wild about play blog
Latest News & Announcements
Winter Wonderland 2024
Winter Wonderland 2024 Don't miss out on this very special one day event - our Winter Wonderland Day on Friday 20th December! This magical festive day will take place at our base camp on the Oasis Academy Rooftop Garden, with festive adventures into...
United Nations International Day of Play
United Nations signals the importance of Play by adopting International Day of Play Play Makes A Better World 3 Reasons why we are excited about this 1) Children believe adults don't take play seriously and this awareness day puts in motion energy to redress...
Smartphones and children
The evidence is in: Smartphones are too addictive and are hindering our children’s brain development even in small quantities. As a society we must seize this moment. Please say yes to free play, and no to smartphones. 5 KEY POINTS OF NOTE As parents of an almost...
3 KEY FINDINGS ABOUT THE BRAIN TO OPTIMISE OUR CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH
There is no end to the literature on play and how this contributes to child and adult well being. However new science reveals regular play is an essential child activity laying the foundations for self-regulation and thriving later in life. Here are 3 things to think...
3 Key Reasons to get into the outdoors with your children
Struggling to go and play outdoors in this cold weather? Here are 3 things to think about that will get you running into the outdoors with your family. It’s all about building that wonderful quality we call RESILIENCE. Here are three reasons why its growth is...
Last Week in the Wilderness – 4th October
Another fantastic week for the books as our adventurers had so much fun foraging, mark making and rocking out! Foraging Fiends! Our wonderful autumnal walks this week were filled with even more foraging as the children noticed some honeysuckle and blackberries! We...
Last Week in the Wilderness – 27th September
Autumn has officially arrived on the rooftop, with a mix of glorious sunshine and drizzly rain that ensured our explorers got to enjoy the best of both worlds! Fall Forgaging Our foraging walks across the common gave us ample opportunity to find natural resources to...
Last Week in the Wilderness – 7th September
What a wonderful first week back in the wilderness we’ve had! Our adventurers had so much fun exploring every inch of our new base camp, as well as the easy access to the common and woods for our adventure walks. Imagination Station In the cool shade, the children...
Last Week in the Wilderness 12th July
Our penultimate week of summer term sessions was one filled with creativity, collaboration and lots of laughter! Enjoying every form of weather that comes with a great British summer, our adventurers had the opportunity to experience the base camp in all its glory!...
Last Week in the Wilderness 21st June
It was a wet and wonderful time in the wilderness last week, with our explorers making full use of the rainy weather to learn, explore and play in the forest! Water and Science With the excess rainwater, it was the perfect opportunity for some water play this week....
Last Week in the Wilderness 14th June
Last week we celebrated Fathers Day, danced in water, created fairy homes and learned about the 3 R’s during our community outreach visit!
Seven things to think about when choosing your child’s nursery
Got a 2-year-old who is ready for nursery/preschool? Then you’ll know how difficult it can be to choose between the different offerings from small local school provisions to independent forest schools, Montessori and hybrid models. Here are 7 tips to help you make your choice.
June 2021 Half-Term Camps
The sun was in attendance at Wild about Play’s half-term camps this week, with the beautiful blue skies giving us a perfect backdrop for lots of fun, creativity and laughter. We loved welcoming back old friends and meeting new ones as we spent our days learning and...
Last Week in the Wilderness 17th May
Another action-packed week in the wilderness has come and gone, and this week was one of the most exhilarating we’ve ever had! Our adventurers were beside themselves with excitement, with lots to celebrate and surprise visits from some very important people in the community!
A year in lockdown – a chance to rethink education?
With studies showing the struggles that both schools and parents have faced during the past year of teaching from home in lockdown, is it about time we look to other methods of learning – such as outdoors learning – to ensure that our children are safe and engaged at all times? We look into this, and the advantages of outdoor learning, in this week’s blog.
Last Week in the Wilderness 3rd May
With the bank holiday shortening our week, we made the most of our days in the forest. Our adventurers had lots of fun experimenting, exploring and collaborating as team! This week was Firefighter Day, which celebrates the heroic work that firefighters do on a daily...
Last Week in the Wilderness 26th April
Another wonderful week in the forest has flown by, filled with lots of laughter, creativity, collaboration and adventure. We focussed on spelling our days of the week, identifying the local birds and fauna, and danced the day away to celebrate International Dance Day!...
Last Week in the Wilderness 19th April
The weather was perfect for our first week of the summer term at our outdoor nursery! All our adventurers had fun exploring the new base camp location, finding new spots to dig, climb and create.
An Interview with Marlon
In a new series of interviews, we’ll be speaking with our team members about outdoor play and it’s importance in the role of education. First up, we grilled our Setting Manager and outdoor learning master, Marlon Gibbins, about what drew him to outdoor learning and how we can bring it to our homes.
Structured vs Unstructured Play
The choices between structured activities and unstructured play are oftentimes a cause of stress for parents. Many dismiss unstructured play as not being as profitable for their child’s development as participating in a sport or team activity. How else can children develop social skills, learn to understand and follow set rules or make friends? Surely “just” playing can’t be nearly as beneficial?