Heidi Mckay

Down to Earth Forest School is the organic byproduct of a vibrant cross-pollination between Heidi’s lifelong passion for nature and children. “It’s incredibly cathartic for me to see children in nature, free to be. It pains me to see the limited scope of freedom our children have to learn and explore in our current society. The trees, they want to be climbed.”
Working with children has inspired Heidi for over 20 years. She has facilitated child development in many settings, from working in developmentally and mentally challenged early childhood classrooms to Head Start programs, Waldorf and public schools—her roots run deep and wide. Heidi has a B.S. in Early Childhood Education and a Master’s certification in Early Childhood Mental Health. She weaves in her background of Yoga Calm, Brain Gym, meditation, Permaculture for Educators, Coyote Mentoring and often teaches a Positive Discipline series at local libraries, childcare facilities and parent groups. Heidi, ever a lifelong learner, aims to collect one new certification or training per year as well as attending the Natural Start Alliance each year. Frequent visits to the weekend offerings at the Wilderness Awareness school further deepens Heidi’s toolkit. Formal training as a forest school teacher at the renowned Cedarsong Forest School in 2017 was one of the solidifying factors that encouraged Heidi to continue her forest school model, similar in every way to Cedarsong. Erin helped to bring the Forest School philosophy and forest school teacher training to North America, and before her passing encouraged teachers she had trained to collaborate, support one another, and build a larger community of safe and innovative programs. Heidi encourages folks curious about starting their own forest school program to reach out, she very much enjoys supporting others. Heidi stays involved with the American Forest Kindergarten Association, founded by Erin, as a speaker and to continue the collaborative work to bring forest school to a high standard of equity. As one of the founders of the OELAO, Outdoor Early Learning Alliance of Oregon, Heidi will continue to volunteer her time until every family across the state of Oregon can choose forest school for their child regardless of their economic situation. Most recently Heidi transitioned Down to Earth to a 501c3 not for profit with the goal of equity and inclusion. In her life outside of school, Heidi is mom to Lucy, 19 and Tobias, 11. She and her husband, a child and family therapist, love their life together together in the historic district of Oregon City. “More than anything I just love a good ol’ adventures and that’s exactly why Forest school is the perfect job for me!”

Audra Cordell

I'm Audra Cordell, Director of Education at Down to Earth Forest School and 4th and 5th grade teacher.
I grew up at the end of a dirt road in rural Northern California with an endless appetite for being outside — and that curiosity about the world never left. When my family moved to Tacoma, I fell hard for the Pacific Northwest — backpacking in the Olympics, kayaking along the Sound, hiking in the shadow of Rainier. I've never really left.
I studied geology at Portland State University, spent six years as a geologist, then followed the pull I'd been feeling my whole life back to Lewis and Clark College for my Master of Arts in Teaching. I've spent my career teaching K-5 in public schools across Washington and Oregon, and the last four years at Down to Earth — and I haven't looked back.
Down to Earth embodies everything I believe about how children learn best — place-based, play-based, inquiry-driven, and rooted in the natural world. It doesn't get much better than this.
My son is 7 and currently in the program — choosing Down to Earth for him was the easiest decision I've ever made. There's nowhere else I'd want him to be.
My daughter is 12 and loves to visit when she can — which tells you something about the kind of place this is.
We also have a sweet dog named Hazel, two mischievous cats — Bruce and Beans — six backyard chickens, and a husband who tolerates the ever-growing pile of plants in the garden. You'll usually find me out there with dirty hands, or nose-deep in a book.
If you'd like to talk about whether this is the right fit for your family, I'd love to meet you.

