Wild Kin

This week the children in our Roadrunners class needed some support navigating a tight part of the creek where everyone wanted to play. A beautiful shady wet spot that is boxed in by poison oak and sometimes requires a bit of negotiation and boundary setting. So we helped them as needed to communicate with one another, make agreements, draw lines in the (literal) sand, where they could relax into their imaginations without fear of their volcano or island being smashed and stepped on. Safety in boundaries. There are moments in forest school that are tough and that bring out big feelings in us all. These aren’t the moments being captured in photos, but they are some of the most important. Some of the biggest learning happens here. And some of the greatest connection. Can our relationships recover after conflict? After we helped the children with some anger, some sadness, and then some resolution, we all relaxed back into baseline, back into our senses, back into our play. And then, up above in a tree, with impeccable timing, a little gray bird named Oak Titmouse began to shout a frantic, territorial call. It made me laugh a little, I looked up and said to no one in particular: “I hear you Oak Titmouse, that is YOUR territory, I won’t come into your space!” Sometimes what us grownups need to support children more than a script or a technique is to step back and see the beautiful bigger picture— to find the story or the metaphor. Suddenly we can see how similar we all are. the young and the old, human and non-human. Thank you nature for being one of our teachers.

https://www.wildkinforestschool.com/summer-camp

Come celebrate the fall season with us this Saturday!

Sign up on our website:
https://www.wildkinforestschool.com/parent-and-me/p/fall-celebration-saturday-october-4th

We Are Hiring!

Do you love working with young children?
Have you ever hugged a tree?
Or made a mud pie for a fairy?
Does rain make you want to run outside?
Do you believe risk taking is an important part of childhood development?
Are you always the slowest person on a hike because you can’t stop smelling the plants?

Join our team! We are currently hiring an assistant teacher for our Roadrunners Class (ages 3-5).

This is an entry level, part time, hourly position.

This class is on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-2pm.

You will be working under both of our founders and lead teachers.

Hourly Compensation: $20-$25/hour DOE

Check out the full posting on our website:
https://www.wildkinforestschool.com/jobs

“More effective, according to the study, are measures instilling awareness and engagement with nature in young children and families, such as forest school nurseries.”

Human connection to nature has declined 60% in 200 years, study finds Prof Miles Richardson says people risk ‘extinction of experience’ in the natural world without new policies

Calling all homeschoolers!
Wild Kin is an approved vendor for these charters:

Blue Ridge
Golden Valley
Peak Prep

*Want us to become a vendor for your child's school? Send us an email: [email protected]

One day in The Elderberries Homeschool Class: ages 5-9.

After each Wild Kin day parents receive a summary with photos so that they can follow along with our learning and adventures. Take a peek into a spring day this past year:

February 2025: What a joy filled day! We began by welcoming a new student to our group. She quickly fit right in as we played a game and oriented ourselves to the landscape. We found the four directions and had a good view to see the differences between the south and north facing slopes. It was a very quick hike in, and though the waterfalls weren’t quite flowing, there were many pools full of water among the smooth creek bed. So many signs of spring, we found our first frog eggs and the tiniest tadpoles! During play, some small clear plastic bags were fastened around tree branches, and some large leaves—hypotheses were made about what might happen. Perhaps the leaves would fall off? Hmmm. after a story and snack we looked at some of the clay we had collected from our Tapo Canyon hike. We put some of our samples into a container to levigate the clay (purify or remove the sand/ silt/ rocks). Through this process we saw how the sand sank to the bottom of our container quickly, while the clay suspended in the water and changed it to a deep rust color. Some children played with clay, some whittled, while others dropped into imaginary games, like rock shop. So many magical moments! The discovery of raccoon tracks going up into a possible den? Some hole digging and the discovery of a whole network of underground tunnels! Our day culminated in some wild and free water play—we swam, floated, jumped, screamed! On our way out we checked the plastic bags we had fastened around the trees and leaves. We found that water had collected in the bags. We learned a new word: transpiration. What better way to learn the water cycle than to be in it, quite literally!

Young Explorers Summer Camp 2025!

After energetic and joyous romping each morning, we welcomed the day with a greeting circle, song, and hiked into our destinations. Our basecamps held something special for discovery and play…a precious shady creek spot where we found water skaters, tadpoles, and a froglet…the oak woodlands where we strung our hammock under shady branches and crafted with string, beads, scissors, and natural paint…the picnic area that held the treasured dirt piles where we climbed, concocted baked goods from clay and soil, and had a big splash party with water collected from the spigot while making a temporary stream for birds and bugs to receive hydration.

Each day held a distinct story, telling the magic of this place and its natural inhabitants. Sometimes infused with lore, like the giants and fairies, which became a fun game for us all. We made gifts and notes for the fairy tree, and were surprised to receive gifts from the fairies in return on the last day: tiny fairy crowns for each child and a note written to our nature crew.

Our creativity surged mid week as we smashed berries and cherries to create natural paint and painted a huge canvas together. The berries were also smashed for a treat which we enjoyed later in the week…blackberry and wild sage ice cream! The birds benefited from our crafting too. We created bird feeders from wild seeds, almond butter, and elderberries on sticks and hung them in the woodlands as we played. We learned how to winnow and easily extract even the tiniest seeds from wild mustard plants.

A nature name ceremony came when the children could seek out the source of a drum beat tucked up on a rock in the park. There, a special drumming song was sung, and each received their nature name necklaces. The seeking skills were further put to the test during a scavenger hunt for wild species the next day!

Facepainting and ice cream treats rounded off our experiences together, culminating a packed and rich week of nature immersion. See you next summer, explorers!