my wild life
calling all teachers and educators
my wild life is a BESA approved progressive learning programme for teachers to use with children aged 4-12 years old which uses metaphors and transferable learning from nature to support pupils’ social and emotional development.
My Wild Life
A natural way to learn and grow
my wild life
my wild life is a new, exciting and progressive learning programme for teachers to use with children aged 4-12 years old which uses metaphors and transferable learning from nature to support pupils’ social and emotional development.
The My Wild Life programme provides teaching staff with a stress-free and cost effective way to create inspiring lessons by packaging up uniquely themed lesson plans, schemes of works, assessment tools and resources into an engaging, fun curriculum that builds to last a whole academic year.
The programme is suitable for all children including those with SEND, and works particularly well in one-to-one or small group sessions.
Download our FAQ sheet here to find out more
or
Download a flyer about the My Wild Life programme HERE
the highlights
- Six core value-led themed kits (‘My Wild Kit of...Change, Respect, Strength, Confidence, Friendship and Hope’) which use imaginative storytelling and nature to bring themes to life.
- A new kit every half term including over 6 hours or half a term’s* worth of structured lessons in each one.
- Each kit provides equipment, guidance and workbooks which enable teaching staff to facilitate engaging, educational and nurturing ‘awe and wonder’ activities with pupils in a classroom or external setting effortlessly.
- Unique impact tools to assess and measure pupil progress.
- A reward system involving certificates and badges for pupils on completion of each module.
- Sustainable and reusable equipment and resources which form a fantastic and inspiring teaching tool-kit for schools.
- Accessible and adaptable for all and ideal for use with children with SEND or nurture groups.
*based on one lesson per week
If you would like to speak to a member of our team to discuss how the My Wild Life programme could work with your pupils, please get in touch.
How does it work?
Our kits provide teaching and pastoral teams with kit packed full of awe and wonder activities which inspire learning and engagement, support mental and physical health and have a positive impact on the social and emotional development of pupils in their care.
We have created six themed kits which are designed to work alongside the academic year and offer around 6 hours or half a term's worth of activities for small groups and 1:1 sessions in school.
The six kits follow an annual programme where a new theme is released ready for the start of each academic half term. Each kit uniquely links nature with children’s emotions and are themed in line with the changing seasons, common school values and key challenges that children are likely to be facing at specific points during the school year.
Our programme of kits follow the school year:
Term 1 – September - My Wild Kit of CHANGE
Term 2 – November - My Wild Kit of RESPECT
Term 3 – January - My Wild Kit of STRENGTH
Term 4 – Mid February - My Wild Kit of CONFIDENCE
Term 5 – April - My Wild Kit of FRIENDSHIP
Term 6 - June - My Wild Kit of HOPE
Although we recommend that you follow the order of the programme, the individually themed kits can be done at any time during the school year or to any schedule or timeframe.
What is included?
You will discover a comprehensive Teacher’s Handbook, certificates and reward badges; and individual kits for each child containing their own themed workbook and supporting equipment.
With the first order Teachers will receive a My Wild Life Folder (1 per4 kits), introductory pack and dividers to store and organise the teacher handbooks by theme and any supplementary notes.
Using the information, tools and equipment provided in each kit, together you will be guided through a series of wildly adventurous and imaginative core activities and extensions that are inspired by nature and aim to strengthen children’s belief that they can manage their emotions and make positive choices in their lives.
For teachers
- planning Structured lesson planning tools and advice.
- facilitation Clear instructions to guide you through each activity to support your pupils’ developmental progress.
- measuring progress Downloadable impact tools and advice to measure and log pupil progress.
- storytelling A story to read to your group which imaginatively introduces the theme to your children.
- reward Certificates and badges to award to pupils on completion of each module / kit
For pupils
- personal kit Their own box full of equipment and an illustrated workbook which enables them to take part in fun and nature-led activities whilst exploring their personalities, emotions and behaviours.
- skills & confidence An opportunity to learn new skills, gain greater confidence in their ability, become more resilient and fearless and develop a greater self-awareness and self-belief. - imagination & reflection Themed stories and introductions to each activity to capture imaginations. Plus, simple, pictorial instructions which allow children to take the lead on activities and learn to assess their own well-being using self-reflection tools.
- celebrating success Exciting certificates and badges to collect with each kit
“There is nothing like these kits available to my knowledge and I think they are brilliant! … they are a great resource for the increasing number of children we have in school who need to develop social and emotional skills”
SENCO,
Hertfordshire Primary School
"The children like making the eggs and then collecting things for their nests. We were able to talk about the places they felt safe just like birds do in their nests."
KS1 Teacher,
Bedfordshire Primary School
Who is it for?
The My Wild Life programme is aimed at children in Early years, KS1 and KS2 and can be used as a 1:1 resource, for small nurture groups and for children with SEND who perhaps can’t access the curriculum in a classroom environment.
for children with send
We believe that children with SEND should have the same opportunities and access to opportunities and resources as their peers and that is why our kits have been designed to be suitable for children with a range of SEND needs.
We understand that children with SEND have can be supported better if thought is given to the way their curriculum is delivered and presented.
That is why our kits focus on using a broad range of sensory activities, the children’s guide uses a step by step approach and the activities explore opportunities to work with others in small groups using nature as the common thread.
