Wildlings Forest School

What Wildlings Forest School does

Wildlings Forest School is a private Australian alternative education provider that delivers nature-based outdoor programs for children, parents, and educators under the Forest School educational philosophy. Co-founded in 2017 on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, by teachers Nicki Farrell and Vicci Oliver, the company operates across South East Queensland with eight-plus outdoor sites spanning Sunshine Coast and Brisbane, plus Australia-wide delivery for its training and online courses. Core programs include Nature Playgroup (ages 0-3), Forest Kindy (3-6), Homeschool Adventures (4-12), After School programs, School Holiday Workshops, and Birthday Parties, with a wholly-owned subsidiary, Little Wildlings, providing a government-approved regulated early learning centre. The company's "core technology" is its child-led, risk-aware pedagogical framework incorporating hands-on skills (fire lighting, hand tools, knot-tying, flora/fauna identification) delivered all-weather across wild spaces.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model with multiple revenue streams. Recurring weekly program fees (approximately $50-60 per session) anchor revenue and require full-term payment in advance. Supplementary revenue includes one-time birthday party packages starting at $750, school holiday workshops, excursions and incursions to schools/childcare services, customized festival event activations (Noosa Triathlon, Woodford Folk Festival, Horizon Festival, World Environment Festival), and Australia-wide Bush Kindy Training plus online courses for educators and homeschooling parents. An e-commerce shop sells nature play resources nationally, and the Raising Wildlings Podcast (460,000+ downloads, #3 on Australian Education charts) extends brand reach and supports content-led acquisition. Distribution is direct via the Bookeo online booking system, with what3words-powered site navigation, PayPal and Australia Post handling shop commerce. The company is an Activity Provider rather than a regulated Education and Care Provider, so it does not access childcare rebate; NDIS families access programs under social and community participation but pay upfront and self-claim. Wildlings is privately held by its two co-founders with no disclosed external funding and 1-10 employees.

Name

Wildlings Forest School

Legal name

Where the Wildlings Grow Pty Ltd

Website

https://wildlingsforestschool.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Outdoor Education Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDACABAJ

Outdoor/Nature/Forest Preschools

Education/Early Childhood Education/Preschools & Pre-K Programs

SECONDARYTHAAAOAA

Outdoor & Wilderness Education Schools (Field-Based Learning)

Travel & Hospitality/Adventure, Amusement Parks & Ecotourism/Educational Adventure Programs (Outdoor Education, Skill Development)

SECONDARYEDACAHAJ

Outdoor / Nature-Based Before/After Care Programs

Education/Early Childhood Education/Before & After School Care (Early Years)

SECONDARYEDAMALAN

College & Career Exploration Camps (Pre-College Samplers, Pathways)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Summer & Holiday Enrichment Camps (Multi-Activity, Academic)

Keywords

• Nature-based education
• Outdoor learning programs
• Forest school services
• Early childhood enrichment
• Nature play programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Burnside

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Weekly Program Fees: Ongoing weekly programs including Nature Playgroup, Forest Kindy, Homeschool Adventures, and After School programs. Families can book casually or for full terms with advance payment required. Pricing starts from approximately $50-60 per session depending on program type.
2. Birthday Party Packages: Birthday party workshops priced from $750 for 12 children for a 2-hour workshop, with additional children at $50 per head. Additional packages available for tableware hire and decorations.
3. School Holiday Programs: Vacation care and adventure programs during school holidays, available in both Brisbane and Sunshine Coast locations.
4. Bush Kindy Training for Educators: Professional development and training courses for educators and services Australia wide, including online bush kindy courses for educators and online courses for homeschooling parents.
5. Online Store (Shop): E-commerce store selling nature play products, ethical and sustainable resources for outdoor play, and items used in their own programs. Products shipped Australia wide via Australia Post.
6. Excursions and Incursions: Custom nature play experiences for childcare services, schools, and OSHC programs delivered at their sites or at client locations.
7. Special Events and Festivals: Customized children's activity spaces for events including Noosa Triathlon, World Environment Festival, Horizon Festival, Woodford Folk Festival.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Wildlings Forest School delivers nature-based play and learning programs for children aged 0-12 across South East Queensland, including weekly outdoor sessions (Nature Playgroup, Forest Kindy, Homeschool Adventures, After School), school holiday programs, birthday party workshops, excursions and incursions. The company also provides professional bush kindy training and online courses for educators and homeschooling parents Australia-wide.

