Our Philosophy

Dirty hands mean a day well learned!

We view unstructured free play as the primary vehicle for learning at Wild Oak Nature School. We add to the benefit of free play by also offering various practical skills such as:

• Seasonal vegetable gardening

• Using and cooking with garden vegetables and fruit.

• Forage and utilize wild medicinal herbs from the property

• Medicinal and culinary herb gardening

• Using loose materials to build anything they want

• Painting with watercolors

• Fire safety and fire starting

• Using real tools

• Woodworking

• Bushcraft skills

....And any other skills that the children show a desire to learn more about ("emergent curriculum")!

Wild Oak educators use the “Coyote Mentoring” way of engaging your child's natural curiosity in order to take advantage of learning opportunities.  Each week we incorporate skills through a holistic approach using materials and topics from the natural world.

Why is nature-based superior for building strong and stable children?

1. Nature supports whole-child development:

   • Emotional regulation: Time outdoors lowers cortisol levels, reduces anxiety, and promotes calm.

   • Cognitive growth: Real-world exploration encourages curiosity, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

"When children play freely outside, they invent games, negotiate roles, and solve problems naturally."

(The Danish Way of Parenting)

2. Nature builds resilience:

   • Children learn to handle discomfort, frustration, and uncertainty by navigating weather, terrain, and natural challenges.

   • Exposure to risk in nature helps them assess danger and gain real-world confidence:

     1. Climbing trees - physical limits, grip strength, balance, height judgment, body awareness, self-trust, calculated decisions.

     2. Building fires - Respect for heat and tools, following safety protocols, patience, responsibility, focus, respect for natural forces.

     3. Using tools - Fine motor skills, how to handle heavy or sharp objects carefully, encourages independence and sense of competency.

     4. Navigating uneven terrain - Risk judgment, situational awareness, personal safety instincts.

     5. Encountering wildlife - How to remain calm, observe with respect, respond appropriately, emotional regulation, environmental literacy.

     6. Weather exposure - How to adapt to rain, heat, or cold, dressing appropriately, managing discomfort, builds resilience and flexibility...critical for mental health and perseverance!

     7. Loose parts play - Engineering skills, teamwork, spatial reasoning, lifting, balance, cultivates collaboration and problem-solving in unstructured settings.

     8. "Getting lost" - wandering around the property teaches how to retrace steps, promotes independence and trust in their own abilities.

3. Nature encourages autonomy and confidence:

   • In open-ended outdoor environments, kids make more of their own decisions, and follow internal motivation.

   • They learn to trust themselves... not just follow directions!

4. Nature fosters empathy and connection: 

   • Children develop a sense of stewardship and empathy for living things, which extends to how they treat people.

   • Group activities in nature promote cooperation, patience, and shared problem-solving.

5. Nature is a regulator for the nervous system:

   • Green time helps reset overstimulated minds. Children with ADHD, anxiety, and sensory processing challenges especially benefit.

   • Nature helps children regulate themselves!

6. Nature supports real learning, not just academic performance:

   • Grounded in nature = open to learning across subjects - math, science, art, language...all subjects become interconnected and meaningful.

   • Forest school principles follow a child's natural rhythm and readiness...resulting in deeper and more retained learning.

What happens on an average day at Nature School?

The day’s activities at Wild Oak are free-flowing and dynamic, as they depend on the ever-changing environment of the property (seasonal gardening, wild animal tracks, new wildflowers and wild herbs, insect activity, weather, etc.) and on the relationships formed between the children and educators in the group.  Educators also add to the day’s learning by introducing ideas and mentoring in building, creating, and wildcrafting. Wild Oak educators follow the lead of the children, focusing on their interests of the day and allowing for independent play as well as collaboration.  We open and close each day at our “Base” where we come together to share stories and build community. 

On any given day, we spend every moment of our time outdoors... rain or shine!