About Us

The Cambridge Farm and Forest School is a not-for-profit organization, an Ontario private school (BSID#886571), and a certified Forest School that provides alternative education and programming to children, families, and school groups on a privately owned 150-acre farm and forest. Located only minutes from town, the year-round site is nestled in the beautiful countryside of North Dumfries township, Ontario (near Cambridge, in Waterloo Region).

Mission

To provide children with opportunities to advance their education by exploring a natural space, caring for animals, identifying and navigating risk, gaining transferable life and leadership skills, and being contributing members of a community through the natural world.

Farm & Forest School

Cambridge Farm & Forest School is a combination of Forest School philosophy and agricultural literacy. It allows children to gain experiences with nature and animals while engaging in various curriculum topics such as science, technology, engineering, mathematics, literacy, the arts, health and physical education, and socio-emotional literacy. Qualified educators encourage children to assess risks, exercise inquiry, and practice environmental stewardship — skills that will be used for the remainder of their lives.

What is Forest School?

Some call it Nature Kindergarten, others Outdoor School, or Waldkindergarten, Rain or Shine School, or Bush Kinder. Locally, referred to as Forest and Nature School (FNS). It can happen on a part-time or full-time basis, with all different age groups, in all seasons. It can take place in any kind of natural space – a stand of just a few trees or a majestic forest, a playground or an endless prairie field, a creek in a ditch or a vast ocean shoreline, tundra, desert, mountain. Children can find magic in the most ordinary of spaces. What matters is that they build a relationship to a place, through regular and repeated access to it, in the way that is most fitting to them: through play. Children at play in nature – that’s at the heart of Forest and Nature School, whatever you call it.

Skilled educators support that play and the learning that inevitably emerges from it through close observation. They follow the child’s interests, probe their theories, ask good questions, offer tools and resources, and get out of their way! They view children as innately competent, curious, and capable, and see themselves as facilitator, guide, and co-conspirator, not expert. Forest and Nature School educators are committed to place and play-based, emergent, and inquiry-driven teaching and learning.

The Forest and Nature School movement is gaining momentum all over the world, from Scandinavia, and the UK, where it is well-established, to Korea, Australia, and beyond. Many often trace the roots of FNS back to Denmark in the 1950s, and our work in Canada has certainly been informed by the Danish and also British approaches. However, no discussion of FNS in Canada is complete without acknowledging that Indigenous people here have been teaching and learning on, with, and from this land for millennia. There is still so much to learn from building reciprocal relationships built on mutual trust with the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities around us.

As more and more FNS programs emerge all across Canada, each one as different as the children who attend them and the landscapes in which they are rooted. The Child and Nature Alliance of Canada, through our flagship education project Forest School Canada, seeks to support national and regional communities of practice, through which we are establishing best practices in the FNS field for our distinctly Canadian context, and ensuring high-quality opportunities for all children in Canada to play and learn in nature.

Source: Child and Nature Alliance of Canada

Our Site

See our beautiful site map, created by John Richer of Sheffield

Our Administrative Staff

Heather Figueiredo, OCT
Mrs. Fig, Founder and Executive Director
B.Ed. Primary/Junior; B.A. Contemporary Studies and Children’s Education
Level 3 Forest School Practitioner’s Course Certification, Forest School Canada
Bronze Cross and Standard First Aid and CPR B
Mother of two

Heather learned about the vast landscape of alternative education and how it can be complementary to public schooling during her Bachelor of Education in Outdoor and Experiential Education at Queen’s University. This type of experiential and inquiry-based learning spoke so deeply to her as an educator and reminded her of her childhood. Heather’s love for the outdoors stems from growing up on a farm and having access to many animals and woodlands. She also taught at an Outdoor Education Centre and Outdoor School in Huntsville, ON which laid the foundation for her teaching philosophy. Transferring that attachment into a sense of responsibility was the most important step of her journey as an educator and Forest School Director. She seeks to allow children time in nature to learn about risk management, resilience, and the wonder that stems from the natural world.

In her spare time, she enjoys camping, spending time outdoors with her family, and participating in triathlons.

Katherine Taylor, OCT
Mrs. Taylor, Assistant Director
B.A./B.Ed., Primary/Junior
Montessori Elementary Teacher
Level 3 Forest School Practitioner’s Course Certification, Forest School Canada
National Lifeguard Service
Mother of two

Katherine’s diverse background in education (including public, private, Montessori, home school, and outdoor education) supports her perspective that alternative education can blend seamlessly with traditional schooling and home life to provide an optimal and enriching learning experience for a child. Katherine is passionate about holding space for wonder and imagination, safeguarding play time, and nurturing relationships between children and nature, children and others (peers and educators), and children with themselves. She understands Forest School as a vehicle through which children can become self-aware, interconnected adults who are engaged in the world around them. In her role as Assistant Director, Katherine cares deeply for our staff and families.  She helps staff succeed through training and mentorship support, ensures quality programming, and addresses the individual needs of our students and families.

Gerrie Morley-van der Maar
Accountant and Administrative Assistant
CPA, CGA
Proud Oma

Gerrie is a recently retired CPA, CGA having worked in the not-for-profit sector for several years supporting seniors and individuals experiencing serious mental health challenges. She felt that she still had much to offer particularly to smaller organizations and the Farm & Forest was the perfect fit due to their mission resonating with her. Children are truly able to experience the joys of playing and learning  in natural outdoor setting at the Farm & Forest.

