What is Wildschooling?
Wildschooling, noun; a progressive parenting philosophy which encourages the creativity, curiosity, and joy that children naturally express.
Wilder Child said it well!
WHAT IS WILDSCHOOLING?
More than a curriculum or framework, Wildschooling is a movement designed to honor and support our innate, inexorable bond with nature and lend a voice to our inner wild. Wildschooling continues to take inspiration from a wide-range of sources (to name a few): Forest School, The Reggio Emilia Approach, Earth Schooling, Waldorf, Charlotte Mason, Self-Reg, place-based education, permaculture, peaceful parenting, unschooling, 8 Shields Model, indigenous knowledge and traditions, and most importantly time spent communing with Mother Nature herself.
WHO IS IT FOR?
Now more than ever, children and nature need each other. Wildschooling was primarily created with home educators in mind. However, this movement is inclusive and can be easily be acknowledged by and integrated into a wide range of families, programs and lifestyles.
My Take:
I believe everyone needs Nature. Nature is fundamentally WHO we are. We have all been so caught up in this modern hamster wheel so long, we have lost our natural connection to the Earth, its beauty, and it’s bounty. We need to start over. To set our children on a better oath. To do better. I notice now more than ever there are more and more children being diagnosed with ADD, ADHD ODD, OCD, and a range if other disorders. Let me ask you this: If a Child with one of the above named Diagnosis is to learn to cope and manage their diagnosis, how can that happen sitting still in a classroom surrounded by 35 other students all day? How and why do we expect them to do better being surrounded by four walls each day, all day long? Being required NOT to talk, NOT to move or wiggle, VERY FEW restroom breaks, and a recess that might only last 15 or 20 minutes? The MODERN answer: Medication! My observation: let the child outside. Let him run and play, with no requirement to keep quite or stay still. Let the child play in the dirt, observe the animals, and plants, and explore. This is engaging for a child. Let them be Wild and Free. I’m not endorsing to just let your kid out and run completely wild all day. There still needs to be some form of education and parenting involved. This is where you come in. Start with something simple. Have storytime outdoors. Take a blanket, lay it out, and plop down with the kids and have family read alouds. Then discuss the book. What did they like, or dislike? What was their favorite part? Another jdid would be to bring art supplies outside. Crayons, paper, watercolors, etc. Have the child try to quietly observe an animal or plant for a 5 minute stretch. Then have them try to draw or illustrate what they observed. Take it even further by having them write a few shirt sentences to describe WHAT they saw, heard, smelled, tasted, felt. Get them to noticing their senses while outdoors. You can even do basic math outdoors with only natural items. Gather up some seeds, nuts, leaves, rocks or whatever you can find. Have the child add them in groups, or multiply this many rocks times this many rocks. Lay out 20 seeds and ask them to subtract 5 of them, then count the remaining rocks. This is engaging and interactive. This gets them to using their brains, and their bodies. There are a number of ways to adapt outdoor learning to your Homeschool. I know for us, it was like a light bulb came on in our kkds. They hated doing worksheets and sitting at their desk reading or working on the computer. But since we backed of the structured curriculum, and let them go outdoors and explore, they have learned so much already, and really blossomed. I dont have to fight and argue with them that its time for Math, or up next its Writing. Honestly, they get all those subjects in daily by me just ketting them be who they are and not pressuring them. They have even discovered things about themselves they did not have time to Discover being in a classroom all day. They are more in touch with themselves. They have a deeper wisdom of who they are and what they want to be as adults. Not just what they want to be but who they want to be. What kind of person they aspire to be. Kind, loving, gentle, respecting the Earth, and each other. My girls even took it upon themselves to take part in the growing Trash challenge that is growing on Social Media. They clean yards, and by dumpsters. They voice their opinions on the matter. They go outside on their own and collect leaves, pinecones, rocks, sticks and do crafts with them, or simply admire their complex beauty. My girls know how and when to pick blackberries, and how to make a fresh homemade BlackBerry Pie or Cobbler. They can start a plant from seed and grow it to maturity. They can take a start from any plant, and get it rooted. They can look to the Stars and figure out where they are and what direction is North, South, East or West. They can look at a tree and identify it. As well as with many different flowers and plants. When we go to the store, they immediately want to head to the Garden Center. When we can’t go outside for some reason, they are utterly miserable. But they still find a way to explore, learn and love their life.
When I had this idea to lose our structured Curriculum, there wasn’t much out there in the world on the idea. I literally thought I was the only one. I thought I would be mocked at the idea, or that people whould think I wasn’t giving my kids the education they needed to thrive in today’s world. But that’s it, I don’t want to conform to today’s world, and I definitely don’t my kids to. I want them to be themselves, and live their lives free from being pushed inside a little box along with all their other peers. I want my girls to live Wild and Free, and love every minute of it.
There are not many books out there pertaining to Wildschooling, but there are about Forest School, which for me, is basically the same thing. I recommend reading at least one of these, if not more so that you can gain a deeper understanding of what Wildschooling is, and how your child, and you will benefit from it. Just click on each book’s image or the BUY NOW Button to learn more. I hope I have helped you gain a small amout of wisdom into our Wildschooling Homeschool Method!! Or as I like to call it, Wild and Free Homeschooling!
Wildschooling: Guide for Radical Unschooling and Conscious Parenting
Home Grown: Adventures in Parenting off the Beaten Path, Unschooling, and Reconnecting with the Natural World
The Call of the Wild and Free: Reclaiming Wonder in Your Child’s Education by Ainsley Arment
Wild and Free Handcrafts: Fifty Activities to Build Skill, Confidence, and Creativity in Kids
Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys
Wild and Free Nature: Fifty Outdoor Adventures for Kids to Explore, Discover, and Awaken Their Curiosity
By Ainsley Arment
The School Garden Curriculum: An Integrated K-8 Guide for Discovering Science, Ecology, and Whole-Systems Thinking
Nature Preschools and Forest Kindergartens: The Handbook for Outdoor Learning
Forest School and Outdoor Learning in the Early Years
Teaching the Trees: Lessons from the Forest
Forest school activity planner: A simple planner to effectively plan all your forest school activities. Ideal for Forest school leaders, outdoor … Learn through woodland play cover art design.
The Wild Year Book: Things to do outdoors through the seasons (Going Wild)
Forest School Adventure: Outdoor Skills and Play for Children
A Year of Forest School: Outdoor Play and Skill-building Fun for Every Season
Play The Forest School Way: Woodland Games and Crafts for Adventurous Kids
Dirty Teaching: A Beginner’s Guide to Learning Outdoors
Learning with Nature: A How-to Guide to Inspiring Children Through Outdoor Games and Activities
The Coombes Approach: Learning through an experiential and outdoor curriculum
Outdoor Learning And Play, Ages 8-12
Quality Lesson Plans for Outdoor Education
Developing Young Children’s Mathematical Learning Outdoors
Outdoor Learning Cards: Portable Ideas: Mud by Warden Claire
Forest School and Autism
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Wild + Free Homeschooling 