Wild Spirits Forest and Nature School(WS) is a non profit organization dedicated to reconnecting children and their families with nature. WS grew from a memory, a hope and a passion. We remember in our bodies the feeling of freedom and joy that comes from running through the woods, chasing butterflies, jumping in puddles, rolling logs and breaking ice . As children it was just that much more exhilarating for us, but we still love all those things today.
Our hope is for a world where all children have those experiences and carry those memories in their bodies so that they too will have the life-long passion and respect for Nature that we feel.
WSFNS is an antidote to the Nature Deficit Disorder that has come to plague the modern world. For all the advancements in our world, we sometimes just forget to play in the dirt. We’re here to help children (and adults) do just that.
Forest School Staff & Volunteers
Amy Cuming
Founder & Forest School Educator
Amy has had a love for nature since she was a child. Walking barefoot searching for salamanders, collecting nature treasures and making forts. Since becoming a mother and moving to the Annapolis valley in 2012, Amy has continued her nature journey as an adult. She enjoys gardening, hiking and camping, and exploring all the amazing places the valley offers.
As her children got older, an awareness inside her grew; children were not playing the same way anymore. It was rare to see children out playing in her neighbourhood, even on countless walks in search of them. She discovered the Forest and Nature School movement, falling in love right away, she knew without a doubt this is what was needed in her community. In the summer of 2016 Amy took part in the Forest and Nature School practitioners course at the amazing Tir Na Nog Forest School. After being there for five days, Amy came home with a burning fire inside, ready to open the first Forest School in the Annapolis Valley.
Judy Lipp
Forest School Educator
Judy is happy to be back on North Mountain after many years away, re-exploring her favorite green spaces and discovering new ones with children and families in the Annapolis Valley. Judy has always loved spending time in the great outdoors; quiet wanders through the woods, beach combing and foraging wild edibles are some of her favorite activities. Despite growing up running through the woods, she found her naturalist tendencies peaked in the middle of Canada’s largest urban centre where she first started tracking coyotes, foraging for medicinal plants and starting fires with friction. She discovered that nature is as magical in an abandoned parking lot as in the middle of a wilderness area, the key is being ready to see it. Children have that innate ability and she loves spending time with them exploring all of Nature’s delights.
Heather Williams
Forest School Educator
Growing up Heather loved to play outdoors, letting her imagination run wild. Creating magic potions out of water, dirt and plants and, building ‘houses’ in the woods were some of her childhood activities and she still loves to play outside.
Providing children with outdoor play opportunities that allow their imaginations to run wild is what she is most passionate about in her work with children. With over 10 years of experience working with children in roles such as early childhood educator, camp counsellor and nanny, she has had many outdoor adventures with children, in small groups and one-on-one, discovering the wonders of grassy meadows, forests and rocky beaches. It’s a joy to create scavenger hunts and, lead outdoor games and craft activities with children that allow them to learn about natural environments and their place within them. But her favourite games to play with children outdoors though are the ones created by the children – seeing how excited they are to share while immersed in nature’s treasures, learning about themselves and what they are capable of.
Emily LeGrand
Forest School Educator
Emily comes by her love of nature honestly. Her parents picked the colour of her childhood house by holding the wood stain samples up to the tree trunks and choosing the one that most closely matched. Nature was a central part of her childhood with experiences like raising tadpoles into frogs over many winters, getting to know the deer herd in the forest behind her house, and daily nature walks with her family. Forest and nature schools bring together many of Emily’s passions, including child-led, self-directed learning, natural history, nature connection, and having a good time goofing around in the mud! She believes children are much more capable than many adults recognize, and that by treating them as if they are capable, they actually become more capable! She loves to watch kids grow in confidence, playfulness, focused attention and physical mobility as they are supported to play in the woods every week. She has been working to promote outdoor play in the Annapolis Valley for the last few years with municipalities and schools, and is very excited to take this work into the non-profit realm!
Gabrielle Fraser
Gabrielle is a lifelong nature enthusiast. As a child she naturally found herself exploring the woodlands for flowers and berries, following squirrels, and would often come home soaked from explorations in the nearby ponds with pockets full of frogs.
She enjoys exploring new green spaces and discovering the variety of plants and animals that make the forest their home. In fact, Gabrielle calls the forest home herself, where she lives off-grid with the rhythms of the land. She likes to spend her time in the woods creating outdoor camps, harvesting medicinal herbs and mushrooms, and quietly contemplating the interconnectedness of the forest biome.
Gabrielle is excited to share her knowledge of the natural world with children and grow together while exploring possibilities for wonder and fascination in the forest.