Nurture by Nature
Nature-based education enhancement for students & educators
Introduction
Values: Kelly is passionate about teaching experientially and collaboratively, with a deep commitment to honoring the inherent wisdom of the learner. She views accountability and justice as required educational foundations for truthful and responsible teaching. She delves into the depths of understanding true sustainability in ways that challenge each individual age appropriately.
Background & Credentials: Using the combination of her mothering experience, undergraduate psychology degree, Waldorf early childhood teaching certificate, 5 years living in a land-based intentional community, Art of Mentoring and Rite of Passage trainings, Permaculture Design Certificate, ancestral living skills and anti-oppression facilitation training, she founded and directed Mother Earth School - an outdoor immersion farm and forest year-round school, where she taught preschool for seven years.
Kelly is also a co-founder of the Institute of Permaculture Education for Children, a non-profit organization that offers professional development training and mentorship for teachers with a focus on nature connection, multiple intelligences, community development, student support, ecological stewardship and social renewal.
From 2015-2019, Kelly developed the LivingLAB K-12 environmental and experiential learning program at the Portland Waldorf School. She now teaches homesteading at Jean's Urban Farm in SE Portland.
Her passion for nature-based education stems from her experience of nature as teacher. By observing the patterns of the natural world (from micro to macro cosmic), we find solutions to the modern day physical and social challenges that we encounter. Quality time in nature is inherently therapeutic, and ongoing work with students (of all ages) outdoors is transformational - especially in combination with Jon Young's mentorship model and Rudolf Steiner's indications for respecting individual development.
Cost of Services: Kelly is open to negotiating compensation on a case-by-case basis. She is passionate about her services being accessible to all, and asks in return to be honored fairly for her time and knowledge. Below are some of the options to choose from when hiring Kelly to support a child, teacher or entire school community. References are available upon request.
Nature Mentor
Give yourself and/or your student the gift of being outdoors! Whether it be for burning
energy, seeking quiet reflective time, doing service work, playing games, hearing therapeutic stories or observing how nature reflects what they are learning at school, this time is magical and transformative.
School guidance
Often schools are interested in engaging with nature-based/environmental education but need support in integrating these practices into the existing system. To take it a step further, how could your existing structure change to enable a more thorough embodiment of sustainability?
Equity Training
The most significant factor in creating a successful educational program is an equitable social foundation. Learn about how accountability to privilege and understanding oppression lead to an authentic sustainability program at your school. Kelly is trained as an anti-oppression facilitator through the Theater of the Oppressed technique.
Lesson Planning
Kelly works with teachers individually or in groups to develop experiential, nature-based and/or sustainability activities that enhance curriculum for any age.
Speaking
You can hire Kelly to speak at a conference or an event. Topics include (but are not limited to) child development in outdoor settings, storytelling for change, exploring learning edges, nature-informed design, nature activities & games and more..
Outdoor school consultation
Kelly is a co-founder of Mother Earth School, an outdoor immersion year-round school for children ages 3-9. Kelly can advise on the process of planning, organizing, administering and teaching in outdoor settings.