According to Andrew Colley from the University of East London,
The potential for outdoor education to foster independence is particularly beneficial for SEN students, “Giving SEN students that feeling of space, and the sensory stimulation that comes with being outdoors, is absolutely vital.”
With a higher number of young people diagnosed with SEND than ever before Ofsted have been shining a light on school provisions for children with SEND.
The My Wild Life programme enable schools to support children with SEND in a way that is immediately accessible ( just pick it off the shelf) and provides a full range of activities that link directly to some of the areas of the curriculum that SEND children struggle to engage with.
The SEND Code of practice suggests 4 broad areas of need that schools should plan for:
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communication and interaction
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cognition and learning
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social, emotional and mental health
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sensory and/or physical needs
The kits provide support in all of these areas.
There is an assessment sheet in the kit to complete an assessment of the child at that moment in time and to then focus on the areas of greatest need, by tailoring the activities within the kit to meet those specific outcomes.
The assessment tool enables key areas to be prioritised to support the individual needs of that child at that time and also provides the resources to deliver meaningful activities to support change.
The kit provides the opportunity for the child to also assess their own progress and reflect on the activities as they are completed.
Children with SEND are supported via an easy to follow guide providing step by step instructions in pictures and words, for each activity.
The kits contain a range of sensory activities and encourage open conversations linked to self expression of feelings and emotions. The same kits are provided to children without SEND and so SEND children don’t feel marginalised.
Kits focus on healthy relationships, feeling safe and valued and making friends through completing activities with others.
SEND children will really enjoy some of the more practical activities that involve getting outside and creating and making. They will also love the personalised gift of a kit that is their own and they can decorate and use throughout the half term.
Providing the kits to children with SEND benefits their own growth and progression in a supported way whilst providing evidence to external agencies of areas to work on, progress to date and positive next steps.
working 1:1 with children
There are all kinds of reasons why a young person may be working on a 1:1 basis with a teacher, but whether this is planned or happens at the last minute, The My Wild Life Programme enablse teachers or Sencos to confidently pick a kit from the shelf and dive straight into a meaningful and engaging activity.
Teachers can support children by working through the contents of the kit, knowing that they are supporting their emotional as well as educational needs and working towards Ofsted requirements for those on pupil premium.
The assessment tool can help teachers to focus on the priority needs for that child and the activities and extensions are easily tailored and can be completed by a child 1 on 1.
nurture groups
Most schools have now introduced Nurture Groups to help children who need a little extra support in their learning.
These kits are ideal in supporting children to identify how they are feeling and how they express their emotions. They can also help to build resilience, develop friendships and to enable children to discover the wider world through activities that inspire with awe and wonder
Benefits for teachers
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The kits provide an off the shelf, flexible and economical resource that teachers, tutors or home educators can access at any point, or can build lessons into a half term.
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With the kits teachers can be confident that there will be guided engaging activities that can demonstrate impact and support children to develop many of the skills required to help them in the broader educational context.
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The kits align with the requirements of Ofsted and provide a complete, cost-effective solution to help teaching staff cope with the challenges of working with individuals or groups with specific emotional needs or who have been identified as requiring additional support – many of whom will qualify for pupil premium or have an ECHP.
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They offer targeting academic and 1:1 tutoring support in line with PPG Budget spending.
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Using the impact evaluation tool they will help to identify individual children’s barriers to learning and provide engaging activities to support improvements in these areas.
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They are a sustainable, reusable and recyclable and support the Eco-Schools agenda.
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The kits dovetail with other areas of the curriculum including PSHE, Science, Art and D&T.
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We can offer a virtual short training session with teaching staff to help them get the most out of the kits prior to using them.
Benefits for pupils
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The kits focus on areas such as “Friendships” “Change” and “Confidence” all incredibly important to children of this age.
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They can support those who may be the most economically disadvantaged/ vulnerable. Many of these children do not have experiences outside of school and their knowledge of the wider world is limited.
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They can also support children who are struggling in school and not making expected progress by supporting their emotional needs.
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They can help children to understand their emotions and express them verbally or creatively to communicate how they are feeling.
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They can help to build confidence and a sense of achievement.
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All the themes focus on social interaction, self regulation, resilience and building confidence and self-belief at their core.
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Children build connections to nature and their environment, they start to feel comfortable in different places and understand how nature can support their mental and physical health.
Placing an order
My Wild Life Kits are available to order now.
Please get in touch to receive our pricing details for schools.
Term 1 – September Delivery - My Wild Kit of CHANGE
Term 2 – November Delivery- My Wild Kit of RESPECT
Term 3 – January Delivery- My Wild Kit of STRENGTH
Term 4 – Mid February Delivery - My Wild Kit of CONFIDENCE
Term 5 – April Delivery - My Wild Kit Kit of FRIENDSHIP
Term 6 - June Delivery - My Wild Kit of HOPE
Each themed kit can be bought individually or you can sign up to the Annual Programme of kits where you’ll receive the latest kits at the start of every half term until the end of the academic year. (If your annual subscription in term 3, you will pay to receive kits until the end of term 6).
Please do get in touch if you have any questions about our kits or wish to place an order.
If you would like to find out more why not book an online meeting with our team at your convenience HERE
or look out for upcoming webinars -
register below for free when available.