Product overview

Wildlings Forest School is an alternative outdoor education provider operating across South East Queensland, Australia, established in 2017. The company offers a portfolio of nature-based programs centered around the Forest School educational philosophy. The core children's programs include Nature Playgroup (ages 0-3), Forest Kindy (ages 3-6), Homeschool Adventures (ages 4-12), After School Program, School Holiday Programs, Birthday Parties, and Special Events & Festivals. Supporting products include Roaming Home School Adventures (monthly add-on sessions), Excursions & Incursions for schools and childcare services, and a Shop for nature play resources. For educators and parents, the company offers Bush Kindy Training (Australia-wide), Online Bush Kindy Courses, Online Courses for Homeschooling Parents, and Guest Speaking services. The Raising Wildlings Podcast, hosted by co-founders, extends the brand's educational reach. The company is structured as a multi-award-winning small business rather than a traditional education provider, with operations across Sunshine Coast and Brisbane locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Little Wildlings: Government approved regulated early learning centre offering pre-kindy and approved Kindergarten program meeting Early Years Learning Framework and National Quality Standards.
• Raising Wildlings Podcast

Products and services

• Nature Playgroup Weekly nature playgroup sessions for babies to 3 years offering self-directed adventure play in supported wild spaces with group activities, mud kitchens, bush walks, and wildlife spotting. Guardian attendance required.
• Forest Kindy Forest school program for children aged 3-6 years featuring self-directed learning and adventure play, including hand tools, fire lighting, bush cooking, knot-tying, cubby building, flora and fauna identification, and seasonal weather exploration.
• Homeschool Adventures Weekly forest school program for children aged 4-12, combining democratic education principles where children select learning topics with hands-on activities including fire skills, bush cooking, knot-tying, cubby building, and sustainability education.
• Roaming Home School Adventures Monthly nature adventure play sessions for homeschooling, unschooling, and wild-schooling families featuring cubby building, hand tool use, whittling, mud kitchen activities, and themed nature exploration.
• After School Program All-weather after school program for school-aged children providing autonomy, movement, and independence through hand tools, knot-tying, raft building, flora and fauna identification, and environmental conservation activities.
• Birthday Parties Outdoor nature-based birthday party workshops including fire and bush cooking, cubby building, raft building, hand tool tinkering, whittling bows and arrows, flower crowns, dream catchers, and enchanted forest potion making activities. Pricing from $750 for 12 children.
• School Holiday Programs Award-winning school holiday programs across Brisbane and Sunshine Coast offering nature-based adventures, hand tools, fire skills, creek play, and wild play activities.
• Special Events & Festivals Customized children's activity spaces for festivals and events, with past appearances at Noosa Triathlon, World Environment Festival, Horizon Festival, and Woodford Folk Festival.
• Excursions & Incursions Off-site excursions and in-school/in-service bush kindy incursions for childcare services, schools, and OSHC programs.
• Bush Kindy Training Professional development and training services for educators and services Australia-wide, teaching bush kindy and forest school philosophies and practices.
• Online Bush Kindy Courses Online professional development courses for educators seeking to implement bush kindy programs.
• Online Courses for Homeschooling Parents Webinars and online resources for parents engaged in homeschooling their children.
• Guest Speaking Guest speaking services for festivals and events featuring Wildlings educators.
• Shop Online store selling nature play resources, tools, and sustainable products used in Wildlings programs. Ships Australia wide via Australia Post.
• Little Wildlings Early Learning Centre Wholly-owned subsidiary operating a government approved regulated early learning centre in Capalaba, Brisbane, offering pre-kindy and approved Kindergarten program eligible for CCS, Free Kindy, meeting Early Years Learning Framework and National Quality Standards.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 30,000 children have experienced Wildlings Forest School programs since 2017
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sunshine Coast PCYCcoreOthersWildlings Forest School operates its main Sunshine Coast Forest School site behind the Sunshine Coast PCYC facility, utilizing the space for parking and access to adjacent wild spaces.
