Meet Our Team
Hannah
Hannah is a lifelong learner, naturalist, gardener, and homeschool mom who loves sharing the magic of the natural world with children. Hannah’s professional background is in wildlife biology, land stewardship, and restoration ecology, which makes her uniquely suited to providing science and outdoor education. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Restoration Ecology from Arizona State University and a Master of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences from Texas A&M University, and has over ten years of experience as a biologist and ecologist working in the private, non-profit, and government sectors.
Hannah believes that all children should be given the opportunity to explore their curiosities and develop passions of their own through self-directed and engaged learning. After all, children have the power to teach themselves! Hannah has found immense joy from embarking on this homeschool enrichment journey and loves connecting with children as their hearts and minds blossom. Hannah is inspired by forest school and nature pedagogy as well as Montessori and Charlotte Mason educational philosophies, and she strives to cultivate a rich learning environment that sparks children’s interests and keeps them excited about learning.
Program Director, Instructor
Amy
Site Host and Behind-the-Scenes Magic Maker
In her early years, studying child development at university, Amy was enthralled by all the wonderful alternative education models. There was so much overlap and richness in how to support emotional development and create a strong foundation for young children. During her first teaching position, she had the opportunity to be mentored by a wise and seasoned multi-age teacher in a wonderful established small school. One day she told Amy, “ultimately you teach who you are” and this has been a guiding light of Amy’s teaching practice. This mentor set Amy free of wondering what educational model was best and of any need to be beholding to any one theory. Instead, Amy learned to be the kind, curious, playful and responsive learner she wanted to foster in her classroom.
After finishing her Bachelor’s in early childhood development, Amy went on to mix teaching with continued learning in alternative models. She holds a certificate as a Montessori primary teacher (age 3-6), studied at a Waldorf school, Reggio model, play-based theories, and various forest and nature methodologies. Amy has also completed training as a Feldenkrais movement practitioner. All of these experiences inform her personal pedagogy. Nothing moves Amy more than rediscovering the world through the eyes of a child. It brings her immense peace and hope for our world.