The Heart Behind Born to Explore

For as long as I can remember, nature has felt like the most honest place for children to discover who they truly are. Outside the four walls of a classroom, there are no limits. No ceilings, no fluorescent lights, no clock telling them when curiosity must stop. In nature, children gain a real sense of themselves: their capabilities, their senses, their imaginations. They feel the sun and rain on their skin, the texture of plants in their hands, and the earth beneath their feet. They get messy, and that mess becomes meaning.

More than ever, I feel that children are slowly losing their connection not only to nature, but to humanity. So much of their “learning” happens through a screen. All learning, not just academics, but social interactions, conflict resolution, communication. Being outdoors cuts through the noise. It gives children the chance to hear their own thoughts again.

I became an outdoor educator because of the way being outside makes me feel. I am calmer with the children, more in tune with them, more reflective about my actions. The outdoor classroom allows for more yeses than nos. Quite frankly, it’s easier than being confined to four walls. Learning unfolds naturally outside.

The Moment Everything Changed

My path solidified when I was given the chance to curate a preschool program from scratch in North Vancouver. That school had an entire forest for a backyard, and the first time I took the children into those woods, something clicked.

I watched them come alive. They forgot they were cold, or tired, or hungry. They forgot they didn’t want to go for a walk. Nature brought out an energy in them I had never seen before. They were joyful, curious, unstoppable. I wanted more of that feeling, for myself and for every child.

Later, I tried working in a rigid, academic environment. It was rewarding in its own way, and I learned a lot about classroom management and structure. But it wasn’t me. When I asked the principal if I could start the day outside and she said no, the decision became clear. If I was going to build a school, it would be a forest school.

Why Born to Explore Exists

There are no forest schools in North Surrey, yet. I know the demographic may not be fully interested…yet. But change is coming. More families are recognizing the deep benefits of outdoor learning, and I want Born to Explore to lead the way.

Born to Explore is my way of giving back to a planet and community that have given me so much. I believe the easiest way to regain our humanity, (the part of us that feels grounded, connected, and purposeful), is to protect the Earth. But we can’t protect what we don’t know. And we can’t know what we never spend time with.

My mission is simple: to reconnect children with nature so they can rediscover themselves.

Connection before correction.

I want children to remember that they are nature too. That everything they need, the Earth already provides. I want them to remember the ways they challenged themselves: walking across a log they were afraid of, climbing a tree after scraping a knee, reaching carefully through prickles for the perfect blackberry. I’ve seen children who began with delayed motor skills turn into the strongest, fastest, most balanced students in the group simply because nature gives them what they need.

Nature engages them without effort. Risk-taking becomes a natural extension of curiosity. Problem-solving blossoms because they’re trusted to try.

Born to Explore exists because children deserve that freedom, that challenge, that connection. And our community deserves a program rooted in stewardship, respect, and genuine childhood joy.

This is just the beginning.