As I reflect on the growth and connection of 2024, I'm filled with gratitude. With the launch of Seedling School and vibrant community events, it's been a transformative year.
Celebrations of 2024
In August, Forest Kindergarten launched, and I’m thrilled to return to education with a classroom that embraces the outdoors!
Two years ago, the first Forest Collective pod began, and today, it has blossomed into a vibrant community of 17 families!
The Nature Song website has been updated to reflect our evolving vision.
The Forest Collective hosted three dynamic public events—May Day, Pumpkin Village, and a Lantern Walk—co-created with participants. We’re reviving authentic, large-scale co-created gatherings, and you’re all invited to join!
24 girls have participated in Moon Cycle Circles, learning about body literacy and menstruation through Nature Song. I’ve worked with girls from Winterberry, Anchorage Montessori, and homeschoolers at the Workshop. I’m looking to expand this offering and am exploring creating an online version through Outschool.
I developed a four-hour menstruation education curriculum for the Moon Cycle Circles and would love to get it peer-reviewed and professionally edited. If you are a health professional open to reviewing this content, please let me know. There are limited affordable resources available for mothers and youth programs to facilitate body literacy, and I want to offer one.
Looking Ahead: 2025 Nature Song Initiatives
Nature Song Becoming a Nonprofit: I received a Velma Grant to support Nature Song’s alternative education work and plan to use the funding to establish Nature Song as a nonprofit cooperative. This will help secure grants and increase recognition as a community program in Anchorage. If you know of a great lawyer or accountant, please reach out! Board Members Needed: I’m seeking board members with expertise in nature-based education, holistic wellness, community building, or social artistry. Feel free to share this with anyone who might be interested.
New Forest Collective Pods Begin in March: I believe that integrating community wellness into postpartum care is essential and is a missing element in our current healthcare system. Moms and mothering are often overlooked in our society but are essential in shaping the next generation, strengthening communities, and promoting collective well-being. Forest Collective pods are a step towards creating regenerative communities. Please feel free to share the idea with your friends, families and other organizations and businesses who might pattern with me.
After-School Tutoring and Woodland Fun: I’m exploring an after-school tutoring program for public school kids needing dyslexia-specific intervention for elementary aged children, blending nature play and tutoring using the bus! After stepping away from the public school system, I’m excited to support children who may not have access to nature or affordable tutoring. I’m specifically seeking trained Orton-Gillingham (OG) tutors—please reach out if you know any great ones!
Youth Summer Camps: Registration is open for past participants and will soon be available to the public. I’m adding several camps for tweens and teens—see the attached doc. Camp Descriptions and Registration Links.
Youth Run Initiatives: I am looking for 7th, 8th, or 9th graders to join Nature Song as peer mentors. This is a paid position (or volunteer if hours are needed) and offers a chance to share their voice in creating awesome summer camps. If you know a teen interested in leadership and making an impact, please send them my way!
Future Visions: 2025 is shaping up to be the year for community healing and organizing. We have a chance to rethink and rebuild many of our structures, and Nature Song has been steadily laying the foundation for this shift. Here’s a link to an idea for bringing 50 to 80 people together to create an intentional community around holistic wellness and rites of passage.
There are many ways to get involved, and I’ve shared several on my website. This work has often been created within a small circle but now feels like the right time to expand and invite more voices. This journey is a learning curve, a practice of experimenting with new ways of creating positive change—rooted in collaboration, connection, and collective growth.
