Educational Inspiration
“Thousands of years ago, stretching back far before recorded history, humans have been able to thrive thanks to our obvious ability to learn, teach, and nurture many generations of ancestors. Pretty wild to imagine from a modern human perspective, huh? Without the wild, are humans, plants, and animals not doomed? To learn amazing lessons which will support our life and the life of future generations of humans and non-humans, all we need to do is go outside. Mentors who are inspired to help guide students, young and old, to more connection, knowledge, experiential learning, and more, can supercharge those teachings about the natural world; the plants, animals, weather, fire, water, rock… and the profound human connections which, if absent, inhibit learning dramatically, and, if nurtured, inspire people to live in gratitude, appreciation, and love for themselves and all others around them. The vast levels of complexity and depth of all there is to learn on Earth is not attainable without being outdoors. Wilding Education knows this and remembers we are all wild and part of nature. We seek to meet our wildness, and educate it in ways which bring what is wild in us to more beautiful and powerful potential, wilding us until we cannot help but passionately love and protect what is wild and needed for all life on Earth.”
- Storm Stewart
Founder, Co-director, and Mentor of Wilding Education
The Coyote Mentoring Approach
We draw from the Coyote Mentoring approach to nature connection, which is rooted in Indigenous knowledge and traditional ways of learning and connection through a close relationship with the natural world. Rather than relying primarily on direct instruction, Coyote Mentoring encourages children to develop a relationship with the natural world through observation, curiosity, storytelling, connection, community, and passion-based experiential learning.
At Wilding, these principles shape how our mentors interact with children and how we structure our days:
Observation Over Instruction: Rather than immediately providing answers, mentors encourage children to observe, explore, and discover answers and solutions for themselves.
The Art of Questioning: Mentors use thoughtful questions to encourage children to think independently, notice patterns, make connections, and follow their curiosity.
Storytelling: Mentors share personal experiences, stories, and lessons learned from nature to help bring learning to life.
Experiential Learning: Children learn through hands-on experiences such as crafting, building, foraging, carving, exploring, and engaging with the natural world.
Connection, Community, and Collaboration: We cultivate a community in which every member is encouraged and supported to contribute, engage, collaborate, and solve problems together. When conflicts arise, we draw on peacemaking practices to help children feel heard, understood, and seen while working toward resolution and collaboration.
Our Approach to Learning and Play
Wilderness skills with awareness around safety and hazards.
Social-emotional learning with peers, mentors, and families within our community with emphasis on authentic connection, empathy and respect.
Connection to ancient wisdom and cultures through ancestral skills, storytelling, traditions sharing, and much more.
Nurturing unity, interdependence, and musicality through singing songs together every day.
Experiential learning in nature to foster an appreciation for and deep connection with Nature.
Integrate science, math, art and literacy into our emergent curriculums though fun hands-on projects in an inviting and supportive manner.
Child-centered: we base our day-to-day activities on group interest; we support children’s exploration of their passions; we meet each child where they are and appreciate their own unique path of development and growth. During play, students have the opportunities to collaborate to make their own rules, express themselves, learn to cooperate and problem solve.
Prioritization of Fun and Play: wide varieties of big body movement, intuition focused, fast and slow games; we welcome rough and tumble play (playful, not hurtful).
Core Routines of Nature Connection We Practice Together
"Each core routine for nature connection awakens a kind of 'mindfulness,' an attention toward nature. What we are really doing is raising the Natural IQ……Natural Intelligence is easy to rouse, because it is already deep in our brain's circuitry. The human brain was wired to thrive on relating actively with nature. The brain is most excited while solving problems on the move, quickened by the imperatives of survival. It senses widely. It focuses sharply. It decides quickly. It remembers vividly."
– Haas & Bakewell, Coyote's Pocket Guide
We incorporate the following core routines throughout our days. Every day at Wilding, each child is a more or less active participant in at least 10 of the 15 listed routines below. There are many more than these 15 routines in the 8-Shields Mentoring model used world-wide, and each of the 15 below are only brushing the surface of deep wells of Nature connection. These practices help children slow down, notice more deeply, develop their senses, follow their curiosity, connect with oneself and others, and build a deep and lasting relationship with the natural world.
Thanksgiving: Expressing gratitude for the abundance, beauty, simplicity, silliness, and favorite presences of the natural world and all who live in it.
Play/Games: Allowing fun to lead learning and healthy development and connection with mind, body, people, and place.
Sit Spot: The practice of sitting in nature regularly at the same place to observe, quiet one’s mind, and immerse in nature.
Song: Singing together to unite our voices, rhythms, and hearts with music ranging from silly to profound.
Story of the Day: Sharing lineage sagas, folk tales, personal nature connection stories, reflecting on the happenings and learnings of the day.
Expanding Awareness: Quieting our minds by awakening and expanding our senses.
Imitating Animals: Imagining and acting out animals' movements and behavior, such as fox walking, deer ears, and owl eyes.
Questioning & Tracking: Looking for clues and asking questions to learn more about the mysteries we encounter.
Wandering: Taking time to wander with no agenda, to follow our intuition and inner guidance.
Mapping & Orienting: Paying attention to the directions, creating maps and knowing where we are in the landscape.
Field Guides: Browsing and searching through books to identify and learn about things that capture our attention.
Nature Journaling: Regularly recording our experiences in a journal by drawing, mapping and writing.
Wilderness Skills: Practicing basic outdoor survival skills and techniques.
Mind's Eye Imagining: Looking/reflecting deeply to create a mental image to use later.
Listening for Bird Language: Learning the voices and behavior patterns of birds to better understand what is going on in the landscape.
To learn more about Coyote Mentoring and the 8 Shields model, visit Connection 1st - a comprehensive collection of past and present work in the field of nature connection. If you are interested in learning more about the offerings you find there, please reach out to our team and we would be happy to share more details and resources with you.