The Team
At Forest Grove we have a passionate and dedicated team of experienced practitioners. We are committed to supporting and nurturing children, helping them develop the skills that they will need throughout life. Our child-led approach bolsters their independence, confidence, and self-esteem. We encourage the children at our setting to become inquisitive problem solvers. Their resilience grows whilst we foster their connection to the natural world.
LIZZY, Founder/Director
Lizzy believes nature is the best learning environment for children as it allows children to explore using all their senses. Children learn best through first hand experiences, ‘real life’ experiences. Forest Schools (Skovboernehave) is part of Lizzy’s own childhood in Denmark and wanted this for her own boys. She is now keen to offer this style of paedology for the local community.
Sam, MANAGER
Sam comes from a family of educators and found his own way into the field through teaching English as a foreign language in South Korea. Since then he has worked in primary schools and nurseries, specialising in working with children with additional needs. He is a qualified Forest School Leader, avid birdwatcher, and keen gardener. Having grown up in the countryside Sam is a passionate advocate for outdoor education.
Mirjam, Deputy Manager
Mirjam is a qualified Forest School Leader and has worked in education in New Zealand and England for more than 15 years.
Spending time outdoors and in nature has always been a great passion of Mirjam’s. Since 2016, she has been delivering Forest School sessions in Hackney, first for the Nursery and Reception classes of a local primary school and now at Forest Grove.
Growing up on the edge of a forest in Germany and spending all her childhood summers in her family’s lakeside summer house and surrounded by forests in Finland, Mirjam believes very strongly in the importance of child led, play based activities and experiences, and the natural environment for inspiration and well-being.
Janine, Forest School Leader
Janine is a qualified Forest School Leader and Montessori teacher. She has worked in education for more than 20 years. Janine enjoys working in an outdoor setting as the children have fewer restrictions and can learn in a natural way. Growing up in South Africa and Namibia has meant Janine has always had lots of space to explore and grow. As a child she took part in conservation projects, beach clean-ups and bird counts. Janine also helps out at Cub Scouts most weekends and has two children of her own.
PATTI, Forest School Leader and EARLY YEARS EDUCATOR/Teacher
Patti is a qualified Early Years Educator who has found herself in nurseries and primary schools in London. She has a young daughter who provides early years’ insight on a daily basis.
Having taught English as a second language in Barcelona and Hong Kong. Patti then gained her Early Years Practitioner qualification in London. After teaching in primary schools, Patti qualified as children’s yoga instructor. She believes that if we understand ourselves, we are better equipped to understand others.
Maria, Forest SCHOOL assistant
Maria graduated in Art History and has been teaching art to children in London since she moved in 2018 from Valencia. She believes that art can help children’s development in many different ways. Maria feels the forest school ethos sits well within her own philosophy: “imagine first, and then work out how to make it possible”.
Our outdoor school reminds Maria of her childhood exploring nature alongside her grandad, who taught her all about gardening and caring for our planet. This has given her a special connection to nature which Maria wants to share and pass on to the younger generations. She is now on her path to become a forest school leader.
Qualifications
All our Forest School Leaders are also qualified, or undertaking their training as Early Years Educators (L3)
All staff are qualified, or undertaking their training as Forest School Practitioners (L3)
All staff are qualified Paediatric Forest School First Aiders
All staff are DBS checked