Diary of a Playworker
It’s no secret that we love our work at Wildlings.
Just as we believe that learning should be fun, we aim to make our work a source of fulfillment too. As playworkers, our jobs involve a variety of tasks, especially when it comes to school holidays.
Come along with us as we take you through a week in the life of a playworker.
Let’s hear from Sara and Jenny about what they got up to in Brisbane this week.
Monday
JENNY All Day Adventure with Rafts
The kids showed me their awesome knot-tying skills while raft building today, and everyone successfully made a raft. We did some whittling with Chinese Elm and made amazing tools and weapons. The children were deeply engaged in making cubbies throughout the entire day and the play was very inclusive. Unfortunately, my shoes were not waterproof at all, and the soles fell off. I managed to tie them on to last me the session. So many children left saying they had the best day ever.
Tuesday
JENNY Morning: OSCH Flower Crowns and Cubbies
I spent the morning before the session sustainably collecting flowers and foliage for crafting. There was a lot of collaboration and creation going on, with incredible cubbies created out of tarps, twine and bark. The children’s heads were adorned with beautiful flowers as they played. But just as we were packing up a roaring sound came through the forest and soon rain was pouring down! Everything was instantly soaked and the ground turned to mud.
I had a quick lunch then got busy collecting more flowers and setting up for the afternoon session in the rain. I wish I remembered a raincoat but found a towel in my car. Note to self: always have a towel.
Jenny:
“Just as we were packing up a roaring sound came through the forest and soon rain was pouring down! Everything was instantly soaked and the ground turned to mud.”
SARA Morning: Private Session with an OT company
This morning we ran a private 'Adventure Club' session with an OT company and their clients. After a safety speech, we collaborated to establish boundaries and ways we can look after the space. During the session, we used hand drills, hammers and whittling knives to create all sorts of amazing things, and then we set up a target to shoot our bows and arrows at. We rock hopped, caught yabbies, and got wet and muddy feet in the creek. I debriefed with the OTs at the end of the session and they were completely in awe of the children and their focus, determination and self-regulation.
JENNY & SARA Afternoon: Enchanted Forest
This was our first time running this session since we changed it from Wizards, Wands and Potions. Everyone was a little worried about getting muddy and wet, but soon got into the magic of the forest. Another lot of rain came through and some people chose to seek shelter under tarps, while others embraced it. After the rain passed, we could hear thunder rumbling away from us. It was so beautiful to see the sun shining through the broken clouds after the rain. The children discovered a mud slide down the side of a creek bank, and everyone left with either a magic potion, amulet or wand with muddy legs and smiling faces.
A wet muddy day for children means they take home lots of washing and it's no different for us! I spent the evening gurney-ing mats and tarps for tomorrow's session. I hosed ropes and trolleys, wiped mud off boxes and put my uniform in the washing machine. My patio, fences and washing line were full of Wildlings gear, hanging to dry.
Wednesday
SARA Morning
While Jenny spent the morning in the creek doing rafts, I was at Tinker with Tools, the opposite rotation for the OSHC. This OSHC is just down the road so they walked to the site, and we could hear their excitement from a few hundred metres away. For Tinker with Tools, we put out hand drills, hammers, wire cutters and the saw. We used foraged sticks and discs cut from Camphor Laurel to create keyrings, fishing rods, magic wands and necklaces.
I had the younger group first and then the swap happened and the older children, wet and soaked to the bone, came up from rafting. They were wet but elated and didn't seem to mind, as they sat in the dappled sun creating masterpieces. We sent a gaggle of very wet, very happy children back to their OSHC. We had a lunch break and then reset the space for the afternoon session.
JENNY Afternoon
I started the session supporting children on the saw-horse. I love watching children’s determination and persistence with this activity. It's also a wonderful time to chat with other children and get to know them as they wait patiently. One child was so determined to get through an enormous stick, he came back four times to get through. Each time he would say needed a break, but he kept coming back. His mum arrived for the final act and he was so proud to show her the hard work he had done. He took one-half of that stick home with him as a trophy.
During the last part of the session, I sat down by the creek in golden light with a small group and fossicked for quartz crystals and ochre to make paint.
SARA Afternoon
After we signed the children in, Jenny took them to the mat for our safety briefing. As always, they discussed snake safety, boundaries and our 3 'respects': Respect for yourself, others and the environment. One child who comes regularly to our term sessions wasn’t having a good time on the mat so instead, I went with him to the creek and we went over the safety briefing together while he built a dam.
I spent the afternoon waist-deep in the cool water watching as children succeeded with making their rafts float, but inevitably some sank. They got dragged back onto the shore and were either readjusted or abandoned for bridge building, digging in the sand or splashing in the water.
