What is Wild Tribe?

Wild Tribe is based on the principles of Forest school which was developed from the Scandinavian education system and is about young people building self-esteem and independence through exploring and experiencing the natural world. Forest Schools is a long term programme delivered by trained practitioners within a natural environment (not necessarily a Forest!) The main difference between Forest Schools and Wild Tribe is that it has been developed by teachers and practitioners working alongside each other to ensure that units of exploration have been developed, which meet the needs of all learners not just early years and meets the requirements of the new National Curriculum covering a range of curriculum areas. Each Wild Tribe unit of exploration is tailored to meet the needs of individuals within that group and is continuously developed as the young people grow in confidence, skills and understanding as a result of their exploration.

The ethos of Forest Schools allows learners the time and space to develop skills, interest and understanding through practical, hands-on experiences. It also allows practitioners to step back and observe the young people in order to then encourage and inspire individuals to achieve through careful scaffolding and facilitating. Wild Tribe has been developed based on the principles of Forest Schools but with our own natural Cornish twist.

What will the children be doing?

Some of the activities include:

• Natural crafts – making necklaces from elder, crowns or dream catchers from willow, collages from natural materials, weaving with long grasses, tree cookies, etc.
• Mud sculptures
• Shelter building and knot tying
• Using tools for a purpose – such as peeling bark from sticks with   potato peelers to make toasting forks
• Fire building and cooking on a camp fires
• Activities linked to literacy, numeracy, science or topics

Sessions are planned around the individual’s and group’s needs, and built upon each week. Our Wild Tribe practitioners are Mrs Truscott and Mrs Lloyd, they have completed nationally recognised and accredited training, therefore ensuring Wild Tribe is a high quality learning experience. The earlier sessions will concentrate on safety, establishing boundaries and routines. As the pupils develop in confidence and familiarity with the environment, the sessions focus on the development and consolidation of skills and understanding, and link further with National Curriculum areas.

Our Wild Tribe area has some natural features (we may import natural features such as sticks, logs, leaves and seeds). The area is safe, thoroughly risk assessed and managed appropriately by our staff.

What benefits will my child get from participating in Wild Tribe?

Wild Tribe supports the holistic development of the pupil:

• Health and fitness – being active in an outdoor, natural environment
• Increased emotional wellbeing – there is research available supporting this
• Social development – communicating, and negotiating with peers and adults to solve problems and share experiences
• Skills development – developing fine and gross motor skills and coordination for real purposes
• Gaining knowledge and understanding – multi-sensory, real life learning
• Individualised learning – careful observation allows adults to tailor support to pupils’ own interests and stage of development
• Curriculum Links – Wild Tribe supports may areas of the National Curriculum.