At Brooklyn Wild, we play in nature.
Here, there’s space and time for people to show up just as they are; authentically connect with others; and follow their unique ideas.
In each group, playworkers and nature educators practice radical inclusion. They gently support social skills, emotional regulation, embodied experience, and critical thinking while following the group’s curiosities.
Questions are welcome. Creativity blossoms. And awe waits for you in every small thing…
If you want to...
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re-learn how to rest and play deeply
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know how to think for yourself
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feel awe in nature, even in the city
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be accepted for who you are, and however you show up
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resolve conflicts peacefully
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respect human and more-than-human relationships
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fully feel your body in the world: wet mud, warm sun, cool rain
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get curious and engaged with real life instead of a screen
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tolerate discomfort and difficult feelings
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play the way you want and not have to clean up the mess
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find independence not defined by the rules of school or work
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learn to move through boredom and into something wild and free…
Then you belong at Brooklyn Wild.
“Playspaces are fundamental to our sense of belonging and how we move in the world,” says Lysa Ratliff.
And at Brooklyn Wild, we turn the natural, everyday world into play space.
WHY GO WILD
Children learn best when they are fully engaged with the world, and can follow their own passions. At Brooklyn Wild, our trained playworkers create and hold a safe space during every class where children assess risks, test limits, build resilience and solve problems independently and with peers.
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An outdoor classroom provides the space to move, the limitless inspiration for exploration and discovery, and a sensory, whole body connection to the world. Nature is all around us, even in the city, and slowing down to appreciate it fosters mindfulness, gratitude and awe. Outside exploration is not only safe, but also builds confidence and competence as children get messy and immerse themselves in play.
Loose parts--whether from nature or found materials--and freedom from adult directives (even if just for a little while) are integral to creative play. They foster children’s ability to ask questions, build the unexpected, and engage with each other. The time and space to play away from adult-dominated schedules is a rarity in our fast-paced culture. Children deserve a time and space where what they say, think and feel determines what happens next. Play is the soil that grows a creative, independent thinker.
All children experience the world differently and should be supported in understanding and validating their own emotions and the feelings of others. In a culture of respect—for their own ideas, for others' ideas, and for the world around them—children learn to solve problems, communicate with peers, think creatively, play independently and contribute positively to their community.