Welcome to the Truro Forest School!

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I’m on a mission to help kids build a relationship with the natural world and I’m super excited to have you along for the adventure.

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Like many of you, my free time as a child was spent outdoors with my siblings and friends. When I think back on it, it truly was magical! I climbed trees and hunted for bugs. I ate wild raspberries and picked flowers while desperately trying to catch a glimpse of a gnome. My imagination ran wild! I could be a pirate looking for buried treasure, or a witch foraging for potion ingredients. Trees weren’t just trees, they were castles, or caves to hide under. My well-trodden paths were secret, leading to my own special places. These were formative experiences, and I developed a nature-focused lens through which to see the world. I grew to be resilient, confident, creative and healthy.  

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​Since becoming a mother, I’ve searched for ways to provide my sons with these same experiences and I’ve learned more about the benefits of time spent outdoors. I’ve read about Nature Deficit Disorder and the importance of rewilding our children. Yes, we could go on hikes, or visit a waterfall. And yes, they have an excellent playground at daycare and there is a public park down the road. But mostly I wanted them to have free, unstructured outdoor experiences that are guided by their own interests and autonomy.

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I struggled to find a way to do that because the world is no longer as free or safe for children as it once was. It’s not as easy to open the door and say: “go play outside”. My professional life was also in the way and I became determined to remedy this predicament I found my family in.

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So, I reached out to other parents and found my struggle was shared by many! I soon realized my individual problem was a shared community issue. It became not just a question of MY kids, but of an entire generation of people who are growing up without the relationship with nature we had. Well, that didn’t sit right with me so I decided to create something that would give kids those opportunities.  

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Enter the Truro Forest School: a safe place for children to connect, discover and grow. It is my hope that children can connect with nature, their community and themselves. I hope they can discover something magical that inspires them. And I hope they grow to be happy and healthy individuals.  

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​I’m not setting out to change the world and I certainly don’t have all the answers. But I know the Truro Forest School will make a difference in our community and I’m so excited to see where this new journey takes us.

 

See you outside!

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Natalie Jess-Fiene