One of the Wildlings policies is that children must wear a life jacket when on the raft. I love to watch children when they've finished with their raft, experimenting with how their bodies feel in the water, floating with the aid of a life jacket.
Thursday
SARA All day Adventure with Fire
Our all-day session today began with fire. Because we run on Brisbane City Council permits, we must contain our fires in the existing wood BBQs. This means we set up in a big clearing for the morning. We did fire striking first and then lit our big fire for marshmallows and damper. Meanwhile, we got the Kelly Kettle going for hot chocolates, and the children used the kindling cracker to chop firewood.
Before lighting our big fire, we found a HUGE redback in the wood BBQ, I haven't seen one in years! I put a stick in to try to rehome her and she hurried to her egg sack to protect it. Mama instincts! We got her and her egg sack in a container and all the children took turns having a look before we rehomed her along with the smaller male.
At midday, we completely relocated to our forest site, a magical Camphor Laurel forest where children explore the secret places, make cubbies and play in the creek. We call this our 'slow hour' where we have no tools out while staff rotate through breaks. When everyone was back on site, we brought out the whittling knives for an afternoon of weapon making.
Sara:
“As Playworkers, it is our job to bring the resources and provide scaffolding to keep children at the session safe; but the day is genuinely theirs to do with what they want.”
A WEEK IN THE LIFE
SARA
Of all the sessions we run, the all-day program has to be my favourite.
As Playworkers, it is our job to bring the resources and provide scaffolding to keep children at the session safe; but the day is genuinely theirs to do with what they want.
On these days we see hard work, persistence and genuine triumph as they master new skills like fire striking or whittling.
We see friendships form, teams work together and conflict resolution as they build forts, establish bases and take ownership of the space.
We see a sense of empowerment and accountability for their own bodies as they make decisions about when to eat, what to wear, where to rest.
We see focus and delight as they catch yabbies, shrimp and fish and we see environmental stewardship as they discuss how to take care of the forest and all the creatures that live here.
We see determination and pride as they come up with new projects - a bridge across the creek or a hammock in the trees; a bow and arrow or a sword - and see them to completion.
We see absolute exhaustion and outbursts of pure joy as their parents arrive and they relate their days.
As a playworker, nothing makes me feel more fulfilled than knowing that the forest is a place for all young people.
The cautious child who clings to Mum at the beginning of the session doesn't want to leave her new best friend by the end.
The child who is known to 'run' at school, has the space here to self-regulate when they need it.
The child with the creative flair can stay most of the day on the art mat, finding a mentor in our junior staff member who teaches them to make nature jewellery.
The child who is never impressed by school holiday activities is back on the whittling mat for the fourth time, with ideas and enthusiasm for crafting an ever-evolving weapon.
The child who is withdrawn around new people teaches a group of older children how to catch a yabby.
In the forest, everyone has something to offer, and everyone has something to take away.
This week, we had two new staff members start work with us. One is currently studying and doing her practical hours in a childcare centre, while the other is a teacher who is taking a career break. Both of them expressed the difference they see and feel in the experience as a staff member and the immense difference they see in the children. Wildlings not only provides a place for children to be themselves but also a safe, fulfilling workplace for staff. There are challenges, oh my goodness there are challenges! But the good far outweighs them.
We saw all of this in a week. Imagine what we see in a year!
A WEEK IN NUMBERS:
Children who attended Wildlings sessions in Brisbane: 278
Locations: 5
Kilometres driven to and from sessions (Jenny and Sara only): 324
Spiders rehomed from car: 3
Spiders rehomed from BBQs: 1 big, pregnant mama Redback
Whittling cuts: 0
There you have it, the diary of a playworker, well two actually, and what a week it was!
There’s never a dull moment at Wildlings, for the children or the staff. Working out in nature certainly has its challenges, but it’s also deeply rewarding work. It’s not always easy navigating the elements, remembering to look after ourselves as we hold space for children, and not all of us are as brave as Sara when it comes to relocating spiders! But as a team, we support each other as best we can by working to each other’s strengths and sharing the load where possible.
We hope this gives you a sense of the diverse and exciting activities on offer at Wildlings Forest School, and that one day soon you’ll take the leap and join us in the forest for more thrilling risky play. Our Adventure Play sessions run every school holidays and we offer a variety of programs during term as well. If you’d like to learn more about what’s available near you, head to www.wildlingsforestschool.com/bookings and be sure to follow us on socials @wildlings_forestschool.
Written by Ellen Nesbitt. Ellen is a nature play advocate and creative writer with a passion for helping families connect with the outdoors. She is dedicated to exploring ways to nurture children's creativity, independence, wellbeing and love for nature.