Outdoor Learning & Nature Therapy
Where young wildlings embark on a journey of discovery, immersed in traditional crafts and ancient rituals that have been passed down through generations. Whilst crafting with hands and hearts,listening to the whispers of the trees, we cultivate and nurture our gardens within as well as the gardens around us. Together, we grow, nurture and bloom, whilst exploring the stories of the forest, deepening our connection to the land, whilst gently curing our curiosities that blossom within our hearts. Where Wildlings Flow is a sacred tapestry of a world we wish to be. An everlasting, wildling woven tapestry where wildlings feel at home, whilst also feeling entirely wild and free.
Why Nature Matters: Learning From The Land
The ancient craft of Forest School revolves around the idea that the natural world is the ultimate teacher. Here’s why:
Connection to the Earth
In a world where children increasingly spend their time indoors, a connection to the natural world is more important than ever. Nature isn’t just a backdrop for play; it’s an active participant in learning. Whether it’s noticing the seasonal changes in the trees, identifying animal tracks, or feeling the texture of tree bark, nature offers endless opportunities for sensory engagement and understanding.
Hands-On, Experiential Learning
Forest School celebrates the power of hands-on learning. In contrast to the traditional classroom model, where knowledge is often abstract, Forest School allows children to engage with the material world around them. They build shelters from sticks, whittle wood with knives, make fire from flint, and learn to identify local plants and animals. Every lesson is tied to the real world, promoting critical thinking, problem-solving, and creativity.
Risk and Resilience
Ancient cultures often viewed risk as an essential part of growing up, teaching children how to navigate danger and discomfort. Today, Forest School incorporates managed risk-taking into its curriculum, allowing children to climb trees, navigate uneven terrain, and use tools. The goal isn’t to avoid risk but to teach children how to assess it and face challenges with confidence. This builds resilience, self-awareness, and emotional regulation—skills that are essential for navigating the complexities of modern life.
Emotional Growth
Beyond academic lessons, Forest School nurtures emotional growth. Outdoor education encourages self-expression, teamwork, and empathy. When children work together to build a shelter or collaborate on a group project, they learn to communicate, share, and problem-solve. Nature itself acts as a calming influence, fostering mindfulness and reducing stress. The time spent outdoors has been shown to improve mental health, reduce anxiety, and enhance overall wellbeing.
Community and Storytelling
Just as ancient cultures passed down knowledge through stories, Forest School brings children together in a communal learning experience. In many ways, it’s an opportunity for children to share their personal stories, express their creativity, and learn from each other. Around the fire or under the canopy of trees, the shared experience of exploring the world creates a sense of belonging and mutual respect.
The Future of Forest School: A Timeless Craft for Modern Times
While Forest School is rooted in ancient traditions, its relevance in today’s world is undeniable. As our lives become more digital and disconnected from the earth, the need for programs that reconnect children to nature has never been greater.
Teaching with Ancient Rituals and Native Roots
Humans have always worked with their hands to shape the world around them. From weaving baskets to carving spoons, from making fire with flint to building shelters from branches, ancient crafts are as much about the process as the product. The act of creating is deeply rooted in our need to express, survive, and understand the world. For children, engaging in these activities in a natural environment helps them develop a sense of competence, connection, and mindfulness—skills that will serve them for a lifetime.
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But at Where Wildlings Flow, ancient crafts are not just about tradition—they are a way to slow down and truly feel the materials in our hands. Whether it's moulding clay from the earth, weaving grasses into small baskets, or shaping sticks into walking staffs, we encourage children to embrace the slow, deliberate pace of these timeless practices.
Ancient Rituals and Traditional Crafts
In ancient civilisations, rituals played a central role in daily life, serving as a means to connect the mundane with the divine. These rituals ranged from the personal, such as offerings or prayers made before meals, to more communal practices, like seasonal festivals or ceremonies marking key life events. Daily routines were often imbued with spiritual significance, with many cultures believing that adhering to specific rituals could ensure harmony with nature, favor from the gods, or protection from malevolent forces. The rise of agricultural societies, for example, brought rituals tied to planting and harvesting cycles, while household deities or ancestors were honoured through offerings to maintain balance and prosperity. Whether through sacred rites, prayer, or the observance of symbolic acts, rituals were deeply woven into the fabric of ancient daily life, shaping everything from how people interacted with each other to their understanding of the world around them.​
Connecting with the divine
Many rituals were performed to honor deities, seek blessings, or appease supernatural forces.
Ensuring fertility and abundance
Rituals related to agriculture, hunting, and other forms of sustenance were common, seeking to ensure a bountiful harvest or successful hunt.
Marking life transitions
Rituals often marked significant life events such as birth, coming of age, marriage, and death.
