Pandia Press

Wild Math (Kindergarten-5th Grade)

Recommended Ages

K–5th grades

Wild Math is a nature-based math curriculum for grades K–5 that swaps worksheets for outdoor, hands-on activities. Instead of solving problems only on paper, kids count sticks, measure shadows, build shapes with rocks, and explore patterns in the natural world to understand concepts like place value, fractions, and geometry. Created by a former classroom teacher turned homeschooler, Wild Math was designed to reach active learners who struggle with traditional math formats. Parents like the open-and-go lesson outlines, clear concept progressions, and the way it turns daily walks into math labs. It’s a great fit for families who spend time outdoors and want math to feel meaningful and embodied. You’ll still need a simple notebook or occasional workbook for written practice, but the core experiences are outside. For maximum value, revisit activities in different seasons so kids see how numbers show up in changing environments.

Perfect for K–5 learners who love being outdoors, thrive with movement and manipulatives, and tune out during traditional worksheets; particularly appealing to secular, nature-loving, or Charlotte Mason/forest-school-inclined families.

Pros

Hands-on, nature-based math that takes grade-level topics outside using sticks, rocks, apples, number lines drawn in chalk, and more; integrates books and games and is praised for strong conceptual understanding, flexible sequencing, and alignment with typical school standards for K–5. 

Cons

Requires more prep than workbook-style math: gathering materials, going outside, and planning which activities to use; some families in extreme climates or small spaces find outdoor lessons harder to implement; many kids still need additional practice for math facts or pencil-and-paper format, so it often works best when paired with another resource. 

Because Wild Math is a secular, stand-alone curriculum, some homeschool-friendly charters and ESA programs will reimburse purchases or allow it as a primary or supplemental math resource; eligibility varies widely, so families should confirm with their funding program before buying.

$35 per level

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Wild Math (Kindergarten-5th Grade)
$35.00 USD

Skills

What kids will learn
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Math
Math
Early Learning
Early Learning
Nature Study
Nature Study

Wild Math (Kindergarten-5th Grade) Mission

The mission of Wild Math is to turn the natural world into a living math classroom for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade. Instead of confining learning to workbooks and desks, each level uses movement, games, and outdoor exploration—measuring shadows, skip‑counting with pinecones, graphing rocks—to teach the same core skills found in a traditional curriculum. By blending place‑based, multisensory experiences with clear guidance for adults, Wild Math aims to boost engagement, support diverse learners, and help children see math as something they do with their whole bodies, not just on paper.

Wild Math (Kindergarten-5th Grade) Story

Wild Math was created by educator and school psychologist Rachel Tidd after she noticed how much calmer, happier, and more focused children became when their learning moved outdoors. Homeschooling her own kids and working with students who struggled in conventional classrooms, she began writing lessons that used sticks, stones, trails, and backyards to teach everything from number sense to fractions. Those early experiments evolved into the full Wild Math curriculum and later into the broader Wild Learning framework, now used by families and nature‑based schools around the world. The program continues to grow alongside Rachel’s work on outdoor education, including her book Wild Learning.

About Modular Learning

FAQ: Additional Details about Wild Math (Kindergarten-5th Grade)

A Wild Math day might start with lacing up shoes and heading into the backyard or a nearby park with a small basket and a clipboard. You’ll hear leaves crunching underfoot as your child gathers acorns to practice grouping, feel chalk dust as they draw number lines or fraction bars on the pavement, and maybe end with muddy hands from measuring puddles or building patterns with rocks and pinecones.

Wild Math is a nature-based math curriculum delivered as downloadable guides organized by grade. Parents use the guides to plan weekly lessons that take math outside—counting with sticks and stones, drawing number lines on sidewalks, and exploring geometry through natural shapes—either as a full curriculum or as an active supplement to a more traditional program.

Wild Math is designed for strong adult involvement; a parent or caregiver leads each lesson, models exploration, and helps kids connect physical experiences back to math vocabulary and symbols. Over time, children can take more ownership of setting up games and challenges, but it remains a collaborative, hands-on program.

Learners don’t need any formal math prerequisites beyond the developmental readiness for the chosen level; the K–5 guides assume a typical progression of number sense and operations. Kids should be comfortable being outdoors for short periods and able to follow simple directions in a less structured environment.

