What is Wilding?
Wilding is my way of helping people build a lasting relationship with nature, with themselves and with each other, through three journeys and fifteen Practice Keys.
A way of knowing nature, living wilder and passing it on.
It begins with a simple intention: to get to know the nature around us. Not just the names of plants, trees and wildlife, but their lives, behaviours, relationships and the landscapes we share.
Know nature
Through regular encounters we learn to notice more, ask questions, follow our curiosity and recognise the stories unfolding around us.
Live wilder
As the relationship deepens we may begin to live differently: more time outdoors, practical skills, natural materials used respectfully, and nature woven into everyday life.
Pass it on
We share discoveries, stories and skills, nurture curiosity in children, friends and communities, and care for the places we share.
These journeys are not rigid stages. Wilding is a UK-centred interpretation of the 8 Shields model of nature connection developed by Jon Young and colleagues, reworked for British landscapes, species, seasons and culture.
You, at the centre of a living community
Wilding explores the relationships in a place through eight communities of species, elements and forces: trees, birds, low-growing plants, insects, mammals, heritage species, hazards and natural forces, and the species that motivate you. The more threads you notice, the stronger the web becomes.
Explore the Practice Keys
Click a key to find its activity guides.
Each Practice Key is a way into a deeper relationship with nature. Pick one that calls to you and explore the activity guides that go with it.
Create culture activity guidesUncover nature's language activity guidesLive wilder activity guidesTrack & ask questions activity guidesImaginatively journal activity guidesValue nature activity guidesAwaken your mind's eye activity guidesTell your story activity guidesEnjoy your sit spot activity guidesWander activity guidesImitate nature activity guidesSupport nature activity guidesDive into field guides activity guidesOpen your senses activity guidesMap & navigate naturally activity guidesFind an activity guide.
Create cultureMake nature part of everyday life with the people around you.
Uncover nature's languageLearn what the birds are telling each other, and you.
Live wilderShelter, fire, tools, wild food and crafts.
Track & ask questionsRead the stories left in mud, snow and nibbled nuts.
Imitate natureMove, hide and play like the animals.
Value natureGratitude, respect and care for the living world.
Awaken your mind's eyeSee it again with your eyes closed.
Tell your storyShare the day's adventures around the hearth.
Enjoy your sit spotReturn to one wild place until it starts to know you.
WanderFollow your curiosity instead of a route.
Imaginatively journalKeep what you notice in words, sketches and maps.
Support natureGive back with habitats, planting and citizen science.
Dive into field guidesPut names to your neighbours, and know what is safe.
Open your sensesWake up sight, sound, smell, touch and intuition.
Map & navigate naturallyFind your way by sun, stars and the lie of the land.Seven parts. One Rucksack.
Every part links to the others, so an activity guide points you to its chart, its audio and the book that goes deeper.
Wilding: Wisdom for a Wilder Life
The heart of it all: the philosophy, the Wilding model, the 15 Practice Keys and three journeys.
- The Wilding model
- 15 Practice Keys
- Know Nature, Live Wilder, Pass It On
Wilding Activity Guides Library
800+ step-by-step activity guides for games, crafts and skills.
- Search by Practice Key, habitat or species
- Each activity guide includes its templates and charts
- QR codes on every card link here
Threshold books
13 books exploring key topics in depth, one for each course.
- Practical guidance and inspiration
- Links to activity guides, audio, templates and cards
Game and activity cards
Printable cards for games, challenges, storytelling and learning.
- Nature connection activities
- Storytelling and creative play
Wilding Field Guide
Species identification and how everything fits together.
- Key insights and seasonal notes
- Field skills
- Links to relevant activity guides
Templates and charts
Recording sheets that help you notice more and keep it.
- Journalling templates and tracking journals
- Bird sit and sunset watch charts
Audio and video
Guided visualisations, sit spot meditations and skill demonstrations.
- Guided visualisations
- Sit spot meditations
- Demonstrations linked from every activity guide
Threshold books & activity guide collections
Each threshold book goes deeper into one part of the journey and comes with its own collection of Wilding activity guides. Tap a cover to look inside.