Healing and protection
Rituals were often performed to heal the sick, protect individuals and communities from harm, and ward off evil spirits.
Traditional crafts play a vital role in Forest School, connecting children to ancient skills and fostering a deep appreciation for natural materials. Activities may include weaving willow branches into baskets, carving wooden spoons from fallen branches, or creating intricate patterns with dyed wool and natural dyes extracted from plants. These crafts not only develop fine motor skills and creativity but also encourage children to slow down, observe the natural world closely, and appreciate the time and effort involved in creating something by hand. By engaging in these time-honoured traditions, children gain a sense of connection to the past and a deeper understanding of the value of handmade objects.
Primitive Pottery
Using clay found in our landscape to sculpture pottery with our hands, how they would have done in times gone by.
Natural Dyeing
Extracting colours from plants and dyeing natural fibres.
Basket Weaving
Creating baskets using willow, hazel, or other flexible branches.
Woodcarving
Whittling and carving wood using simple tools.
Cordage Making
Making ropes and strings from natural materials like bark and grasses.
Traditional Crafts
These crafts help children connect with nature, develop fine motor skills, and learn valuable skills.
With Hands and Heart
Nestled in the heart of nature, Where Wildlings Flow is a place where the ancient rhythms of the Earth meet the magic of childhood exploration. Our forest school is not just a learning space—it’s a sanctuary where children’s hearts and hands are woven together with the cycles of the seasons, nature’s wisdom, and the timeless crafts that have shaped our connection with the wild. Here, amidst the towering trees, we embark on adventures where every twig, stone, and leaf tells a story, and every moment is an opportunity to learn, create, and grow.
At the core of our unique Forest School experience is a deep reverence for ancient rituals and crafts. Each workshop is inspired by the timeless wisdom passed down through generations—whether it’s crafting with natural materials, honoring the changing seasons through seasonal rituals, or learning the ancient art of fire-making and shelter-building. I believe in nurturing the spirit of creativity that lies within every child, and through hands-on activities, we invite the Wildlings to connect with nature and each other in ways that are both playful and profound.
Where Wildlings Flow's Woven Tapestry
At Where Wildlings Flow Forest School, every day nature pulls back her curtains to welcome you to the wild. A place to explore, with crafts rooted to the earth and magic entwined within the stars. Our workshops and sessions are curated to immerse wildlings in their natural world. From teaching with the seasons, we observe the turning, changings and givings of each season as well as honouring the seasons within us too. We find gratitude for the earth and thank it daily with gentle rituals and ancient crafts. Sharing this wildly woven world, together.
Storytelling
Fire Making
Shleter Building
Foraging
Fire Making & Campfire Cooking:
Learning basic fire safety and cooking simple meals over a campfire (with adult supervision, of course).
Woodwork:
Woodwork in Forest School is a hands-on activity that introduces children to the natural world and the skills of crafting with wood. Focusing on natural materials, simple tools and techniques for all kinds of creative projects such as habitats for birds and making fairy houses.
Natural Den & Shelter Building:
Natural den making in the wild takes the basic principles of using natural materials to create shelters to a more challenging and immersive level.
Nature Crafts:
Creating art and crafts using natural materials such as leaves, flowers, mud, and sticks.
Tool Use:
Safely using tools like saws, knives, and hammers under guidance for tasks like whittling or building.
Foraging:
Learning about edible plants and safely collecting them for snacks or cooking.
Mud Kitchens:
Exploring sensory play and creativity by making mud pies and other creations.
Sensory Walks and Workshops:
Exploring the forest through touch, sound, and smell, focusing on mindful observation.
Storytelling:
Sharing stories around a campfire or within our cosy Gypsy wagon, Babushka.
Map Making:
Teaching wildlings to make their very own antique and fantasy based maps. Truly delving into a world they wish to be.
Treasure Hunts:
Curated Treasure hunts to embark on adventures with the wildlings, learning about the wilderness and wildlife around them.
Ancient Rituals:
Tuning into the turning of the seasons to honour the gardens around us as well as the ones within, such as making Ritual candles and making Mandals in the earth.
Traditional Crafts:
Using our hands and hearts to embark on creative and intuitive projects just like our ancestors would have done. Taking our time to truly appreciate natural materials and the gentle process of creating beautiful crafts together.
Join Our Tribe Of Wildlings
in South Devon
We Invite Wildlings To Connect To Nature
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We are ever so looking forward to welcoming fellow wildlings to our woven world in the woods at Where Wildlings Flow. Whether you are drawn in by learning with the rhythms of the seasons, the ancient rituals, learning within nature or you’re simply curious to see where your creativity can be nurtured and blooms, then we would entirely adore to hear from you. We welcome you all, with hands and hearts to nurture the wild in you…
