Shape the World Green

Wild to Wise, Nature School, will be completely designed according to the principles of Permaculture, so it would be useful at this stage to outline what is meant by the term. Permaculture is essentially a design system for the creation of sustainable human habitats.

There are now whole school campus designed using Permaculture principles, as well as an alternative education and economic systems, community energy programs and a whole range of other positive learning activities at work around school. The driving force behind this education projects is that we are in the midst of a grave environmental and social crisis, and unless communities take responsibility for creating their own solutions to these problems no-one else will do it.

In terms of Wild to Wise, Nature School’s Permaculture offers an approach to the design of not just the landscaping scheme, but also educating for the settlement, the economic systems, the energy systems and the approach to waste disposal which maximizes the efficiency of each element and integrates them into a whole system. In practice, this would result in school being carefully and thoughtfully positioned in the landscape and being designed to maximize solar gain and energy efficiency. There will also be an emphasis on local building materials and water conservation. All organic wastes will be recycled on site and school will be encouraged to grow its own food via intensive small scale gardens. There will be an emphasis on tree planting, mostly of productive species, planted so as to serve as many other functions as possible, i.e. windbreaks, erosion control, biomass, etc. In short, the Nature School will seek vastly to increase the site’s biodiversity, its productivity, its soils, its water-holding capacity and its beauty while at the same time much reducing its impacts on the environment, all through the utilization of sensible design.

Playfulness

Wild to Wise, School, is nature play and learning. Play is the foundation of true inquiry and discoveries. Play empowers, enables and excites. It is the very thing that allows for natural, developmentally appropriate learning to take shape. Play provides children with the opportunity to interact with one another, so that they can make sense of themselves and their world. We have fun and play together always.

Harmlessly Nature Play

Many parents now feel that they want children to play and learn ‘closer to nature’ harmlessly. It is also becoming clear that this ‘nature’ they crave is being lost at a frightening rate by having no pause. The need, therefore, becomes clear for the creation of Nature School which (unlike most current education developments) create an environment which places school amongst a diverse ‘nature play’ landscape which is also safe and meets many of the community residents’ needs.

Belonging/Sense of Self and Social

Genuine relationship is our core foundation. Being truly connected to others and to the environment is essential to personal, social and emotional growth. We support children to become socially competent, empathetic people who feel a true sense of belonging, to people and place.

Authentic/Active

KMS process learning is at the heart of what we do. We focus on the process and what children are learning through their experience, rather than the product. Children experience through doing. Real-life learning is key, so that children understand that what they are a part of his purpose.

Freedom of Learning

Who we are and who we can become is the big question of life. Every child arrives unique and capable in their own way. We enable children to understand this about themselves and others. Children are empowered to see that we all have purpose and potential and are given space to figure out what that is.

Healthy Child

Health is not just the absence of illness. We defines human health as the “balanced and integrated development of all aspects of whole life – physical, emotional, mental and spiritual”. Being able to live in a clean and healthy environment with a nutritious and safe food and in reliable contact with others go some ways to achieve much more success in life and achieving the rests will be one of the Nature School’s priorities.

Fitness

Moving physically provides greater opportunities to process, think and participate in a whole body way. Physical and mental well-being is a byproduct of highly engaged active learners. Engaging the mind and body with surroundings is a powerful catalyst that enables children to become lifelong healthy and active people.