Erin Gingerich

My name is Erin Gingerich and I am so excited to be teaching your children in kindergarten at the Forest School this year! I have taught Kindergarten, 2nd, and 3rd graders over the last 17+ years in both public and private settings. I am grateful for all my experiences but Kindergarten is my absolute favorite grade to teach!
I grew up in Pennsylvania and my family has always had strong connections and a love of being outdoors. Many of my fondest memories are from camping with friends and exploring via hiking biking, tubing, and netting and catch and release of all kinds of critters!
I have 2 boys: my oldest is 11, his name is Jack and my youngest is Lincoln and he is 7. My boys have gotten the outdoor exploration bug from me and love to do many of the same types of exploration outside, especially what we call “creek stomping,” where they like to catch and observe all the water critters they can find. This summer we went to Maine for the first time and explored beaches, did some tide pool exploration, braved some pretty intense hikes and became Jr. Rangers. We visited my family in Pennsylvania as well and went to lots of ponds and rivers, enjoyed fishing, swimming, cabin visits, and playing with cousins too.
I am very excited to be able to do some very real hands-on learning, nature science, and curriculum exploration and integration out in an actual nature setting! What a very real way to connect with the world! Thank you all so much for going on this journey with me! I very much look forward to this year and exploring and learning with your children in Kindergarten!

Brenda Walker

I am a native Oregonian and I am fortunate to call the great outdoors of the Pacific Northwest home. I have spent the majority of my life exploring the Columbia River Gorge, central Oregon's deserts, the beaches of Oregon and Washington, and the curvy country back roads of small town living. I have always found myself craving the PNW’s variety of beautiful landscapes.
As a child some of my favorite memories are of making mud pies, climbing my favorite willow tree, and splashing around in ponds while catching crawdads. I truly love being able to share these core memories with students at DTE Forest School and having the ability to teach the children the love of the land in an educational hands-on approach.
I am a fortunate mother to three beautiful children that often provide me with guidance along my life path. After becoming a mother, I realized a new passion; a love for the curious minds of children. I studied elementary education in my early years and received my Bachelors in Early Childhood/ Elementary Education. I continued on to earn my Masters in Educational Leadership while simultaneously growing in my teaching skills. Over my fourteen years of educational training and teaching of children, I have found my love for children has only continued to bloom and become an integral part of who I am at my core.
Throughout my teaching career I have spent many years teaching K- 3rd grade with a strong emphasis on mindfulness, positive behavioral supports, academic supports, and teaching the whole child with their unique individual needs. Most recently I found myself teaching in a special education classroom where the students opened my eyes and heart in profound ways. I wish to continue pursuing a variety of educational developments as it is imperative to continually grow in my teaching skills and for my personal desire as a life-long learner.
When I am not teaching I often find myself trying to master new bakes and recipes in the kitchen. I enjoy sharing them with family and friends, it is my love language. When I can find some quiet time, I enjoy reading a good book in a cozy spot. One of my happiest places is swimming in any capacity of water. It always reminds me of my inner-child at play. However, my favorite place to be is home, spending time with my three growing children Wyatt 17, Lincoln 10, and Penelope who is 8 years old. Lastly, we cannot forget our silly crew of family pets who we all immensely find joy and laughter with on a daily basis.

Kate Bolton

Märta Bacon

Growing up in Seattle, Märta spent her free time adventuring on her grandparent’s beach on Vashon Island, where she was able to foster a relationship with the outdoors at a very young age. She was lucky enough to attend forest camp before it was cool! Her mom was a preschool teacher and program director at the local YMCA, which led her to working there in her teens and early twenties in almost every childcare program they offer. She quickly adapted to each program, as she has always felt an ease of communication with young kids.
Coming from a family of artists and teachers, creativity has been a constant in Märta’s life. After completing grade school in a traditional public school setting, she longed for something “different” in her college experience. This led her to a small creative art school in Poulsbo, WA, where she completed her BFA with majors in graphic design and fine art amongst the trees and beaches of the Puget Sound. From there she worked in the apparel industry for a major clothing retailer and later for a smaller screen printing company as a graphic designer and in apparel printing and embroidery production.
After having their daughter and moving to Oregon for her husband’s profession, she fell in love with the outdoors all over again and all that Oregon has to offer. In researching potential preschools, she was thrilled to find DTE, as she equally appreciates the value of giving young kids the autonomy to explore the outdoors in a world that often limits those interactions. She wanted something “different” for her child, too. She was lucky enough to work in her daughter’s class one day a week last year and loved it so much that she couldn’t stay away and now she gets the pleasure of helping cultivate that love for nature with your kindergartners. She understands the importance of this relationship and can’t wait to get to know you all!

