Wild Gully Therapy & Nature Play

11/01/2026

We’re back for 2026 — and we’re kicking it off with real tools, real skills, and real confidence.

This week, 60 children at Outside School Hours Care will step into the hero role— learning to use real hand tools safely, problem-solve, focus, and create with purpose. This isn’t busy work or novelty play. It’s intentional, guided risk that builds capability, resilience, and pride.

When children are trusted with real tools and supported by skilled adults, powerful things happen:
• Confidence grows
• Focus deepens
• Behaviour shifts
• “I can’t” becomes “watch me”

This is the kind of learning that stays with children — long after the holidays end.

If your OSHC program wants an incursion that’s engaging, meaningful, and developmentally powerful, let’s talk.
Holiday and 2026 bookings are now open — limited availability.

Link in bio or click here - https://www.wildgully.com/bookings

09/01/2026

Term 1 venues are live.

New locations.
New families.
New stories waiting to unfold.

And the heart of it all stays the same.

At Wild Gully, we don’t run programs to keep children busy.
We create spaces where children become capable, confident, and connected.

Nature play isn’t an “extra.”
It’s where regulation happens.
Where resilience is built.
Where children move, climb, negotiate, problem-solve and belong.

We see the transformation every term.
Children who start cautious grow brave.
Children who struggle indoors find calm outdoors.
Children who follow learn to lead — in their own way, in their own time.

With decades in education and specialist training in nature play, risky play, loose parts, fire education, and child development, this isn’t accidental play.
It’s intentional, research-backed, child-led practice.

This is for families who want slower days.
Muddier clothes.
More trust.
Less rushing childhood.

And the hero isn’t the program or the location.
It’s your child, when they’re given the freedom to be exactly who they are.

Our Term 1 venues are now open.
New locations.
Limited spots.
Term packages available.

Click the link to view exact locations and secure your Term 1 package.
We start very soon.

Link in bio or click here - https://www.wildgully.com/bookings

08/01/2026

This isn’t “just play”.
It’s how we support developing brains, build confidence, and strengthen our community.

Every day at Wild Gully, we see what happens when children are given space to move, explore, take risks, and lead their own play.

Children who arrive unsure…
begin to trust themselves.

Children who struggle to regulate…
find calm through movement and connection.

Children who are labelled “too much” or “behind”…
show us just how capable they really are.

This is because play isn’t a break from learning — it’s how the brain wires itself for resilience, emotional regulation, and problem-solving.

When children play together in nature, they don’t just build skills.
They build confidence.
They build connection.
They build a sense of belonging.

And when families, educators, and communities protect play, everyone benefits.

This is why Wild Gully exists.
Not to rush development.
Not to control behaviour.
But to create environments where children can grow the way their brains were designed to.

If this resonates with you — as a parent, an educator, or part of our community — you’re exactly who we’re here for.

2026 sessions, Kindy incursions, and educator training are now open.
We’d love to walk alongside your child’s journey.

Link in bio or click here - https://www.wildgully.com/bookings

06/01/2026

There’s nothing accidental about what happens at Wild Gully.

I call it The Wild Gully Way —
a framework built to support children to become calm, confident, and capable through nature play.

It starts with the body.
Movement, sensory input, and time outdoors come before expectations or learning.

Then we build competence.
Children climb, use real tools, problem-solve, and take safe risks — guided, not controlled.

And finally, we trust the child.
Autonomy, choice, and freedom allow confidence and resilience to grow naturally.

Most approaches try to fix behaviour with rules, rewards, and tighter structure.
But that creates compliance — not capability.

After 20+ years in education and supporting hundreds of children, I’ve seen this truth again and again:
when we change the environment, children thrive exactly as they are.

This is why families come to Wild Gully unsure…
and leave with calmer children, stronger confidence, and a whole new understanding of what childhood can be.

🌿 Save this to revisit
🌿 Share with someone who believes in capable children
🌿 Come experience The Wild Gully Way

— Leanne
Wild Gully Therapy & Nature Play

05/01/2026

We’ve been taught to label children as stubborn, naughty, or disrespectful when they don’t follow instructions quickly enough.
But behaviour isn’t defiance — it’s communication.

Children “don’t listen” when their needs aren’t met.
When they don’t feel seen.
When their nervous system is overloaded.
When they’re rushed through life instead of invited into it.
When adults talk at them, not with them.

Neuroscience shows us that connection switches the brain on.
Pressure shuts it down.
A child can’t take in your words when their body is asking for safety, movement, time, or autonomy.

The moment you slow down and tune in — everything changes.
Instructions land.
Transitions smooth out.
You get more cooperation because your child finally feels heard.

This is the work we do at Wild Gully.
Helping children regulate through nature, movement, risk, and real autonomy.
Helping parents and educators understand the “why” behind behaviour so they can respond instead of react.

If you’re ready for a child who listens because they’re connected, not because they’re controlled.

Join us - link in bio or click here -

https://www.wildgully.com/bookings

02/01/2026

Thought it might be a timely to re-share my most popular blog for 2025. Why I don't use raw rice in sensory play. Knowledge is power. This one has been shared hundreds of times.

Sensory play is a cornerstone of childhood development, helping children explore, engage, and learn through their senses. As a nature play advocate and early childhood professional, I am often asked about the materials we use—and more importantly, the ones we don’t. One of the most common questi...

01/01/2026

Making childhood normal again.

Somewhere along the way, childhood became rushed.
Over-scheduled.
Watched.
Directed.
Measured.

But childhood was never meant to look like that.

Childhood is meant to be muddy feet.
Tree climbing.
Getting bored and figuring it out.
Taking small risks and discovering “I can do this.”

At Wild Gully, we’re not trying to create anything new.
We’re simply making childhood normal again.

✨ Where play is unstructured
✨ Where children lead
✨ Where confidence grows through movement, not worksheets
✨ Where connection matters more than outcomes

The transformation we see isn’t loud — but it’s powerful.

Children who arrive hesitant begin to explore.
Children who struggle to regulate find calm in nature.
Children who are constantly told “be careful” start trusting their own bodies.

And the hero?
It’s not the program.
It’s not the space.
It’s the child — when we finally give them the time, freedom, and trust they deserve.

Because childhood doesn’t need fixing.
It needs protecting.

If you’re craving a slower, wilder, more connected childhood for your child — you’re in the right place.

Link in bio or click here
https://www.wildgully.com/bookings

01/01/2026

What We’re Taking Into 2026

2026 isn’t about doing more.
It’s about doing what actually supports children — and the adults who hold them.

After another year walking alongside families and educators, one thing is clear:
children don’t need tighter control, fuller schedules, or earlier expectations.

They need:
• calm bodies
• time to move
• space to play
• adults who trust them

So, this is what we’re carrying forward.

We’re taking nervous system–first learning.
We’re taking movement before expectation.
We’re taking meaningful, supported risk.
We’re taking unstructured play and unrushed time.
We’re taking strong boundaries — because regulated adults matter too.

When we slow the environment, children don’t fall behind.
They settle.
They connect.
They grow.

This isn’t a trend.
It’s a commitment.

And it’s exactly how Wild Gully will move into 2026!

Join us out in nature this year.

https://www.wildguly.com/bookings