Join us on
The Wild Side

Putting wild, nature play
back into urban childhoods

Our Mission

Welcome to Back to the Wild Kids, a Western Sydney-based educational service putting wild, nature play back into urban childhoods.

Our mission is to connect urban children with wild nature play and bring back traditional, joyful, healthy and developmentally appropriate childhoods. We hope to inspire the next generation to know and love the natural environment.

"No one will protect what they don't care about, and no one will care about what they have never experienced." -David Attenborough

Environmental crises like climate change, plastic pollution, deforestation and loss of biodiversity will define the lifetime of our children. Studies show that if kids grow to know and love nature, they will develop motivation to protect and care for it.

Mud Kitchen

Whilst playing in the mud kitchen, children engage in sensory experiences and imaginative role-play

(Creek Kitchen Terms 1 & 4)

Dharug Language

With permission from Dharug author, Jasmine Seymour, learn vocabulary from our local Dharug language through song

Eco Art, Craft & Play

Use natural materials to engage in creative activities supporting learning about the environment

Oral Story Telling

Develop literacy, comprehension and oral language skills when retelling, roleplaying and dramatising stories

S.T.E.M.

Use real tools, observe flora and fauna, construct boats and rafts, create with loose parts, build cardboard box worlds and measure natural phenomena such as the weather

Imagination

Engage in endless imaginative scenarios, developing creativity and sparking joy

Motor Skills

Develop balance, strength, coordination & resilience by navigating natural terrain, the weather, uneven surfaces, bodies of water, tree climbing, low ropes, obstacles & risky play

Garden to Plate & Urban Foraging

Plant, harvest and cook fruit and veg in the community garden. Learn how to safely forage for and prepare edible plants and native bush foods.

Seasonal Skills

Summer: Develop kayaking skills, construct and ride a loose parts raft. Winter: Learn campfire skills, safety and cooking.

About

Hello, I'm Karlie, Back to the Wild Kids creator, owner and educator. I am a primary school teacher of 14 years and also a mum. I am a passionate advocate for Planet A, a lover of nature and a children's right to play advocate.

In 2022, a sense of urgency and frustration sparked in me after one too many students told me they had spent another weekend cooped up on a screen in their tiny suburban apartment. Sadly, this has become an all too common reality for many urban children. So, I set up Back to the Wild Kids, and completed my Level 3 Forest School Leader training with FSLI. Now I am living out my dream of providing urban children an opportunity to access wild, nature play and hopefully help them become healthier and happier and grow into adults motivated to love, care about and protect their planet.

Contact Us

Acknowledgement of Country

Back to the Wild Kids acknowledges the Burramattagal people of the Dharug Nation as the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which we play each week. We pay our respects to Dharug ancestors and elders - past, present, and emerging. We recognise that this land always was and always will be Aboriginal land and that sovereignty has never been ceded. We support, protect and promote the rights, freedoms, power and truth-telling of First Nations Peoples.

Join us on The Wild Side