After working with Free Forest School over the past seven years, I am leaving my role to focus on raising another outdoor baby. I gave birth to my daughter this past November and am delighted to be spending my days exploring with her as my primary focus.
The inspiration to start Free Forest School in 2015 came from watching my older children (then 4 and 1) play with other kids in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. I was fascinated to observe that children seemed wired to learn and grow in nature, and that caregivers could collectively create a rich early learning environment. It seemed like magic that getting outdoors and stepping back fostered resilient, curious, and empathetic kids who loved the earth.
I found a strong sense of belonging in those early FFS groups in Brooklyn and then Austin and Minneapolis, making lasting friendships and learning from other caregivers. My FFS community eventually expanded to include volunteers and participants around the country and beyond. Over the years, more than a thousand volunteers and countless donors have contributed their time, ideas, and resources to building Free Forest School as a national model with iterations in communities small and large, serving tens of thousands of families. I am so grateful for all the skilled, caring, dedicated people I have worked and played alongside through this adventure.
Together, we have built supportive communities around simple but life-changing ideas: The idea that kids are propelled to learn by a natural sense of curiosity. That nature can serve as both a classroom and a teacher. That caregivers of varied backgrounds can find common ground parenting outdoors together. That kids of all abilities can thrive in the natural world. That a small group of committed people can generate meaningful change. As I move on to the next chapter, I feel gratitude for this community and all I’ve learned.
I’ll stay connected in an advisory capacity for the FFS Board of Directors as well as a volunteer in our ongoing research collaboration with the University of Minnesota. I’m excited to continue growing as an instructor of youth handcraft, having received a fellowship to study in Sweden this fall. I’m also looking forward to linking up with FFS families in Minneapolis for lots of outdoor play!
In gratitude,
Anna Sharratt
P.S. I’m still available at anna.sharratt@freeforestschool.org if you want to stay connected.
