our wild approach
At Our Wild Space, we believe children are capable, curious and full of ideas.
Our approach is inspired by Reggio Emilia, a philosophy of education that began in northern Italy and is now respected around the world. At its heart is a simple belief:
Children learn best when their curiosity is taken seriously.
Rather than beginning with a fixed answer, we begin with a question.
What has made those tracks?
Why is the moss wetter here?
How do birds build nests?
What could we create from these sticks?
Children explore, test ideas, make, move, talk, observe and return to their thinking. Adults support them with thoughtful questions, carefully chosen materials and just enough guidance to help learning grow.
nature as the classroom
Reggio Emilia describes the environment as the third teacher, alongside the child and the adult.
For us, nature is the perfect learning environment.
A fallen branch can inspire engineering.
A feather can lead to art, storytelling and science.
A puddle can become an investigation.
A den can develop teamwork, resilience and problem-solving.
Our space is filled with natural materials, loose parts, clay, water, wood, fabric and open-ended resources. There is no single correct way to use them. Children are invited to imagine, experiment and create.
Planned With Intention, Responsive in Practice
Child-led learning does not mean leaving children to simply get on with it.
Every session is carefully planned around rich stories, seasonal enquiries, nature investigation and meaningful creative experiences. We prepare the environment and offer purposeful activities, while remaining responsive to the ideas and questions that emerge.
A planned exploration of habitats might become a fascination with woodlice. A story about a wild creature might lead to clay sculpture, measuring tracks, building shelters or writing poetry.
The learning has direction, but children help shape the journey.
A Hundred Ways to Learn
Reggio Emilia speaks of children having “a hundred languages”: the many ways they think, communicate and express what they know.
Some children draw.
Some build.
Some move.
Some make music.
Some tell stories.
Some investigate quietly.
Some explain their thinking while balancing on a log.
At Our Wild Space, all of these are valued as meaningful ways of learning.
a place for every child
We are proudly neuroaffirmative.
We know that children do not all learn, communicate or participate in the same way. Some need movement, some need quiet, some need time to watch before joining and some need sensory or practical ways into an activity.
We do not ask children to fit one narrow model of learning. We adapt the environment and our support so that children can feel safe, understood and able to take part in a way that works for them.
wild, curious, connected
Our Wild Space is a Reggio Emilia-inspired, nature-based and curriculum-informed learning community in Great Budworth, Cheshire.
It is a place where children can slow down, notice more, ask questions, create freely and build a lasting relationship with the natural world.
Because childhood should not be rushed.
It should be explored.