Fifteen ways in

The 15 Practice Keys

Each Practice Key is a simple, repeatable way of spending time with nature. Some will call to you straight away; others will make sense later. There is no right order.

Tap a key to find out what it is, see it in pictures, and try it.

The 15 Wilding Practice Keys arranged around a bunch of keys

Create cultureTurn the things you do outdoors into a way of life you share.

Enjoy your sit spotSit quietly, often, in one place, and let the wild come to you.

Open your sensesWhat could your senses tell you if you slowed down and let them?

WanderFollow your curiosity instead of a path and see where it takes you.

Uncover nature's languageWhat are the birds saying, and could you learn to listen?

Track & ask questionsWho has been here, and what questions will lead you to the answer?

Dive into field guidesWhat is it, and how will you get to know it as a neighbour?

Awaken your mind's eyeHold what you saw in your mind and see it again later.

Imitate natureHow would a fox, a deer or a heron do this?

Imaginatively journalLet a journal help you notice more and remember it.

Tell your storyWhat's the story of today, and who could you share it with?

Map & navigate naturallyFind your way using the land, the sun and the stars.

Value natureWhat are you grateful for, and how could you say thank you?

Live wilderLive a little wilder, warmer and more at home outdoors.

Support natureWhat can you give back to the places that give you so much?

Safety, and where the activity guides come from

Look after yourself and others. Outdoor activities carry real risks: fire, tools, water, weather, heights, plants, fungi, animals and getting lost. Every activity guide includes safety notes, but you are responsible for your own safety and for anyone in your care. Supervise children closely, get the landowner's permission, follow the Countryside Code, never eat anything you cannot identify with complete certainty, and only light fires where it is allowed and safe. If in doubt, leave it out.

With gratitude to the lineage. The Wilding Practice Keys and many of the activities in the activity guides have been adapted from the core routines of nature connection in the 8 Shields approach (Coyote Mentoring), mapped by Jon Young and shared in Coyote's Guide to Connecting with Nature (Young, Haas & McGown).

These ways of noticing and belonging are far older than any book. They grow from the knowledge of Indigenous and land-based peoples around the world, who have lived in close relationship with the land for thousands of years and have kept that knowledge alive, often in the face of great loss. Jon Young describes 8 Shields as built on patterns of nature connection he found in Indigenous cultures around the world, and on what his mentors taught him, including the teachings passed down through Tom Brown Jr. from Grandfather Stalking Wolf. Our own ancestors in these islands once knew the land in this way too.

I offer Wilding with deep respect and thanks to all of them. It does not claim or copy any culture's ceremonies or sacred practices. It is a UK way of carrying forward simple, shared human ways of paying attention, giving thanks and belonging to a place. — Jay