Our annual Easter Bilby nature craft is part craft, part bush treasure hunt, and a gentle way to spark a lifelong love of nature in your wildlings.
There is something truly special about growing up in Australia. Our country is home to some of the most extraordinary creatures on earth, animals found nowhere else in the world. One of them is the bilby. With their big ears, soft fur, and gentle nature, bilbies are hard not to love. But they need our help. Once found all over Australia, there are now fewer than 10,000 bilbies left in the wild due to habitat destruction, making them an endangered species.
We understand that every choice made in learning environments shapes children's development. The decision to allow children to play barefoot is more than just a matter of comfort. It's a research-backed practice that supports healthy physical, sensory, and cognitive development.
The evidence is clear. Allowing children to go barefoot in safe, supervised learning environments is a developmentally appropriate practice with wide-ranging benefits. From stronger feet and better balance to enhanced sensory development and deeper connection with their environment, barefoot play supports the whole child.
A parent messaged me last week, anxious because her 5-year-old still can't write his name. Another mum at kinder keeps mentioning how her daughter already knows the alphabet and can count to 100. Should she be doing more learning activities at home? Is he behind?
As we move from the chaos of Christmas into January, the summer break's demands can feel bigger than ever: overstimulated kids, sugar crashes, screen addiction, and the general buzz of too much, too fast, too loud.
For kids, the weeks leading up to Christmas are filled with excitement, late nights, disrupted routines, and constant stimulation. By Boxing Day, they're often wound up, melting down over small things, and struggling to regulate their emotions.
But here's the good news: unstructured play in nature is one of the most effective ways for kids to reset, release tension, and return to themselves after the Christmas chaos.
Look, I'm going to tell you something that might sound weird coming from someone who works at a kids' program: I love it when the rafts sink.
I'll admit, when I handed her the knife—I held my breath and tried my best to suppress visions of the emergency room.
A sit spot is exactly what it sounds like: a place in nature where you simply... sit.
No agenda. No checklist. Just you (or your child) and the natural world.
It's a mindful way to press pause, check in with yourself, and be fully present in the moment - letting go of life's stressors as you settle into the rhythm of nature around you.
And trust me, kids need this right now.
In just four days, on September 23rd, we'll experience the Spring Equinox. The exact moment when our hemisphere tips from winter's grip toward summer's embrace.
It's a moment worth celebrating, especially with children.
Want to celebrate with an activity that's part science experiment, part secret mission? Let's make seed bombs—little balls of potential ready to explode into wildflowers wherever they land.
If you’re looking for a campfire activity that’s as fun to make as it is to eat, these Chocolate Orange Campfire Cakes tick all the boxes. Not only are they delicious, but they’re also a fantastic way for children to practise fine motor skills, learn basic cooking techniques, and understand fire safety.
Yes, I know! This isn’t our usual kind of content but we’re rolling with it because we’re (slowly) putting together some kind of campfire cookbook-thingy-ma-jiggy. Doing this once a week keeps me on track, and hey, it’s tasty!
Whether you're cooking with kids, hosting a family bushwalk, or just hanging out by the firepit at home, grilled halloumi is one of those treats that feels just a little bit special without any fuss.
As the cool winter nights begin to stretch out into longer daylight, we know those backyard fire pits are calling. There’s something so grounding about gathering around a fire to cook. Something ancient. Something slow.
There’s something special about winter in the forest. Cool mornings, warm fires, and the kind of unhurried play that makes memories for life. These July school holidays were no exception; your Wildlings embraced every moment with open hearts, dirty hands, and endless imagination.
If the words ‘fire’, ‘child’ and ‘play’ in the same sentence make you nervous, then this one’s for you.
Tomorrow, Saturday June 21st, is the Winter Solstice, when the Earth tilts furthest from the sun, giving us the shortest day and longest night of the year. It might pass quietly for some, but for thousands of years, people across the world have seen this as a powerful moment to slow down, gather together, and celebrate the return of light.
Every time we visited a playground, she’d climb the wrong way up the slide. If I signed her up for a class or workshop, she’d wander off to the opposite side of the building, chasing something entirely different—and far more interesting (to her, anyway). For a while, I genuinely thought it was just us. Maybe we weren’t like other families whose kids sat still, followed instructions, and just... fit in.
When we found Wildlings, everything changed.
After years spent in school and the workforce, it’s easy to start measuring everything by outcomes—even the way we play with our children. I found myself scrolling for craft ideas or activities, thinking, This is how it’s supposed to be done. But over time, I realised there is no “correct” way to play. The most profound shift in my parenting came when I let go of the need to lead, and instead began offering something called play invitations.
When I moved to a new town with a five-year-old, I thought I was signing up for outdoor fun and mud play—just something for my daughter to enjoy. What I found instead was a community that changed the way I parent and a place where both of us could grow.
Sticky, gooey, oozy, slimy, glorious mud! It’s a quintessential childhood ingredient, one that parents either avoid or tolerate. At Wildlings, we embrace it. Or rather, the children do!
When rain transforms our dirt paths into pits, bogs, slides, and kitchens, the magic of mud play begins. The sheer joy on children’s faces is hard to capture in words, but the benefits of mud are easier to share.
And yes, we know what you’re thinking: what about the mess? Don’t worry, we’ve got hot tips for parents too.