Briana Sellars

Being born and raised in the lush state of Oregon, Briana early on became connected to the beauty and healing that the natural world effortlessly provides. She has always found comfort and safe spaces submerged in the forest. Enjoying the moments spent outdoors throughout all seasons, finding the beauty and powerful insights within them. She has been honing in on her creative skills since a young child, which have become a foundational practice for her throughout the years.
Working in hospitality for over 10 years she has developed the ability to attune to the needs of others and to problem solve in ways that bring harmony and peace to all parties involved. Her gentle nature provides safe spaces for others to feel held, seen and heard. Her ability to show up in total presence with those she’s connecting with, allows people the opportunity to be authentic in their truth, and to shine freely.
Briana embraces a childlike wonder to the world around her, which allows her to continuously feel inspired to observe and learn about her surroundings. She loves to learn about the people in her life, the plants that surround her, and the many avenues of the healing arts. She is driven to be of service to others and to help them in the ways that she can. In her free time you can find her hiking, reading a good book, or dancing in the kitchen while cooking a nourishing meal. She is happily looking forward to being a part of the Down To Earth team and connecting with the community it brings, as the mission connects deeply to her values and desires for the world.

Holly Bamber

In the forest is Holly’s favorite place to be. She grew up wild and free exploring the woods of the multiple islands in Western Washington where she spent her early years. As a teen she worked at her dad’s orchid nursery and helped on their hobby farm on Camano Island but also began working with kids as soon as she stopped being a kid herself. This lead her to work as a nanny for many years while she worked on her degree in Humanities for Teaching at Seattle University. After graduation she began her preschool teaching career at her first outdoor preschool in Santa Barbara. There she spent her days outside with the children teaching them organic gardening, animal husbandry and learned the value in child-led, place and play based learning. It was a dream come true and combined her love of earth connection and children! Through working at these schools, she was introduced to Positive Discipline and Compassionate/Non Violent Communication. She learned first hand from her mentors and took workshops helping her discover a new way to teach and communicate with children: with great compassion and consideration for their emotional capacity and need to openly express their emotions freely without judgement, punishment, shame, or guilt. She watched children flourish with this approach of validating their feelings and treating them with respect, and became committed to approaching teaching with this in mind. Holly went back to school and received her Masters Degree in elementary education from USC. After having her second daughter, Holly returned to teaching in an outdoor environment at Down To Earth’s former preschool program, Thimble Forest School where she taught with Ms. Heidi for many years. Holly considers herself a lifelong learner and has always enjoyed exploring new interests and skills. In 2019 she took a meditation teacher training and the following year started a class on mindfulness and meditation for young children at a local meditation center. Holly has a deep connection and love for the plant world and has studied folk herbalism and loves working with native plants, making plant medicines; oils, salves, and tinctures. She now will take this knowledge and her interests in foraging, basket making and spoon carving to bring ancestral based skills to the children of Down to Earth.
Holly is so excited to meld and incorporate all her favorite interests and skills in mindfulness, herbalism, native plant knowledge, ancestral skills, local food and cooking all under the umbrella of following the earth’s seasonal rhythms in connection with the local land into her job at DTE!
Holly is a steward of a magical 3.5 acre piece of land in the Beavercreek area of Oregon City with her partner and two daughters Leora and Maggie who also attend Down to Earth Forest School.

Photo of Ashley Zweigart, Kerry Woodke, and Karen Buehrig at the beach

Lauren Rhode

Board Members

Down to Earth Nonprofit could not exist without the thoughtful governance of our Board of Directors: Ashley Zweigart, Kerry Woodke, and Karen Buehrig.