Roots Wildschool Rules

Be Respectful

Physical violence, bullying, and/or harassment of any kind will not be tolerated. This is a space of inclusion and support for one another.

 

No Politics

Political conversations should be limited to private conversations only, away from children, and do not ever reflect the group as a whole.

 

Inclusivity

No gendered statements i.e. “for boys”, “for girls”, “throw like a girl”, “boys will be boys”, “boy color”, “girl color”, etc… Please assist your child(ren) in helping navigate any tricky situations. Everyone has the right to participate and everyone wants to feel included.

 

Sickness

If you or your child(ren) don’t feel well/are sick, stay home. If there’s a chance you’re coming down with something, stay home. If you’ve been around someone in the past couple of days who has an illness (flu, stomach bug, covid, HFM, etc), stay home. Use your best judgment or contact us to discuss.

 

Leave No Trace

Leave our playspace as you found it, or even better. This is not only limited to trash but things you might see as harmless, too (apple cores, orange/banana peels, and the like). Everything you bring with you, leaves with you. No foraging is allowed. Demolish any structures built (rock piles, etc), stay on trails, leave animal habitats alone, do not pick plants or flowers mindlessly, do not break tree branches, etc. If your child participated in a craft or activity it is your/your child(ren)’s responsibility to clean up/put things away.

 

Expectations of Adults

Contribute to the Safety of our Members

You are solely responsible for the safety of your own children. In addition, please use common sense if the safety of others is at risk. For example, if you see a child fall in water, please grab them. If you see a child hitting another with a stick, please intervene. If you see a child throwing rocks in the direction of others, please intervene. You could ask the child to be mindful of where they are throwing/swinging or redirect completely if necessary. Every family approaches parenting (and risky/dangerous play) differently however, if you see a child engaging in a dangerous activity please use your best judgment and err on the side of caution until their parent can be informed. If you don’t know what to do or the best approach, ask for help!

 

Help to Facilitate a Rich Learning Environment

We all have a unique skill-set and something to offer. We encourage members to help others when given an opportunity, which will in turn diversify the learning experience for all. We also encourage you to participate when asked by your child(ren). Wildschooling does not equal inactivity/inaction on the parents part, in fact we hope for the opposite.

 

A Parent/Caregivers’ Role 

It is the role of the parent/caregiver to model a love for and respect of nature, to point things out, ask questions, and help to ignite curiosity. Lean towards open-ended questions vs “Yes / No” questions. Most importantly, have fun! Your child will see your curiosity and wonder and excitement to be a part of the group and will match that energy. Play as if no one was watching, ask questions you don’t know the answer to, be silly. Your child detects their own safety and confidence through watching a caregivers behavior and attitude. 

 

The Importance of Free (unstructured) Play

What is Free Play anyways? Free play can be described as unstructured play, child-led play, self-play. You might have used phrases before with your own kids like “just go play!”. Maybe your child has wandered off to another room and you catch them peacefully playing by themselves in the corner with an activity they came up with all on their own. 

 

During child-led play you will find your child is typically very focused and happy! There is no direction given, no rules to follow, no objective, no right or wrong way of doing things. There is imagination involved and critical thinking. They can make mistakes and it doesn’t matter. They feel a deep sense of control and free will (which let’s be honest - how much of their days are spent being told what to do, what not to do, where to go, when to go, what to eat, how to eat, etc). This time spent during free play is crucial for their physical, social and emotional development. Even further, their social skills will advance, their creativity and imagination will flourish, and their problem-solving abilities will improve.

 

Let’s take arts and crafts during a meetup as another example of “unstructured” play. There is no “right” way to create. “Right” in this case is a societal perception that we inevitably pass on to our children. Example: “Activity direction says to do this, this way so the child must do it this way or it’s wrong/bad/not as good as others”. Is your child wanting to do an activity a little differently than we’ve laid out? Let them! Ask them to describe to you what they’re doing. Ask them what they think about their finished product. 

 

The Importance of Time Spent Outside in Nature

• Enhances creativity

• Sensory-rich environment

• Risk versus reward critical thinking

• Countless health benefits

• Proprioception exercises

• Coordination and balance

• Lessons of curiosity and wonder about the natural world

• Stress reduction

Risky Play

Try to switch your mindset to this being a type of play, not a behavior. At Roots Wildschool we encourage caregivers to step back and let their child(ren) engage in risky play. What are the benefits? The most standout would be higher confidence levels and enhanced problem-solving skills. “But what if they get hurt?” Risky play actually helps to prevent injuries, as children are able to test their limits and make confident decisions about their safety. They are able to problem solve and decipher if they are able to do something, or not. 

 

Here’s a personal example of how I approach one type of risky play with my own children: Tree Climbing. I have a hard fast rule when it comes to climbing, specifically trees. If my son is able to climb up by himself, he can go for it. However, I will never pick him up to place him on a structure/tree he cannot get to on his own. Once up and climbing, he’s patient and calculated with every move and most importantly - he stops when he’s reached his limit! I allow him the opportunity to figure out what his limits are. I do not stand on the sidelines projecting my worries or “what-ifs” onto him. I watch him in awe, typically silently. Kids feed off of our energy. If I have no confidence in him, he will undoubtedly distrust his capabilities. If I spend the entire tree climbing session saying things like “you’re making me so nervous!”, “don’t fall!”, “I don’t think you can do that!” he will only learn to override his intuition based on my mistrust in him. Now all that said, would I let him climb a tree over a lake? No. Would I let him climb a tree with young branches? No. Risky play does not equal mindless play or dangerous play! 

 

Alternatives to Saying “Be Careful”

Alternatives to saying “Be Careful” - why? It’s indirect, for starters. When we tell our children to “be careful” we are insinuating that the trust they just had in themselves should be questioned. We’re making them rethink everything they had just decided on their own because of our insecurities and projection of fear. We’re saying in so few words: don’t try new things, don’t take risks, don’t trust yourself, I don’t trust you, you will get hurt, you are incapable. Now, of course bad things can happen. But bad things can happen walking, too! The issue lies more so with how the statement is presented to the child.

 

When you find yourself wanting to say “be careful” try to do this:

Ask yourself, what is the chance of serious harm? Why do I not like this? What skill is my child practicing?

 

We want to foster a sense of awareness and mindfulness in our children. Here are some examples of what to say instead:

• Do you feel safe (up there, doing that, jumping there, etc)?

• Please be mindful of your body and who’s around you

• Do you see how slippery the rocks are because of the moss/where that branch is broken up ahead/children around you/the spider’s web/the mud at the base of where you’re jumping?

• Try using your feet/hands/arms OR moving quickly/slowly

• What’s your plan? 

​

Further Reading

• Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder, by Richard Louv 

• Balanced and Barefoot: How Unrestricted Outdoor Play Makes for Strong, Confident, and Capable Children, by Angela J. Hanscom (Author), Richard Louv (Foreword)

• There's No Such Thing as Bad Weather: A Scandinavian Mom's Secrets for Raising Healthy, Resilient, and Confident Kids, by Linda Åkeson McGurk

• The Call of the Wild and Free: Reclaiming Wonder in Your Child's Education, by Ainsley Arment

• The Danish Way of Parenting: What the Happiest People in the World Know About Raising Confident, Capable Kids, by Jessica Joelle Alexander and Iben Sandahl