Heidi Mckay, Founder, Executive Director & Water Class Teacher
Down to Earth Forest School grew from founder Heidi’s lifelong passion for nature and children. With over 20 years of experience in early childhood education and mental health, Heidi brings deep expertise and a wild-hearted love for letting kids be free outdoors.
“It’s cathartic to see children in nature, free to be. It pains me to see how limited their freedom is in today’s world. The trees—they want to be climbed.”
Heidi holds a B.S. in Early Childhood Education and a Master’s certification in Early Childhood Mental Health. Her teaching is rooted in child-led learning and enriched by training in Yoga Calm, Brain Gym, Coyote Mentoring, meditation, and Permaculture for Educators. She’s also a certified forest school teacher, trained at the renowned Cedarsong Forest School.
A passionate advocate for equity in outdoor education, Heidi co-founded the Outdoor Early Learning Alliance of Oregon and actively supports the American Forest Kindergarten Association. Down to Earth recently became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, with a mission to make forest school accessible to all families, regardless of income.
When she’s not in the woods, Heidi is adventuring with her kids, Lucy and Tobias, and her husband, a child and family therapist, in their Oregon City home.
Erin Gingerich, Earth Class Teacher
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!
Briana Sellars, Fire Class Assistant
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.
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.
Audra Cordell, Director of Curriculum and Instruction & Fire Class Teacher
Growing up on a dirt road in rural Northern California, my childhood was full of tree climbing, lizard catching, and a deep love for the outdoors that’s stayed with me ever since. After earning a B.S. in Geology from Portland State and working as an environmental geologist, I realized my true calling was teaching. I went on to earn a Master of Arts in Teaching from Lewis & Clark and have since taught in K-5 classrooms across Washington and Oregon, most recently at Springwater Environmental Sciences School.
Down to Earth Forest School aligns with everything I believe about how children learn best—through play, curiosity, and connection to the natural world.
Outside of school, I’m a regenerative gardener, board game lover, and mom to two amazing kids (one of whom will be joining the preschool program this year), plus a sweet pup named Hazel and six backyard chickens.
Märta Bacon, Jane of All Trades
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!
Holly Bamber, Ancestral Skills & Air Class Assistant
Holly feels most at home in the forest. She grew up wild and free on the islands of Western Washington, where her days were spent exploring woods, tending to animals on her family’s hobby farm, and working in her dad’s orchid nursery.
She began working with children as soon as she could, eventually nannying while earning a Humanities for Teaching degree from Seattle University. After graduation, she found her dream job teaching at an outdoor preschool in Santa Barbara—combining her love of nature, children, and hands-on learning through gardening, animal care, and play-based education.
There, she was introduced to Positive Discipline and Nonviolent Communication, which reshaped how she teaches and connects with children—with deep compassion, emotional awareness, and a commitment to validating kids’ experiences without shame or punishment.
Holly later earned her Master’s in Elementary Education from USC, and after having her second daughter, returned to outdoor teaching at Thimble Forest School, where she taught alongside Ms. Heidi for many years.
A lifelong learner, Holly is also trained in meditation and leads mindfulness classes for young children. She has studied folk herbalism and loves working with native plants to create salves, tinctures, and other medicines. She also brings ancestral skills like foraging, basket making, and spoon carving into her work with kids.
Today, Holly blends all of her passions—mindfulness, herbalism, native plants, ancestral skills, seasonal rhythms, and deep earth connection—into her teaching at Down to Earth.
She lives on a magical 3.5-acre homestead in Beavercreek with her partner and two daughters, Leora and Maggie, who also attend Down to Earth Forest School.
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.