Changing the way we care for our children, and our world. 

The Nature Nanny was a concept I cultivated after having worked at several different outdoor education establishments in 2013-2014. All of these schools and centers had a common thread, while they gave students an opportunity to engage with nature and learn from it; these experiences were isolated and these practices were not integrated into their everyday lives. Students would leave with wonderful feelings toward nature, but rarely would they make the connection that nature isn't just in arboretums or parks, that it is everywhere; and it is vital to our existence.  I strive to be a catalyst to help make that connection.

My approach comes from my experience in both childcare and education. I completed a Bachelor of Education from McGill University in 2007. After my first job working in a school I was compelled to get outside the box. I traveled overseas, working and volunteering in different capacities, from schools to stables, all the while living in my tent.  It wasn't until my year in New Zealand in 2012 that I found myself drawn back to education. I completed a course through NZOIA (New Zealand Outdoor Instructors Association) in Bush 1, which entails thorough knowledge of camp craft, as well as the ability to navigate with a compass, and identify local flora and fauna. I was given an opportunity to work with teens in the outdoors while I was there, and when I returned to North America I sought out the world of outdoor education and immersed myself in it. Over the past few years I have been able to grow The Nature Nanny, and it is incredible to see the impact of these outdoor pursuits on the everyday lives of the children I work with.

It is my personal goal to lead a lifestyle with little impact, to spend time outside and revel in it; to explore parks near and far, marvel at the most delicate mosses and watch birds in the sky. Through The Nature Nanny I have been able to share my zeal, and see those same sentiments blossom in the students I work with. In recent years, I have been developing different activities, after-school programs, adventure clubs, and camps whereby I can get students outside of school and take them on excursions, visiting parks, farms, gardens, or maybe even just a backyard.  The programs caters to the individual interests of the children and the curriculum is be ever-evolving. I aim to create memorable experiences that will resonate long after I have dropped them off at home.

“An environment-based education movement—at all levels of education—will help students realize that school isn’t supposed to be a polite form of incarceration, but a portal to the wider world.

— Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder

QUALIFICATIONS

  • Bachelor of Education - McGill University
  • Bush 1 - NZOIA
  • Wilderness First Aid - NOLS
  • CPR - Northwest Emergency Training
  • Clean driving history
  • Cleared Department of Early Learning Background Check
  • Cleared Criminal Background Check