Philosophy
Our teaching style and philosophy is inspired by other forest schools, which began in Scandinavia in the 1950's. The forest school movement is gaining momentum and we are honored to be a part of it, combining our passion for nature with our passion for teaching.
Studies show that children who attend forest schools arrive at elementary school with greater fine motor skills, social and emotional skills such as cooperation and empathy, and curiosity that contribute greatly to their school readiness. We believe that unstructured play time in nature provides rich opportunities for learning and that forest schools inspire a meaningful connection to the world and how a young learner fits within it.
Meet the teachers
Amber Ankrum: lead teacher
I graduated with a bachelors in Early Childhood Education and spent several years working at various title 1 schools/preschools around the Portland area. Though my background is in traditional pedagogy I found a love and inspiration of the forest school model over 10 years ago after working at a forest kindergarten in Portland. After moving to Southern Oregon, I immediately was drawn in to the density of nature education in this valley and began searching out my place in it all. I enrolled my son in to an all-outdoor preschool in Ashland, OR and the following year the teachers offered me a position at the school. Working alongside them and learning from the beautiful scene which is the child in nature prepared me wholly for my next chapter, starting my own nature school!
I grew up in a family of outdoor enthusiasts and hope to gift children with the same love of nature which has given me so many moments of gratitude and solace. I live in Applegate with my Partner, Jon, and our two kids; our son Westley and our daughter Saoirse (ser-sha). We spend much of our free time exploring the area, working in our garden, swimming in the rivers and lakes and generally learning how to remain in tune with our natural surroundings.
Ryan Surridge: Co-teacher & Hiking camp guide
I grew up in a smallish surf town in Southern California. During college I worked at an after school program for inner city youth in Long Beach, California. It changed my life. I have more or less worked in education since that time, including six years as a special education teacher at North Medford High School.
2022 was a year of adventure for my family. I left my job at North and we set off to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. My son was five at the time and he had attended Elements Nature School since he was three. I truly believe his experience at nature school prepared him for this experience. My partner, Mandy, our son, and I hiked 1,200 miles from the Mexican border to Truckee, Ca-just north of Lake Tahoe.
Since returning to Medford I have been lucky enough to teach at Elements and watch my son continue to grow. We are planning on hiking another section (much shorter this time) of the PCT over the summer. I am lucky to be back at Elements next year and look forward to all the new adventures with our students.
Jenni Ingram: Co-Teacher
*bio coming soon.