Wildlings Summer Club 2026

27 Aug

What a wonderful summer we have had this year at Wildlings!

Every day of our holiday club was fully booked, and all the free places funded through the council were taken—which was absolutely fantastic.

A Rhythm to Our Days

We especially love it when children return to us time and time again. Children really thrive on rhythm, and there is a distinct rhythm to each day at Wildlings.

There is freedom for children to choose their own activities, balanced with times when we all come together and activities that have a stronger adult-led element. These shared moments can sometimes be tricky for children, particularly those who have had difficult experiences at school. We work individually with each child and family to find the best way to support them, without pressure or judgement.

One of the highlights this year was the balance between spending our mornings on the plot and heading out for a woodland adventure in the afternoons. The woods offered a lovely, cool change of scenery for the children staying all day, with plenty of space to explore and play.

Story Time, Rest and Relaxation

After lunch each day, we gathered together for story time, accompanied by the gentle sound of the lyre. This gave the children an opportunity to rest and digest—something we believe is incredibly important.

Learning how to relax, breathe deeply and recognise when our bodies need to slow down is a valuable childhood skill. Even our liveliest children settled beautifully into this part of the day. Sometimes they helped to play the lyre, made themselves a cosy little bed or sat knitting while they listened.

Day after day, we watched the whole group become calm and absorbed in the story.

Food Without Pressure

Food was another real highlight, especially for some of our more cautious eaters.

The children told us how much they enjoyed the meals we prepared and shared together, and they were fantastic helpers—chopping ingredients and taking an active part in making lunch for the whole group.

We ask every child to have a bowl of food in front of them, so that they can be included in the shared mealtime, but there is never any pressure to eat it. Over the course of the holidays, we watched children gradually become more comfortable and begin to trust the food in their own time.

It was wonderful to see children who were initially hesitant trying new things simply because they felt safe, included and free from pressure.

Building, Making and Problem-Solving

Our hedgehog-house project was a great success, using kits supplied by Glen, the Wonky Carpenter. We heard that some of the finished houses were taken home and donated to the local Hedgehog Rescue Centre, where they were very gratefully received.

Through making the houses, the children developed some brilliant carpentry and motor skills. They practised sawing, hammering and assembling, requiring plenty of concentration, teamwork and mathematical thinking—all while having great fun together in the sunshine.

We also built giant marble runs using drainpipes and guttering. Skipping and traditional playground games were as popular as ever, along with our much-loved climbing tree at the bottom of the plot.

Learning to Navigate Differences

The climbing tree can sometimes cause a little tension between the children—but this is all part of social learning. It gives them opportunities to practise communicating, understanding one another and finding ways to navigate competing needs.

We use a restorative approach with the children, which means that nobody is simply labelled as being “in trouble”. We see ourselves as guides, helping children to understand themselves and the effect their actions may have on others.

Sometimes this means helping a child recognise their own need for space, justice or fairness, while also encouraging them to consider another person’s point of view. We support the children to navigate these differences and find workable solutions together.

At other times, gentle guidance, clear leadership or a well-timed distraction is exactly what is needed!

Thank You for Trusting Us

As always, it has been such a joy to spend the summer with your children. Thank you for trusting us with them.

We are now very excited to be offering sessions during term time too.

Visit our Events section to find out about:

Our after-school club
Flexi Fridays
Our Wednesday parent-led group
Rekindle Juniors
Rekindle Seniors

Through Rekindle Seniors, we will also be welcoming specialist craftspeople to help children and young people develop deeper practical skills and a stronger connection with natural materials.