WiLMA is the Biggest National Discovery Project into Children’s Outdoor Imagination
This is a public-facing outdoor science initiative exploring how children think, imagine, and learn when curiosity is given space outdoors.
Why This Maters
Children today spend less time outdoors than any generation before them.
At the same time, imagination, curiosity, and wellbeing are becoming harder to observe, and harder to nurture, at scale.
We know outdoor experiences matter.
What’s missing are approaches that:
Children want to take part in
Work in public, everyday settings
Can grow beyond isolated programmes
WiLMA exists to explore a simple but powerful question:
What happens when outdoor experiences are designed around curiosity, not obligation?
Part of Something Bigger
Grounded by Research
All data and insights gathered through WiLMA are analysed by the Outdoor Imagination Observatory (OIO), a research platform exploring how imagination, curiosity, learning, and wellbeing emerge through outdoor experiences.
OIO focuses on:
Ethical research design
Long-term insight
Making learning visible, not extractive
WiLMA is how those questions come alive in the real world.
Partnering with WiLMA
WiLMA is currently in its founding phase, we're gearing up for a public launch that includes national coverage and breaking a world record.
We’re speaking with a small number of partners who share an interest in:
Outdoor learning, science and adventure
Children’s wellbeing
Public engagement and participation
Positive, ethical use of technology
Partnerships are values-led, carefully designed, and focused on creating lasting impact together.