Wilding: Wisdom for a Wilder LifeThe heart of the Rucksack: why connecting with nature matters, the Wilding model, the 15 Practice Keys and the three journeys, with every Guide linked by QR code.Find out more →
Wild AwakeSlow down, wake up your senses and find a sit spot you return to.Book + 39 activity guides →
The Invisible WildA garden mystery to solve: follow tracks, signs and bird alarms, from tuning in your senses to telling the story of who has been here.Book + 35 activity guides →
Wild WiseMeet your neighbours: plants, trees, birds and insects, the hazards and the helpers, and the web that ties them together.Book + 56 activity guides →
Everyday Wilder LivingWork with simple tools, make useful things, shelter and manage a permitted fire, so you can return to your sit spot, garden or wood all year round.Book + 39 activity guides →
Food from the FireFollow a meal from the invitation to the final thanks: choosing fuel, preparing firewood, managing cooking heat and recipes to share around the hearth.Book + 33 activity guides →
A Walk in the WildA walk with someone who knows the woods: plants and trees, their relationships and gifts, with safety, restraint and gratitude alongside any use.Book + 40 activity guides →
Wild CraftsRepeated making with natural materials: from a familiar object to closer study of material, shape and use, and a growing relationship with what you gather and grow.Book + 43 activity guides →
Supporting NatureBug hotels, bee homes, hedgehog highways, nesting boxes, ponds and citizen science.Book + 57 activity guides →
Venture FurtherPrepare for a weekend on the moor: planning, what to carry, navigation, shelter, water, hazards and leaving no trace, with care for the right to camp.Book + 35 activity guides →
Wild AncestorFire by friction, carrying fire, water, shelter, natural navigation and invisibility: the skills of those who came before, ending in the ancestral challenge.Book + 37 activity guides →
Wild GuideFor parents, grandparents, friends and leaders: the art of Wilding mentoring, Red Fox skills, pathways by age and the Wild Child challenge.Book + 6 activity guides →
Wild SparksNature games for every age, ready-made party and session plans, and how to play in the flow of a group across all 15 Practice Keys.Book + 165 activity guides →
Wilder TogetherBuild a shared culture around the hearth, bring the skills to your group, and hold a group safely from first meeting to passing it on.Book + 217 activity guides →What you can add to your Rucksack
Wilding: Wisdom for a Wilder Life
The core book: the Wilding model, the 15 Practice Keys and the three journeys.
Threshold books
Go deeper into one topic, such as The Invisible Wild for tracking and bird alarms.
Single activity guides
Pick exactly the activities, games and skills you want, each with its templates and charts.
Activity guide collections
Themed bundles that match a book or course, such as every activity guide for The Invisible Wild.
Scan from the book
Every activity guide in the Wilding book has a QR code that brings you straight to its page here.
Cards, audio and more
Game and activity cards, the Field Guide, templates and audio, added as they are released.
How it works
Choose
Browse by Practice Key, journey or topic and pick the resources you need.
Add to your Rucksack
Buy single items or themed collections.
Everything included
Each activity guide comes with the templates and charts it needs.
Build over time
Your Rucksack grows with you, season by season.
Popular starting points
Where should I start?
The Wilding books are thresholds: places where you can step onto your wilding journey. The Practice Keys open the doors. There is no fixed route, but here are some good first steps.
Know nature
If you want to know nature, Wild Awake is the ideal first step. Drawn to tracks, signs and bird language? You could start with The Invisible Wild instead.
Live wilder
If your curiosity is Wild Crafts, start with Everyday Wilder Living for tool skills and knowledge, then wander into A Walk in the Wild for gathering skills. Wild Wise, a cleverly woven web of learning and discovery, helps all the way.
Pass it on
You can start passing it on at any time, through Wild Guide.
Families & groups
If you work with families or groups of adults and/or children, try Wilder Together or Wild Sparks. Wild Awake is a useful first step too.
Your Wilding journey
Each Wilding book and course is a stop on the path. Start anywhere, go alone or with family and friends, return, branch off and try again. There is no fixed route.
Wilding: Wisdom for a Wilder Life →Wild Awake →Everyday Wilder Living →Wild Wise →A Walk in the Wild →The Invisible Wild →Wild Crafts →Food from the Fire →Supporting Nature →Venture Further →Wild Ancestor →Wild Sparks →Wild Guide →Wilder Together →Where Jay walks: the South Devon coast
Choose your way in
Start with the journey that fits you, or browse every activity guide.