Wild Math takes math outdoors and into movement, a fantastic approach for ADHD, autistic, and sensory‑seeking kids who think best when active. Families can choose how “wild” to go, adapting activities for mobility challenges or anxiety, and supplement with written practice as needed.

Wild Math is an outdoor, movement-based math program that Modulo calls a top choice for kids with ADHD, especially those who focus better when they can move and learn in nature. Short, hands-on activities and games give ADHD learners lots of chances to reset their attention while still building strong math skills.

Wild Math leans heavily on movement, outdoor play, and using real objects to explore math, which aligns nicely with what we know helps many children with dyscalculia. Its hands‑on, multi‑sensory, low‑pressure activities can make abstract ideas more concrete and less intimidating. It’s still a framework rather than a tightly scripted intervention, so parents often need to add explicit teaching of number facts and lots of spaced review, but as a primary or supplementary approach it can be a particularly good fit for many dyscalculic learners.

Wild Math teaches math concepts through outdoor play, manipulatives, and movement instead of dense written worksheets, which can be a relief for dyslexic students who tire easily from reading directions and word problems. By anchoring math in hands-on, visual experiences, it lets kids show what they know without their reading level getting in the way.

Wild Math takes math learning outdoors using sticks, stones, mud, and movement, offering a deeply sensory, nature-based way to explore concepts that can be ideal for active sensory seekers.

Designed with movement and outdoor play at the center, so it’s often wonderful for 2e kids with ADHD, autism, or dyscalculia who shut down with desk‑only math. You can follow the levels loosely and repeat favorite activities until concepts really stick.

Wild Math is an outdoor, movement-based math program that Modulo calls a top choice for kids with ADHD, especially those who focus better when they can move and learn in nature. Short, hands-on activities and games give ADHD learners lots of chances to reset their attention while still building strong math skills.

Wild Math leans heavily on movement, outdoor play, and using real objects to explore math, which aligns nicely with what we know helps many children with dyscalculia. Its hands‑on, multi‑sensory, low‑pressure activities can make abstract ideas more concrete and less intimidating. It’s still a framework rather than a tightly scripted intervention, so parents often need to add explicit teaching of number facts and lots of spaced review, but as a primary or supplementary approach it can be a particularly good fit for many dyscalculic learners.

Wild Math teaches math concepts through outdoor play, manipulatives, and movement instead of dense written worksheets, which can be a relief for dyslexic students who tire easily from reading directions and word problems. By anchoring math in hands-on, visual experiences, it lets kids show what they know without their reading level getting in the way.

Digital guides are typically considered final sale due to the nature of downloadable products, though families who purchase through larger marketplaces may be covered by that retailer’s general policies. In practice, most issues are resolved by contacting the publisher directly if there is a problem with the files.

Less suited to families who want an “open the book and go” workbook each day, live in situations where outdoor time is very limited, or have children who strongly prefer predictable paper-based routines over exploratory activities.

RightStart Math or Math in the Garden provide other hands-on options; Singapore Math or Math Mammoth pair well as more traditional, structured companions to Wild Math’s outdoor lessons. 

The creator periodically updates and clarifies the guides, adds extension ideas, and shares seasonal suggestions and bonus activities through blog posts and social media. Families can revisit the same level in a new season and still find fresh ways to implement it.

Batch-plan by choosing 3–4 Wild Math activities per week, gather a simple “math basket” of outdoor-friendly manipulatives (sticks, stones, cards, dice), and snap photos of outdoor work to include in portfolios for documentation.

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Meet Rachel

Rachel Tidd is the creator of Wild Math and the broader Wild Learning approach. She is a licensed elementary and special‑education teacher as well as a school psychologist, with years of experience supporting neurodivergent and outdoor‑loving kids. While homeschooling her own children and working in schools, she began weaving math, literacy, and science into nature play, eventually formalizing those ideas into curriculum guides for grades K–5. Rachel now writes, consults, and trains educators on bringing academics outside. A fun fact: many Wild Math activities were first tested on forest trails near her home with her kids as enthusiastic beta‑testers.