Deep Roots Wide Wings

There’s something pretty special about watching children’s play schemas unfold in the bush.

Schemas are the repeated patterns we see in children’s play — the ways they connect and gather, transport and move, build and construct, enclose, position, transform and experiment with the elements around them.

You see it everywhere when you know what to look for.

Children gathering sticks, stones and treasures into collections. Moving things from one place to another. Tying ropes between trees. Building huts and structures, then pulling them apart and rebuilding them differently. Digging channels for water, mixing mud, pouring, filling and emptying. Swinging, climbing, rolling and testing how their own bodies move through space.

What can look like “they’re doing that again” is actually incredibly valuable learning.

Through these repeated patterns, children are building pathways in the brain. They’re developing spatial awareness, coordination, problem-solving, mathematical and scientific thinking, creativity and working memory. They’re forming theories, testing them, adjusting their ideas and trying again.

And the beauty is seeing how these schemas unravel and intertwine over time.

Transporting becomes gathering. Gathering becomes constructing. Constructing becomes imaginative play. Movement becomes experimentation with speed, force and trajectory. Add another child, and suddenly there’s collaboration, negotiation, communication and a whole new direction to the play.

This is why uninterrupted, child-led play is so important to us at Deep Roots. 💚

When we give children time, space, interesting environments and permission to follow an idea, we get to see just how capable their brains are.

Sometimes our role isn’t to lead the learning.

It’s to notice it.

"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn." – Benjamin Franklin

Sometimes it’s the little things that show you just how much an experience has stuck.

Two of our kids went to the supermarket with their mum and were given the opportunity to choose something they could bring along and make at Deep Roots.

Out of everything they could have chosen, they came back with things they’d made with us before — hot chocolate, pancakes, and milk from a box. 🥞☕️

When they arrived, they were so keen to ask me, “Did we get the right ingredients?”

I thought this was really special.

They had remembered what we’d made. They’d thought about the ingredients. They’d gone looking for what they recognised from their experiences here. From all the possibilities in that supermarket, this was what they chose to bring back and recreate.

That tells me those moments have meaning for them.

I made sure to acknowledge and share gratitude to all the thought they had put into choosing everything — while also explaining that we don’t actually have to have the exact same ingredients. There are lots of different options that work just as well… and, truthfully, I usually just buy whatever is on special! 😂

There’s something pretty cool about seeing children carry their Forest School experiences beyond the bush and into their everyday lives — remembering, planning, making connections and wanting to come back and do it all over again.

Three beautiful kererū perched in the same tree watching over the children as they swung out on the rope below. Completely unfazed by the laughter, movement and play happening around them.

The birdlife at Meraki Montessori is incredible — and I love that these moments are simply part of the children’s day. Playing, exploring and connecting with nature, with kererū quietly sharing the space alongside them.

Sometimes the magic is in simply noticing who else is there with us.

Mint tea?

The children were keen to cook damper pancakes—but sometimes we have to make do with the ingredients we have!

After hunting through our storage box, we found flour, salt and drinking chocolate. The children decided chocolate damper pancakes were worth a try. When the marshmallows arrived, they were added for some melted marshmallow goodness!

It was all about experimenting, adapting and giving things a go. Not everything has to turn out perfectly—the learning comes through trial and error, problem-solving and discovering what happens along the way.

🌿 Term enrolments are open! 🌿

As we head towards the second half of the term, now is a great opportunity for your child to experience Deep Roots, Wide Wings without committing to a full term.
You’ll only pay from the week your child starts, with fees working out to $90 per session.

Our small, nature-based programme gives tamariki the time and freedom to play, explore, build confidence, take on challenges and form meaningful friendships in the bush.
Perfect for children who thrive with space, movement, hands-on learning and a smaller, relationship-focused environment.

📍 Wainui, Auckland
🌿 For children aged 4–10
🕣 8:30am–3:00pm
📅 Wednesday and Friday (2 spots left on Friday)

Spaces are limited. Visit ENROLMY to learn more or secure your child’s place:
https://enrolmy.com/deep-roots-wide-wings

That proud feeling when your insect house has insects!