ages to check out the different dynamics and energy of the groups and then book for the term from there. You also have total freedom, so if you book one that does not align, you can always change (:
How to know when your child is ready to move up to Forest Kindy from Nature Playgroup?
The important factor to consider when assessing if your child is ready for Forest Kindy is their comprehension of safety instructions, as aspects such as understanding how to safely use the hand tools after receiving instructions and being mindful around the campfire are essential in helping the children stay safe while at Forest Kindy.
What happens if it's raining?
Then we get to jump in puddles! We go by the old Norwegian saying, “There is no bad weather, only bad clothing”. So if it’s raining, dress your child appropriately, with a rain jacket, gumboots, warm socks and weatherproof pants and send a spare set of warm clothes (or two!). It is a great chance for your child to explore and discover how our land changes in all seasons and our children quite often say that wet days are the best days!
Is the program going ahead? (You will be notified if changed)
Wildlings operates rain or shine! We always say, “Never let the weather keep you from having fun!”
However, the safety of our Wildlings is the most important and we do have a Severe Weather Policy in place. If we do need to cancel a session due to severe weather, you will always receive an email and text message to the contact information noted on your booking. Please check your emails before heading to a session to assure there have been no changes to your session. Thank you!
Can I drop my child off at your program?
Put simply:
Nature Playgroup - No, guardians must attend
Wildlings Forest Kindy - No, guardians must attend
Multiage Forest School- Yes if they are 7 + years old, otherwise guardians must attend
Homeschool Program (7+) - Yes if they are 7 + years old, otherwise guardians must attend
After School - Yes
Wildlings Holiday Program (7+) - Yes if they are 7 + years old, otherwise guardians must attend
Childcare, OSHC and School Programs (incursions & excursions) - Yes, children are dropped off with your Childcare Service, School or OSHC and therefore, fall under their duty of care, ACECQA regulations, Child Services Act and the Department of Education.
Do you have insurance? What does it include?
Wildlings Forest School is insured under leisure liability coverage by Affinity Insurance. Part of your weekly fee goes towards personal accident insurance for your child. Our insurance policies are very comprehensive and covers $20 million public liability for our Nature Play programs, Professional Indemnity insurance for our Bush Kindy training and online courses and Product Insurance for our online store.
Why do I have to pay for the entire term program in advance?
Wildlings Forest School is run by two mothers who home school their own children. Paying for the program in advance minimises administration time, processing fees and invoices, ensuring we get to spend more time with our own children and more time creating and running excellent programs. You can choose to pay and attend any of our weekly programs casually if you would prefer. We do make exceptions for those struggling with financial hardship. Please email us to organise a payment plan.
Why do you cost 'so much'?
We are an Activity Provider, not an Education or Care Provider and therefore we do not qualify for a childcare rebate or any other government funding. We are not owned by a big corporation that can back us, buy in bulk and distribute profit and loss amongst many franchisees. We are not a non-profit organisation so do not have access to grants. We are a small business that needs to pay our own way. Our insurance premiums are higher than most businesses due to the perceived higher risk by insurance companies of working outdoors with children and we need more staff on the ground than most businesses due to required ratios. We lease incredible spaces and we purchase ethical, sustainable, local resources wherever we can. We run an excellent, unique program and we are passionate about the benefits of Forest Schooling and about taking education outdoors. Thank you for supporting our small, local business!
WHAT IS THE EQUITY DISCOUNT?
We want to acknowledge that not all members of society are afforded the same opportunities. In an effort to create greater equity we wish to extend a reduced program rate to individual children who are from marginalised families. In doing this we hope to promote equal opportunity and inclusion for all children who would benefit from play based education.
Please make use of these checkout codes if you wish to access this program: BIPOC or LGTBQIA
We kindly ask that if you are able to access NDIS funding for your child that you leave the equity discounts for those that aren’t able to access any government funding. Thank you for understanding.
