Our Mission

At Wild Child we believe in a holistic, whole body, natural approach to learning. We use nature-based, hands-on learning opportunities and keep our bodies and minds nourished through our natural environment, sourcing of local organic materials, and growing and preparing our own food. We believe early childhood and elementary school should foster a love for learning and passion for exploration and experimentation. We believe play is essential to learning at all ages, and that kids need the freedom to soak up learning experiences beyond the desks and classrooms.

Wild Child is a home away from home for preschoolers and homeschool children!

A little about me

My name is Hope Bona

I have been in the education field for 10 years. Public school has never fit my style. After student teaching and seeing young children missing out on more than six hours of their childhood doing paperwork every day, I knew there had to be a better way. After much research and experience, I have created a space for children to grow, play, learn and be fully themselves in our home away from home. At Wild Child, paperwork takes a backseat while children spend most of their day playing and taking part in hands-on and self-led learning opportunities. Our natural environment and holistic approach creates a healthy, caring, and quality setting for kids to be kids!

Just like we approach everything in the classroom as a learning opportunity, correcting behavior has the same outline. The goal of authoritarian relationships is to build confident, independent and happy children through empathy, respect and understanding, and setting healthy boundaries. At Wild Child, your child will be able to grow and learn at their own pace and follow their own interests each day!

The why...

Why class size matters...

Overall, research shows that students in smaller classes perform better in all subjects and on all assessments when compared to their peers in larger classes. In smaller classes students tend to be as much as one to two months ahead in content knowledge, and they score higher on standardized assessments. These positive effects of small class sizes are strongest for elementary school students, and they become more powerful and enduring the longer students are in smaller classes. That is, students who have smaller classes in early elementary grades continue to benefit from this experience even if they are in larger classes in upper elementary or middle school (Bruhwiler & Blatchford, 2011; Chingos, 2013).

Healthy habits start young!

"When children are involved with growing and cooking food, it improves their diet," Haire-Joshu said. "Students at schools with gardens learn about math and science and they also eat more fruits and vegetables. Kids eat healthier and they know more about eating healthy.

Children Eat More Fruits And Vegetables If They Are Homegrown -- ScienceDaily

Farming and food can provide valuable life lessons for children, helping them develop important skills and values. Here are just a few examples:

Responsibility: By taking care of plants or animals, children can learn about responsibility and the importance of caring for living things.
Patience: Growing food takes time and patience. Children can learn about delayed gratification and the rewards of hard work.
Teamwork: Farming often involves working together as a team. Children can learn about collaboration and communication.

Teaching Children the Importance of Food and Farming - The Good Play Guide

Playing to learn?

“Scientists have discovered that it takes approximately 400 repetitions to create a new synapse in the brain, unless it is done in play, in which case it only takes 10 to 20 repetitions.” Dr. Karyn Purvis

"In a sense, what we do is who we are. We now have a large – and growing – pool of evidence to show that learning through play is the best way to support learning. Children are natural scientists – they come into the world ready to experiment and learn through play. And they use what they discover to not only adapt the structure of their brains, but also strengthen the skills they need to continue being engaged, flexible learners for their whole lives."

The scientific case for learning through play

Why Nature-Based?

"Time spent in nature has decreased in a significant way in the past few years. On average, youth play outside in nature for 4-7 minutes a day, while spending more than 7 hours each day in front of a screen. However, stress, depression, and anxiety levels skyrocketed. Antidepressant use has increased by 49 percent among US school-aged children with the most significant increase attributed to preschoolers. Healthcare professionals point out a direct link between children’s deteriorating mental and physical state and the absence of unstructured outdoor play in the fresh air."

The Many Benefits of Learning in Nature - Montessori Nature