Forest Cubs at West Coast Park: An Outdoor Playgroup for 18 Months to 3.5 Years
- Claire
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Forest Cubs is now running at our exclusive nature space at West Coast Park. Forest Cubs is a parent-accompanied outdoor playgroup for children aged 18 months to 3.5 years. Held Thursday afternoons inside City Sprouts Farm, near Clementi and Bukit Timah, the programme builds early confidence, curiosity and capability through the Forest School ethos.
Each 90-minute session blends sensory exploration, free play, song and story under the trees, with a grown-up alongside their child. It is the same considered Forest School approach Wildlings runs at our Dempsey home base, now within easy reach of families on the sout-west and west side of Singapore.
A weekly outdoor session for Singapore's youngest Wildlings, with their grown-up alongside.
What is Forest Cubs?
Forest Cubs is part of our weekly Forest School programme. It is designed for children aged 18 months to 3.5 years, before they are ready to step into Sprouts, our first drop-off programme. Forest Cubs is parent-accompanied because at this age, secure attachment matters. Children learn best when they feel safe, with their grown-up close by. From there, they explore, climb, pour, dig and discover at their own pace.
The Forest School approach is internationally recognised and built on six principles: long-term repeated visits to the same natural space, child-led learning, supported risk, holistic development, trained leaders and deep connection to the natural world. Forest Cubs is not a craft class nor an entertainment session. It is a transformative process that best starts early, that sets values and beliefs that can last a lifetime, such as a value for activity and curiosity that leads to life-long learning.
The six principles of forest school in a nutshell
A typical Forest Cubs session
Each 90-minute session at West Coast Park follows the same gentle rhythm as our sold-out Dempsey sessions. Children settle into a familiar structure week by week, which builds confidence faster than any single experience can.
Arrive and settle. Children arrive, find their wooden name disc and hang it on the welcome tree. Free play and exploration as everyone gathers.
Welcome circle. We gather, sing our hello song and introduce the day's theme.
Experiences. Two or three hands-on, sensory activities led by our outdoor educators around the term theme.
Free play. Open-ended exploration of the natural space at each child's own pace.
Closing circle. We come together for mindful breathing, reflection and a story under the trees.
Stay and play. An optional 30 minutes for families to linger, explore and connect.
What kinds of experiences to expect
Forest Cubs runs in 10-week terms. Each term has a single theme that gives the sessions a shape and a story. Past themes include:
Senses of Nature, exploring sight, sound, touch, smell and balance through outdoor play.
Stories of the Forest, weaving a children's story into each week's experiences.
The Elements: Earth, Water, Wind and Fire, with three sessions on each.
Friends of the Forest, building care and stewardship for the environment.
How We Play, a term grounded in Bob Hughes' taxonomy of play types.
Within each term, the activities are simple, sensory and rooted in the woodland around us. A few examples from past sessions:
Bubble snakes made from papaya stems and bamboo.
A parachute lifted by adults with toddlers running underneath.
Compost hunts and homemade compost stew at the Nature Kitchen.
Painting with natural pigments and flower printing on small drawstring bags.
Animal movement games: monkey jumps, snake slithers, frog leaps.
Log balancing, climbing, water pouring and digging.
An early, supported introduction to using simple tools and being near a small fire safely.
Practical details
Ages: 18 months to 3.5 years.
When: Thursdays, 3.30pm to 5pm. Optional stay and play until 5.30pm.
Group size: small group, one adult per child.
Price: $49.50 per session, paid per term.
Trial sessions: free, available before you commit to a term.
Where: 40 West Coast Ferry Road, Singapore 129630, inside City Sprouts Farm. Drop-off and pick-up adjacent to the bathroom block on West Coast Ferry Road.
Wet weather: a covered all-weather classroom is on site, so the programme runs whatever the sky is doing.
Where Forest Cubs fits in the Wildlings programme
Forest Cubs is a stepping stone toward Sprouts, our drop-off programme for children from 3.5 years. Many families move from Cubs into Sprouts and then on to Sunbirds (5 to 6.5 years), Hornbills (6.5 to 8.5 years) and Eagles (8.5 to 11 years) over the years. Some children stay in our Forest School world from toddlerhood through to lower secondary, and the long arc is part of what makes the difference.
Frequently asked questions
What is Forest School?
Forest School is a long-term, child-led outdoor education approach developed in Scandinavia and refined in the UK. It is built on six principles, including repeated visits to the same natural space, supported risk and trained leaders. At Wildlings, all our weekly Forest School sessions are led by qualified Forest School Leaders.
How is Forest Cubs different from a regular playgroup?
Forest Cubs is structured around the Forest School ethos and runs entirely outdoors in a managed natural space. Activities are designed by our Senior Forest School Leaders to support whole-child development across physical, cognitive, emotional, social and environmental domains. It is not an entertainment session and not a structured indoor class.
Where is Wildlings West Coast Park?
Wildlings West Coast Park is located inside City Sprouts Farm at 40 West Coast Ferry Road, Singapore 129630. Drop-off and pick-up are adjacent to the bathroom block on West Coast Ferry Road. The site is near Clementi and easily accessible from Bukit Timah and the central west of Singapore.
Do I have to stay with my child?
Yes. Forest Cubs is a parent-accompanied programme. One adult per child. This is by design: at this age, children explore further and faster when their grown-up is nearby. From 3.5 years, children can move into Sprouts, our first drop-off programme.
What if it rains?
Sessions run in normal wet weather. If conditions become unsafe, activities move under cover. Our covered Eco-Centre means cancellations are not needed at West Coast Park.
Book a free trial
We offer a free trial session so you can experience Forest Cubs at West Coast Park before committing to a term. Spaces are small.
About Wildlings
Wildlings is a Forest School and outdoor education company in Singapore. We deliver weekly Forest School, holiday camps, school excursions and residentials, family events and corporate experiences across the city, with private home bases at Dempsey and West Coast Park, and camps further afield at Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tengah, Malaysia. Wildlings has been recognised with multiple Expat Living Reader's Choice Awards for Best Outdoor Activity for Kids and Best Kids' Holiday Camp.
Get outside and play in the wild.
Comments