Ashley Evans 
Mrs. Evans, Inclusion Facilitator and Administrative Assistant
BSc. in Toxicology
Standard First Aid & CPR/AED Level C
Enrolled in Educational Support Program
Level 3 Forest School Practitioner Course Certification, Forest School Canada
Proud Mother

Ashley is a firm believer that spending time in nature is the best medicine. During Ashley’s post-secondary studies, she spent some time as a support educator at an outdoor education centre in Kearney, ON. As an outdoor educator, she discovered the importance and benefits to experiential and inquiry-based learning the students participated in and wished to continue working in that type of educational environment. Ashley enjoys combining her science background with inquiry-based learning. 

Ashley is most at peace when outside and spends the majority of her time exploring new hiking trails and campgrounds with her family and their rescue dog.

Our Educators

Michelle Veltri, RECE
Mrs. V., Educator
Registered Early Childhood Educator
Standard First Aid, CPR Level C
Level 3 Forest School Practitioner Course Certification, Forest School Canada
Proud Mother

Michelle enjoyed several years working in a childcare center when she chose to seek out a setting that would bring together her passion for early childhood education with her love for nature and animals. Her experience in Early Childhood Education, nature schools, and time spent working at a horse boarding barn has built a teaching philosophy rooted in curiosity, connection to the Land and animals, and hands-on learning. She values the importance of viewing our youngest learners as curious, capable and competent. It is her ongoing goal to help every child feel a sense of belonging and to create a learning environment that sparks wonder and curiosity. Outside of the classroom, she enjoys spending time with her family—her husband, son and two goldendoodles.

Brooklyn Mathies
Ms. Brooklyn, Educator
Child and Youth Worker
Standard First Aid, CPR Level C
Proud Mother

Brooklyn is an outdoor educator who was drawn to us through a love of play-based learning, nature, and the many ways outdoor spaces can meet a child’s needs. She studied Child and Youth Care and has spent over five years working at an outdoor school in Toronto, with camp experience along the way. Brooklyn brings a rich foundation to her teaching. She embraces a child-led approach, while being there to support and seeing them as capable, confident learners. Outside of teaching, she enjoys swimming, baking, and spending time with her son and extended family.

Sarah Noseworthy
Mrs. Sarah, Educator
Previous Licensed Home Daycare Provider
Level 3 Forest School Practitioner Course Certification, Forest School Canada
Standard First Aid, CPR Level C
Certified Doula
Proud Mother of three

Sarah’s  approach to education is to nurture all children’s  joy, creativity, and sense of wonder while learning alongside them. She values how Forest School gives children the freedom to explore, play, and build authentic relationships with nature, with each other, and with themselves, and feels grateful to be part of that journey. Her hope is that every child who spends time at Forest School feels safe, seen, and inspired, and that families know they have a partner in her who values both education and the magic of childhood. Sarah also has a deep love for gardening and permaculture, which she weaves into the days, helping children connect with the land in meaningful ways.

Ally Zomer, OCT
Ms. Ally, Program and Camp Lead
B.Ed. Primary/Junior
B.Sc. Honours Biology
Standard First Aid, CPR Level C
Enrolled in Forest School Practitioners Course
Proud Aunt

Bio coming soon!

Jessica Baker, OCT
Ms. Jess, Educator
B.Ed. Primary/Junior
B.A. Honours
Standard First Aid, CPR Level C

Bio coming soon!

Krista Scroccaro-Fry
Mrs. S., Administrative Assistant
B.A. Honours Educational Studies
Child and Youth Worker
Standard First Aid, CPR Level C
Enrolled in Forest School Practitioners Course
Proud Mother


As a Child and Youth Worker graduate, Krista witnessed firsthand the importance of early intervention in supporting mental health and wellbeing. This inspired her to spend seven years as an Educational Assistant within a school board before pursuing her B.A. in Educational Studies, where she was introduced to alternative education models and discovered her calling in outdoor learning.

Drawn to the idea of bringing education beyond the walls of traditional classrooms, Krista found her values reflected in Farm & Forest. She also finds joy in sharing the wonders of the natural world with her young daughter, who embodies the curiosity and sense of discovery she values so deeply. Watching her child and countless others flourish in an outdoor education setting continues to be a source of inspiration and meaning in her work.

In her spare time, Krista enjoys cooking a variety of cultural dishes and gathering with family and friends to share meals. She also loves traveling to experience different cuisines and deepen her uderstanding of culture.

Laura Burjoski
Ms. Laura, Educator
Experienced Childcare Provider
B.A. Honours English
Enrolled in Forest School Practitioners Course
Standard First Aid and CPR C
Homeschooling Mother of two

Bio coming soon!

Anya Fieguth
Ms. Anya, Educator
Bachelor of Knowledge Integration
Wilderness First Responder and Standard First Aid and CPR C
National Lifeguard, Lifesaving Society

Anya’s background in summer camps and outdoor education has informed her belief that outdoor learning is a valuable supplement to traditional forms of education. She has seen countless examples of how experiences in the outdoors boost children’s curiosity, creativity, wellbeing, and their confidence in themselves and in their relationships. Anya is passionate about planning creative activities and building a supportive community to foster this growth. In her spare time, Anya enjoys spending even more time outdoors, going hiking, canoeing, camping, and rock climbing. 

Job Postings

Supply Educator Position: 
Posting Date: September 2025 (Ongoing)
Schedule: Occasional/As-needed (Mondays to Fridays)

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