Birdwings Forest School have been named winners in the Queensland Government Nature Play Community award for the 2020 Queensland Outdoor Recreation Federation Outdoors Queensland Awards. This award recognises our contribution to the provision of community nature play and green spaces of the Gold Coast, including our WildPlay Adventurers playgroups, our Community Spring Fair, Nature Connection Training and the ecological projects we continually work on as an integrated part of our Bush Club and Little Birdwings Forest Kindy programs.

While we are bursting with pride to receive this acknowledgement, we are most excited about recognition by the Queensland Government for the significance that access to wild nature has for children, families and neighbourhoods. As the Gold Coast’s first Forest School, this understanding is central to each of our programs as well as to our teacher training, and we will always advocate for children’s rights to access local wild nature places.

We want authentic, relaxed, creative and joyful play in wild nature for EVERY child.

This award celebrates the support and encouragement of our staff, children, families and neighbourhood, all of whom are an essential part of our Birdwings Forest School community. It is our joy to play with you outside in the Gold Coast’s breath-takingly beautiful wild places!

Our deepest gratitude we offer to Julie and Alan from Frost Farm and Justine from Ngarang-Wal Gold Coast Aboriginal Association Incorporated for the use of your magnificent wild spaces in Kombumerri Country. We are grateful for your vision, openness and the welcome you have extended to us for this essential work. We would also like to recognise our many colleagues in the nature play community. Our relationships are mutually inspiring and it is wonderful that we frequently connect, share and grow together to advocate for access to wild nature as a part of every childhood. We share a very clear vision for childhood and nature.

Together we create deep connections between children and their natural and cultural community.

Would you like to be involved with Birdwings Forest School?

There are a few ways you could support our business:

• Donate to our Ecological Projects – this fund is used to purchase the resources required for our ongoing Birdwing Butterfly project and ecological restoration of our Forest School Site.
• Become a volunteer – Our Adventure Club and Bush Club programs are an excellent opportunity to gain insight into the practice of adventure play and wild nature for supporting childhood wellbeing. Ideal for students studying education, psychology, counselling, nursing and outdoor ed. Conditions apply.
• Attend our training – check our website and follow our blog or our facebook page to find out when we are offering our teacher training and nature connection training days.