This article shares several co-created stories of play that we have named ‘Play Tales’. These are about our experiences of researching ‘childhoodnature play’ (playing in a place with more-than-human nature) in an urban forest school in London, England. The article offers insights about the emergence of childhoodnature play. We found out that play changes with the seasons, involves a mix of home, digital, school and outdoor worlds and you know you’re playing because of how you feel. Researching together takes time and space but it is important to work together in research because there are some things only children know.