Here is our list of businesses, schools, blogs, books, research and other resources that keep us inspired every day! Please contact us if you would like to add your business or product or you think we have missed a resource.
RECOMMENDED RESOURCES
We regularly get asked for book, kit/gear recommendations. Some of it we stock in our shop, some of it we can’t or it’s not financially viable to do so. For those things we don’t stock, we have created a list of our favourite, most used and recommended gear here. This is also where we list all of the books our podcast guests recommend.
We would like to highlight that if you do purchase anything from this link, then we may get a small kickback from some items. We hope you understand this is just our way of paying for the time it took to set-up and continues to take to maintain and add more items as we find/recommend them. Thank you for supporting us!
WEBSITES
Nature Play Queensland - Access to many free nature play resources including Passports to an Amazing Childhood, Licences to Play, 33 Things to do before you are 3.
Nature Play SA - A not-for-profit organisation that started in 2014 with start-up funding from the South Australian Government. Their vision is simple – to get more children outside playing in nature. In their backyards, local parks and wilder places, like National Parks.
Nature Play WA - Is an incorporated not-for-profit association established to increase the time Western Australian children spend in unstructured play outdoors and in nature.
Nature Detectives - Most useful particularly for Early Childhood. Contains themed packs and you can sign up for a weekly email full of new lesson ideas.
Forest Schools - Inside the resources section this has a series of weekly plans for sessions regarding the transition to KS3, Maths in the Forest, and some relevant topic modules which have been taken outside.
NRich Maths - Outdoor Mathematics ideas
Natures Classroom - Lesson ideas broken down into seasons.
Teachers Education Service (TES) - Most suitable for Early Childhood
YAS - A great simple break down of activities and what you need to get started when running Forest School activities with Early Years Children
Forestry- For support with providing research benefits to colleagues and parents
Environmental Law - useful links for understanding laws and regulations in the US
HOMESCHOOL HELP, WEBSITES AND BLOGS
Disco Learning - @lucy_aitkenread - Unschooling, deschooling
Stark Raving Dad - @Stark.raving.dad - Homeschooling Instagram, podcast and blog
Australian Homeschool Stories - @australianhomeschoolstories - podcast
Jitterberry - Respectful Parenting
Happiness is Here - @sara_happiness.is.here - Unschooling/Respectful Parenting
Racheous - Respectful Parenting
Ben Hewitt - Author of Homegrown
Ben Hewitt - We Don’t Need No Education Article
Carol Black - A Thousand Rivers Article
Mulberry Magazine - Homeschooling magazine
Unschooling Downunder - Advice and networking for Australian Unschooling families
Start Homeschooling Australia - Advice on how to start Homeschooling for Australian families
Australian Homeschool Network - A network for Australian Homeschooling families
Home Education Network Australia - A network for Australian Homeschooling families
Sunny Homeschool/Unschool - A network for Homeschooling families on the Sunshine Coast, QLD
Our Aussie Homeschool - A Austrlian Homeschooling blog
Teacher Tom - A blog about the only employee of the Woodland Park Cooperative preschool
The Milk Meg - Lactation consultant, breast feeding advice, attachment parenting
Pinky McKay - Lactation consultant, breast feeding advice, attachment parenting
Aha Parenting - Attachment and Peaceful Parenting
Peaceful Parent Happy Kids - Attachment, Respectful and Peaceful Parenting
Parenting for a Peaceful World - Peaceful Parenting
Attachment Parenting 24/7 - Attachment and Peaceful Parenting
Attachment Parenting International - Attachment and Peaceful Parenting
The Natural Resourcer - Purchase natural resources such as gumnuts, wooden discs etc.
Home Science - A great backyard science page to inspire children to become conservationists starting in their backyard.
ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION PROVIDERS, SUNSHINE COAST, QLD
Ananda Marga River School - Neohumanist - ECC - Year 6.
The super qualified and uber generous staff at the river school have been running a magnificent Forest School ECC program on the river for years and is the place where we were first inspired to start our own program!
