Wild Gully and the Rise of Bush Kindergarten: Why Play, Risk, and Nature Are the Real Foundations of Learning
More and more families are stepping away from traditional systems, searching for alternatives. I see it every week: children who don’t quite “fit the mould,” children whose needs are misunderstood, or children who simply need more space, time, and trust to thrive.
And that’s exactly why the Bush Kindergarten movement is growing—because it works. Originally founded as Forest School in Europe, more and more Australian services are also seeing the benefits of being in nature.
At Wild Gully, we’ve created Bush Kindy experiences that are deeply rooted in child-led, outdoor play. Children are invited to climb trees, dig in mud, balance on logs, build cubbies from branches, and experiment with loose parts in ways that open up real learning. It looks simple—pots and pans on a log for a mud kitchen, a rope tied between two turpentine trees—but that’s the beauty of it. Simple materials, complex learning.
I’ve watched children arrive nervous and hesitant, clinging to a parent or teacher’s hand, unsure of how to “start playing.” By the end of a session, they’re often unrecognisable—laughing with others, problem-solving, taking risks, and finding a newfound confidence. Those transformations aren’t luck; they’re the result of environments that honour how children are wired to learn.
This is where it aligns so powerfully with the Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guideline (QKLG), which centres around identity, connection, wellbeing, active learning, and communication. Bush Kindy doesn’t just tick the boxes—it brings those outcomes to life. Emotional regulation happens when a child feels frustrated their cubby collapses, then finds the grit to try again. Connection is formed as a small group of children share ideas, gather sticks, and learn to listen to one another. Wellbeing is strengthened when children breathe in fresh air, stretch their bodies, and return home with rosy cheeks and muddy boots.
And now, for Queensland services, there’s even more reason to lean into this way of learning.
The Kindy Uplift Funding Program, introduced recently, provides funding for all approved kindergarten program providers in Queensland (Early Childhood Education and Care). This funding is not just a line in a budget—it’s a commitment to improving children’s learning and development in priority areas such as:
Social and emotional learning
Physicality
Executive function
Language and literacy
Mathematics and numeracy
Culturally safe and inclusive programs
When you look at those priorities, it’s almost word-for-word what Bush Kindy naturally offers. Emotional regulation? That happens in every challenging climb or turn-taking negotiation. Physicality? Children are moving their whole bodies, developing balance, coordination, and strength outdoors. Executive function? Problem-solving, risk assessment, and flexible thinking are embedded in every moment of child-led play.
Through Wild Gully’s Bush Kindy, children live those developmental priorities in a way that is joyful, embodied, and lasting.
But here’s the real transformation: educators now have both the research and the funding to validate what many of us have always known—that play, outdoors, in nature, works. It works for the so-called “typical” child, and it works beautifully for children who struggle in traditional environments. The children who don’t fit the mould are often the ones who shine the brightest when given freedom, space, and the right environment.
This is where Kindy Uplift becomes more than funding—it becomes a bridge. It allows centres to take that leap away from purely structured, academic readiness and instead invest in experiences that nurture the whole child. It allows educators to shift the conversation from “What did the child produce today?” to “How did the child grow today?”
Wild Gully has been privileged to partner with many kindergartens across Bundaberg and surrounds, helping educators meet outcomes in authentic, nature-based ways. We bring the mud, the ropes, the tools, the stories, and the fire pits—creating safe, supported spaces for risky play and learning that matters.
And as more families look for alternatives, this approach also reassures parents that kindergartens can, in fact, be places of freedom, joy, and discovery. They don’t have to choose between mainstream education and outdoor play. With the right partnerships and funding, they can have both.
The truth is: childhood isn’t a race. And yet, the system too often pushes children to meet milestones as if faster is always better. Bush Kindy slows the pace, reconnects children to themselves, and gives them the chance to develop at their own rhythm. And now—with support like Kindy Uplift—it’s not just possible, it’s practical.
So, as more families step away from rigid systems, searching for environments that honour their children, Bush Kindy stands as both an alternative and an ally. It’s a movement that restores what childhood is meant to be: muddy, joyful, connected, and free.
Wild Gully is proud to be part of that story—walking alongside educators, children, and families who are ready to choose a different way.
