Wild Lives Forest School
Wild Lives invites you and your young explorers for forest school adventures in Warley Woods, an award winning green space and richly diverse woodland full of inspiration and natural wonders!
Each session is full of play and exploration with seasonal, nature-based experiences on offer, such as den building, mud kitchen, natural crafts, bug hunting, campfire cooking, treasure hunts and games, among many other things. Forest school takes place in all weathers and seasons, working with the nature's rhythms, connecting learners to the seasons and the woodland. This helps to build resilience and encourages us to find the joy in everyday, instead of waiting for a sunny day! We provide a positive, supportive, child-centred environment with qualified and experienced practitioners on hand to inspire and nurture young minds. We support children to take age appropriate risks and face achievable challenges that help them to grow and develop in confidence, using hands-on learning and real tools. Your young explorers are free to play and follow their own interests, learning and developing whilst building their relationship with the natural world, with themselves and with each other.
Current sessions
Growing Up Green Festival - free forest play sessions
For children of all ages and their grown ups.
We are delighted to be running these free sessions for ‘Growing Up Green’ a local festival to support Big Green Week. Our sessions are is all about encouraging families and communities to connect, play, learn and create a sense of ownership and belonging to local green and wild spaces and the natural world beyond.
Little Wild Ones - For children ages 6 months – 5 years
For your youngest explorers and a parent/carer, this programme of weekly sessions is all about child-led play and adventuring! We will be making mud pies, swinging in the hammock, balancing on the slackline, and exploring the woodland and the creatures that live there. Sessions often include stories and activities designed to inspire curiosity and creativity. We support children to begin to develop a connection to the natural world by experiencing it as a joyful place to play - somewhere that they will grow to love and want to protect. There will be the chance to use some simple tools and to cook on a campfire during the programme.
We encourage adults to join in the play and take some time to connect with other local parents/carers and enjoy the benefits of spending some time together outdoors in nature.
Tuesday 10.30am-12pm, term-time.
Tuesday 1pm - 2.30pm, term-time.
Thursday 10.30am - 12pm, term-time
Thursday 1pm - 2.30pm, term-time.
Bookings are taken for the six week half term and cost £54 for the first or only child (£9 per session) and £48 for each subsequent sibling (£8 per session).
Adults and non walking siblings are free of charge.
Wild Tribe in Bournville Park
These monthly forest play sessions are provided for local families in partnership with Friends of Bournville Park and provided free of charge thanks to funding from The National Lottery. For children of all ages and their parents / carers. Various dates throughout the year - see schedule below and click on the date for more information and to book.
Wild Women
Woodland wellbeing retreat for women. We will be gathering together to relax and enjoy some time in nature, with seasonal natural crafts, bushcraft, yoga and delicious vegan food cooked on the campfire. New dates coming soon!
About us....
We are Laura and Nicole, forest school practitioners and mud-loving adventurers! We have our own free-range children and can often be found walking, camping, climbing, exploring and cooking on a campfire. Working and playing in nature has had a hugely positive impact on us professionally and personally and we were inspired to create Wild Lives to help others experience the benefits too. Amid concerns about declines in play, physical activity and nature connection, increases in mental health difficulties, and the dominance of technology, we provide time and space to play and explore, to find joy and wonder, and to learn and develop in nature. We firmly believe that all humans benefit hugely from regular opportunities for play, physical activity and time to 'just be' in nature.
We are fully insured Level 3 Forest School Leaders, with enhanced DBS disclosures and Level 3 paediatric First Aid qualifications. We are approved Therapeutic Forest Practitioners and we are trained in mental health first aid, safeguarding, food safety and data protection. We have spent our careers working with children and have a wealth of experience in primary school teaching and play work. We follow the Forest School ethos and principles for good practice (see https://www.forestschoolassociation.org/what-is-forest-school/) and love nurturing the innate drive to play, learn and connect to the natural world.
We are supported by our wonderful assistant, Zoe, who is trainee forest school leader, mum of three and a qualified primary school teacher. Before becoming a teacher Zoe spent five seasons working as an instructor at summer camps and outdoor education centres in both the UK and abroad. Zoe loves to observe children gaining self-confidence in the outdoors and believes every child should have the opportunity to benefit from these experiences.