Our Story
It all began with a small article in the Southern Tidings. The school where I taught, Lester Coon Adventist School, had hosted coursework in forest school from Southern Adventist University. Since I was the K-2 teacher, I participated in the classes--and fell in love with this new method, which I believed had strong ties to our Adventist background. The LCA school board voted to begin a forest school program, and I jumped in with both feet, eager and thankful for the opportunity.
That fall, I wrote a short piece about our new venture, published in the SDA regional magazine, Southern Tidings. The article got the attention of a neighbor and long-time acquaintance, and one day she stopped by the school to chat.
From that moment on, the two of us dreamed of what might be. How far would God take this wonderful idea? How many children in our schools could we help to experience the life-changing benefits of forest school?
In 2024, we formed a nonprofit corporation with a board of 5 members. The name "Free As Lambs Forest School Initiative" is based on a quote by Ellen White which describes the needs of young children. I left the classroom to devote my time to this new and exciting venture.
We hope others with similar goals and dreams-- and some, perhaps, with experience--will partner with us.
If this is your first foray into forest school, allow us to welcome you to the Adventist forest school movement!
All About Me
I grew up a "nature girl" in Florida, and later attended Southern Adventist University, where I met my husband and earned my B.S. in elementary education. Greg and I have 4 children and 5 grandchildren. We live in the Collegedale, TN area, where Greg practices as a licensed clinical psychologist. In 2012, I began teaching grades K-2 in the Georgia-Cumberland Conference and along the way earned my M.S. Ed. in outdoor education at Southern (a fantastic experience). Beginning a forest school program at my beloved church school was a major discovery in joy! Believing whole-heartedly in the forest school movement, I left the classroom in 2024 to devote my time to sharing the forest school method with other Adventist teachers and leaders. I teach forest school coursework at Southern Adventist University and am founder of Free As Lambs Forest School Initiative.
