Our Mission & Values

Values and Beliefs

• We trust children. 

• We believe all children deserve time and space to play freely outdoors and that free play is among the most important work they can do.     

• We believe children learn best when they are exploring topics they want to learn about while doing so in natural spaces.     

• An ideal learning environment for children is a protected part of the real world.

• Tools, loose parts, natural materials, art supplies, and non-human living things should be available to children in learning environments.

• We acknowledge the innate dignity, autonomy, and personhood of children.    

• We help children form a kinship with nature and each other.      

• We call the grown-ups who work at Wonder Woods ‘playworkers’ and believe their role is to empower children by supporting their play, first and foremost.   

• We support self-directed learning and help children discover their own interests by inviting them to explore different topics through various games, activities, materials, skills and child-led free play.

• We think outdoor education should be broader than just ecology. The natural world is also the inspiration for so much art, literature, music and poetry. Its study offers a deep look into chemistry, math, physics, and engineering.

• We support risk-taking as it is crucial to helping children learn, grow, and adapt.

• We observe rather than lead, question rather than assume, practice patience rather than interruption, and create opportunities rather than curriculum.  

• We are building a community and practicing care for all members in that community.   

• Children and playworkers can create a small, vibrant culture amongst themselves, with shared experiences, agreed-on rules, co-constructed legends and stories, and important roles for every individual.

• We are committed to addressing the racial, social, and economic inequality that affects Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color; queer and trans people; as well as people with disabilities or significant economic barriers.

• We are queer-affirming and future-oriented. We embrace change and commit to learning, unlearning, and adapting in order to live our values and prepare young people to remain in relationship with the natural world on a rapidly changing planet.
  
  We welcome families and kids of all religions, races, cultures, creeds, nationalities, backgrounds, and learning differences. We welcome and affirm families and kids who are LGBTQIA+, gender diverse, disabled, and/or neurodivergent.