Written by BIRDWINGS FOREST SCHOOL "Sometimes when you try hard things, you find out you can actually do them!" This exclamation was the epiphany that came to a child while his group was scrambling up a gully. He was leaning over the steep rock-face he had just climbed up, a little surprised that he had … Continue reading Reset, Recharge and Refocus: the therapeutic benefits of adventure-based programs for kids.
Confidence flows from Connection: helping children do hard things
All learning begins with a sense of trust and security. We cannot possibly ask children to learn something new if they do not feel safe or cared for. Connection must come first and through connection we learn about each other, and what we are ready to do. At Birdwings Forest School, we work closely with … Continue reading Confidence flows from Connection: helping children do hard things
Birdwings – QORF Outdoors Queensland Award Winners 2020!
Birdwings Forest School have been named winners in the 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.
Community Spring Fair, 2020
Despite the interesting events of 2020, we have flourished in our creek and bush play this year, and it was our pleasure to be able to share our joy with our Birdwings Forest School and local community in our recent Spring Fair.
Spring Fair and OPEN DAY!
Our annual SPRING FAIR and OPEN DAY is on again for Birdwings Forest School! You are very welcome to come along to join us on our forest school site in Guanaba. If you are curious about forest school, or have always wanted to visit - this is the opportunity! This is a lovely old-fashioned community … Continue reading Spring Fair and OPEN DAY!
What do you do when it rains? (and other frequently asked questions)
An all-weather, outdoor early childhood program is a unique experience (but fortunately one that is gaining popularity in Australia), and one that comes with many considerations regarding children’s safety. Here’s a list of questions we are most commonly asked about our Little Birdwings Forest Kindy program - and with no surprise they are mostly about … Continue reading What do you do when it rains? (and other frequently asked questions)
The Tree Grows Strong, A Story for Reconciliation.
At Birdwings Forest School we enjoy many types of storytelling, but mostly we use oral storytelling to share our knowledge and experiences. We tell stories of our own experience, Kombumerri and other Aboriginal dreaming stories, stories about seasonal learning and our own play. Sometimes we use props, sometimes we use actions, but for this kind … Continue reading The Tree Grows Strong, A Story for Reconciliation.
Position Available: Nature Mentor/Playworker
Position Available! Birdwings Forest School are hiring.
A healing story for children in the fire crisis
Children will need to talk about the bushfire too. They will need to explore this topic in every playful way in order to make sense of the experience and their emotions attached to it. At Birdwings we use oral storytelling, drama and art to help children process the experience. Storytelling easily crosses over and carries on through play, and formal storytelling can also provide children with a stage to share their understandings.
Storytelling and Trauma: supporting children in times of stress
We have many families in our local Birdwings community within this area (who are all safe) but who have been on high alert in preparation for the possibility of wild bushfire changing their lives forever. This week, the children will be talking about the fires, they will be sharing experiences, discussing the things they know, and watching each other for shared emotional responses as they talk to understand what has happened in their world.