• Noosa TriathlonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWildlings provides custom children's activity spaces at the Noosa Triathlon event, creating family-oriented entertainment and brand exposure.
• World Environment FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWildlings hosts children's events at the World Environment Festival, aligning environmental education with festival programming.
• Horizon FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWildlings provides children's activities at the Horizon Festival, creating engagement opportunities with nature-focused families.
• Woodford Folk FestivalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWildlings hosts children's event programming at the Woodford Folk Festival, one of Australia's largest folk festivals.
• Channel 7 Creek to CoastminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWildlings appeared on Channel 7's Creek to Coast segment showcasing kids building, exploring, and discovering their capabilities in nature.
• Forest School AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWildlings operates under the Forest School Association framework and educational philosophy, following their standards for inspirational outdoor learning.
• Affinity InsurancecoreOthersWildlings is insured under leisure liability coverage by Affinity Insurance, providing $20 million public liability, professional indemnity for training, and product insurance for online store.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• Gather & Grow Forest School: Australian forest school offering child-led outdoor education inspired by Scandinavian and European forest school models. Comparable product offering (weekly programs, holiday sessions, educator training) and direct overlap with Wildlings' Forest School philosophy and target families.
• Gotcha Outdoors: Australian outdoor education provider delivering nature-based programs for children, schools, and families. Comparable in mission, program types, and target customer base to Wildlings, with similar incursions, holiday programs, and birthday offerings.
• Birdwings Forest School: Australian forest school operating in Melbourne with nature-based programs for children including playgroup and homeschool sessions. Direct competitor offering a comparable Forest School philosophy in a different Australian region, serving the same family segment with similar child-led outdoor programming.
• Kool Kids Forest School: Brisbane-based forest school providing outdoor nature-based play and learning programs for young children. Direct competitor within the Brisbane catchment where Wildlings operates, with comparable age-group programming and Forest School methodology.
• Forest School Co (Queensland): Queensland-based forest school offering nature-based outdoor education programs across the state. Operates in overlapping geographies with Wildlings and delivers similar weekly playgroup, kindergarten, and homeschool programming using the same Forest School framework.
• Nature Bound Outdoor Learning: Australian provider of nature-based outdoor learning experiences for children including kindy, holiday, and homeschool programs. Closely mirrors Wildlings' offerings in philosophy, age segments, and all-weather outdoor delivery model.

Emerging players

• Belonging Outdoors: Australian outdoor education provider delivering forest school and bush kindy programs for children across multiple regions. Comparable offerings to Wildlings including educator training and family programs, representing an emerging peer in the same niche.

Regional players

• Cedarsong Nature School: US-based pioneer of the Forest School model in North America with all-weather outdoor education for children. Operating in a different geography but a globally recognized peer that informs the Forest School philosophy and educational framework Wildlings follows.

Others

• Woodfordia / Woodford Folk Festival Children's Program: Operator of Australia's largest folk festival featuring dedicated children's nature programming where Wildlings delivers events. Not a direct competitor but a partner venue and ecosystem stakeholder where Wildlings has activation rights, with similar family-outdoor audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Nature Play Australia: National peak body and broader movement promoting outdoor, nature-based play across Australia. While not a direct program provider, it shapes the parent demand, industry standards, and policy environment that Wildlings operates within, and curates provider directories including Wildlings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeopen.spotify.com/show/423TRU8OnXl91QeOlskJQM
• Instagraminstagram.com/wildlings_forestschool

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wildlings Forest School