RESEARCH ON THE BENEFITS OF FOREST SCHOOL
Improved behaviour at Forest Kindy
https://www.forestschoolwales.org.uk/ysgol-goedwigforest-school/challenging-behaviour/An investigation into the benefits of Forest School interventions for young people with ADHD in the education system.
http://www.academia.edu/3740044/Dissertation_An_investigation_into_the_benefits_of_Forest_School_interventions_for_young_people_with_ADHD_in_the_education_systemForest school: evidence for restorative health benefits in young people
http://www.openspace.eca.ed.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Forest-school-evidence-for-restorative-health-benefits-in-young-people.pdfImpacts of Long Term Forest School Programmes on Children’s Resilience, Confidence and Wellbeing
https://getchildrenoutdoors.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/impacts-of-long-term-forest-schools-programmes-on-childrens-resilience-confidence-and-wellbeing.pdfInvestigating the effectiveness of Forest School sessions on children’s physical activity levels
https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:krPdRpEriIQJ:https://www.merseyforest.org.uk/files/documents/1341/Austin,%2520C.,%2520Knowles,%2520Z.%2520and%2520Sayers,%2520J.%2520Forest%2520School%2520Evaluation.pdf+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=auForest School: A Marvellous Opportunity to Learn
https://www.forestschooltraining.co.uk/_webedit/uploaded-files/All%20Files/Research%20papers/Marvellous%20opportunity.pdfImprovements in the children's confidence, motivation and concentration, language and communication and physical skills were recorded by teachers and Forest School leaders.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03004270802291798?src=recsys&journalCode=rett20Forest School and its impacts on young children: Case studies in Britain
http://www.outdoorrecreationni.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Forest-School-and-its-impacts-on-young-children_OBrien_Murray-2007.pdfOutdoor learning spaces: The case of forest school
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/area.12360Forest Schools in Great Britain: an initial exploration
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.2304/ciec.2007.8.4.320The Benefits of a Forest School Experience for Children in their early years [PDF]
https://www.forestschooltraining.co.uk/_webedit/uploaded-files/All%20Files/Research%20papers/Massey%20-%20benefits%20of%20FS%20Journal.pdfForest Guide with links to Research
http://www.langley.bham.sch.uk/pdfs/forest-guide.pdf
RESEARCH ON BEING IN & CREATING NATURE & GREENSPACES
Exploring the Relations Between Childhood Experiences in Nature and Young Adults’ Environmental Attitudes and Behaviours
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/australian-journal-of-environmental-education/article/exploring-the-relations-between-childhood-experiences-in-nature-and-young-adults-environmental-attitudes-and-behaviours/029FC630519229DA5744DBFC257C0EA1Green schoolyards offer physical and mental health benefits for children
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-09/aaop-gso090817.phpSeven Cs Findings: making outdoor play spaces places
https://www.natureplaywa.org.au/7cs-an-informational-guide-to-young-children-s-outdoor-play-spaces-2Kids more active, less depressed when playgrounds include natural elements
http://news.ubc.ca/2016/04/11/kids-more-active-less-depressed-when-playgrounds-include-natural-elements/RESEARCH ON RISKY PLAYLandscapes for play: Effects of an intervention to promote nature-based risky play in early childhood centreshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272494417301512
RESEARCH ON DEPRESSION
The Association Between Natural Environments and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescents Living in the United States
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1054139X17305050
RESEARCH ON SCREENTIME
Children’s screen time. From Growing Up in Australia: The Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, 2015 Repor
https://aifs.gov.au/publications/childrens-screen-timeProspective associations between toddler televiewing and subsequent lifestyle habits in adolescence
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0091743518300355Handheld screen time linked with speech delays in young children
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-05/aaop-hst042617.phpDaily touchscreen use in infants and toddlers is associated with reduced sleep and delayed sleep onset
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep46104A thorough article on how much screen time is right for kids at different ages. https://smartparentadvice.com/screen-time-for-kids/
RESEARCH ON HELICOPTER PARENTING
Helping parents to support children to safely travel and play outside independently as they grow.
https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/media-and-resources/publications/parental-fear