For many members of our youngest cohort, Wild Tenders represents one of their first social group experiences outside the home — perhaps the first. With this in mind, we focus on building social and emotional learning foundations. Doing so in nature means that the experience is also ecological: the Quail Covey is a place to remember that humans are also nature. As we make friends with new humans and wild creatures, the mentors help those budding connections bloom. And, to water those blossoms with foundations of care and respect for our ecological neighbors, ourselves, and each other.

The underlying curriculum in our Quail Covey is play and wandering the land with curiosity as a guide. We build confidence through exploration—jumping in puddles, running and falling down, digging, and immersing our physical bodies in the earth. Through tactile experience and free play, we encourage the youth to get their hands dirty and interact with the world. Through structured and unstructured activities, we strive to deepen each participant’s comfort with the world around them.

Storytelling is a central practice for deepening relationships with the world around and within. The mentors share stories and picture books that promote ecological understanding and empathy. Stories are told from diverse perspectives, genders, races, and species. This approach embeds in the young hearts and minds of the Quail that there are many different ways to be, none of which are “right” or “wrong”. We also encourage the Quail to tell stories of their own – both real-life and imaginary. This helps them to learn that their voice, experiences, and love for the world around (and within) them matters.

In support of socio-emotional learning, we offer and model teachings of consent and body boundaries. These practices teach us to respect ourselves and one another and make room for the need to change and evolve. The topic of consent deepens through the years as we understand more fully what our boundaries are and how they may differ from or be similar to the boundaries of others.

We also empower each child to know and inhabit their identities and to respect the identities of others. Studies show that kids are aware of identity and the social benefits or disadvantages associated with those identities at a very young age. Activities and stories that interrupt dominant storylines and socialized patterns of either/or, right/wrong, and good/bad can provide robust foundations for a commitment to equity as the kids grow up. This involves teachings about interdependence and interrelationship, consent, conflict resolution, compromise, and the reality that we all have different needs and desires in different moments.

The Quail experience sets a foundation that can be layered upon in later cohorts. We begin and end each day in gratitude. We express care for the places we visit and the beings we interact with. We tend to our physical spaces, our materials, and our belongings with respect. We encourage creativity through story, art, and song (many of which are co-written by youth and mentors!). We share lineages when introducing activities, songs, and stories. This foundation creates a framework of intentionality and creative expression built upon in the older age groups.