Our story began…
In 2016 with three women who were seeking something different for their children and their community. Elizabeth and Rebecca’s daughters attended LA Nature Kids, a forest preschool where they met Amanda, their daughter’s teacher. As their daughters were completing their final year of preschool, Elizabeth and Rebecca began to sort through their options for Kindergarten. There were no shortage of spectacular schools in Los Angeles but throughout the abundance of options, there didn’t seem to be anything that fit exactly what they were looking for. They witnessed their daughters develop a strong sense of self, a wealth of confidence, and a growing desire to learn at a pace that was working well for them. They knew they needed to continue their forest schooling journey beyond the preschool years.
Amanda had completed her undergraduate degree in Physical Education, obtained a teaching degree, and completed several outdoor education classes before moving to Los Angeles in pursuit of a career in outdoor education. She worked with children in various indoor settings and quickly discovered the lack of time they were spending in wild spaces (if any!). It was during her time at LA Nature Kids that she was flooded by memories of her free range childhood and reminded of the teachings of Birch trees, Mosses, Coyote, and adventures off the beaten path. This was a place where children ran wild and free, stomped in puddles, and cared for the blue belly lizards and pacific tree frogs. Closer observations of children in a forest school unveiled meaningful learning experiences, the importance of quality mentorship, and the many benefits that develop from deepening our connection to nature. It became clear that greater access was needed to connect all children with meaningful experiences in nature.
EverWild became a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in the Fall of 2016 and began offering a Nature Immersion Program in the Santa Monica Mountains and beaches. Over the past 7 years EverWild has grown to offer 10 programs across the greater Los Angeles area including a Forest Preschool and Kindergarten, Nature Immersion Programs for Homeschoolers, Rites of Passage programs, and EverWild Life Workshops for children and adults of all ages.
We hope to be a part of your nature connection journey.
See you in the Wild.
- The EverWild Team
“This is what I want for my sons: freedom. Not just physical freedom, but intellectual and emotional freedom from the formulaic learning that prevails in our schools. I want for them the freedom to immerse themselves in the fields and forest that surround our home, to wander aimlessly or with purpose. I want for them the freedom to develop at whatever pace is etched into their DNA, not the pace dictated by an institution looking to meet the benchmarks that will in part determine its funding. I want them to be free to love learning for its own sake, the way that all children love learning for its own sake when it is not forced on them or attached to reward. I want them to remain free of social pressures to look, act, or think any way but that which feels most natural to them.
I want for them the freedom to be children. And no one can teach them how to do that.”
- Ben Hewitt Outside Magazine: We Don’t Need No Education