Don’t just visit nature. Learn to belong to it.
re-wild helps you get to know the nature on your doorstep, live a little wilder and pass it on, with Jay’s Wilding books, printable activity guides and in-person courses.
“I would like to invite you to get to know nature and learn ways that will support you to live a little wilder.” Jay
See how an activity guide works → · Families & groups: where to start →
You probably already spend time in nature.
Walking the dog. Pottering in the garden. A familiar footpath, or the park on the way to school. That is the perfect place to start.
Wilding meets you where you are. It is not about becoming an expert naturalist, survivalist or outdoor instructor, and you don’t need to travel somewhere special. It can begin at a window, in a garden, on a familiar footpath or beneath a tree in a local park.
What changes is the relationship. Over time, visiting nature becomes knowing a place. Knowing becomes belonging. And belonging leads to care.
- Visiting nature
- Knowing a place
- Belonging
- Caring for it
How does a relationship with nature grow?
Think of a friendship beginning in a coffee shop. At first, you notice someone sitting by the window. Perhaps you exchange a smile. With repeated visits you begin to talk, share stories and recognise their moods. In time you notice their absence, care about their wellbeing and offer something of yourself in return.
Our relationship with nature can grow in much the same way. Nature contact is the beginning, not the destination.
Things you might notice this week
Watch the 3-minute film
Know nature, live wilder, pass it on: the whole idea, set to the song Wilding.
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.
I want to…
Choose a journey, then whether it is for you and the people close to you, or for a group you lead.
Everything you need for the journey, in one place.
The Wilding Rucksack is a growing digital collection of everything that supports your wilding: the Wilding book, 800+ activity guides, threshold books, cards, a field guide, templates and audio. Pick what you need, pack it into your own Rucksack and add to it over time.
Books, activity guides and courses
Ebooks and activity guides will be available to download soon, and course venues and dates will follow. Ask Jay to hear first.
Not sure where to begin? See where to start →
Curious what an activity guide looks like? See one explained, front to back →
How an activity guide works
Each activity guide is a printable card. The front tells you at a glance what it is; the back gives you everything you need to do it, step by step. A QR code takes you to a short film of the activity.
Do one on its own, or string a few together into your own journey, a mentoring plan or a group programme.
It is a lifelong journey of relationship, discovery, learning and reciprocity.
Wilding: Wisdom for a Wilder LifeLearn it outside, together.
Each course follows one of the threshold books, so you go home with the book, its activity guides and templates to keep going afterwards.
One and two-day in-person courses for adults, groups and teams, from bushcraft and tracking to foraging, crafts and nature connection. Venues and dates are coming soon.
Live, learn and play naturally.
Today I find it easier to put down my phone, and I am happier and healthier, living more in tune with the seasons and the rhythm of the day.
I make time to relax around the campfire, sometimes baking bread for supper or carving wood. I support nature, grow and gather wild plants, and enjoy the challenge of finding local wildlife to photograph or learn about. Without meaning to, I have also become more self-sufficient, whether on a walk or paddling my canoe, near home or far away.
Are you curious about…
- What living a little wilder in a modern world looks like?
- How getting closer to wildlife can help you focus at work?
- How baking bread on a campfire can teach you about trees?
- Where buzzards hang out when they are not soaring?
- Which plants can go in an omelette, be used as soap or make good string?
- How to put up a simple shelter in a sudden downpour?
- What the birds are talking about, and how they help you live in the moment?
- How to light and tend fires in all weathers?
- How to help a child disconnect from the virtual world and get outside?
Wild with Jay.
Follow rewildwithjay on Facebook and Instagram for news from the woods, new activity guides and course dates.
“Remember you belong to nature, not it to you.”Grey Owl
“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.”John Muir
“The joy is in the journey. Live, learn and play naturally every day.”Jay Witts