Rewild your child — Wild for Words: the garden school where English comes alive

‘Count on your hand 5 things that can fly,’ says Willa Douglas.

The children scatter across the lawn — once a boggy field, now drained and brought into Willa’s magical garden. There’s a stream, a pond, bushes, thickets, woodland, and lots of long grass, tucked away behind the village of Middle Barton in Oxfordshire.

‘I’ve blended 3 essential elements: my wild and beautiful garden, my love of teaching children and my passion for language,’ says Willa Douglas.

Ladybird!’

‘Chicken!’

One girl pipes up, ‘Chickens can’t fly!’

‘Mine can,’ says Willa, and we all go to look at the bantams — silkies and Pekins — with their fluffy hats and toes — tame and happy to be cuddled by children more used to cuddling an iPhone. There are also patient guinea pigs, rabbits, and friendly dogs — to be brushed, fed, worshipped and loved.

Guinea pigs, bantams, patient dogs and rabbits — heaven for children who do not have pets.

The children trot after Willa like ducklings towards one of the wilder areas where they’re encouraged to pull up grasses and enjoy the shapes and patterns of the different seed heads. Then they make Mr Grassman who is to be parachuted among the bushes. They are introduced to the concept of point of view — without it ever being mentioned — as they…