MEET OUR DIRECTORS
KARLI WILSON
I believe that working with children can be a calling. You have to be “one of those people” in our field. We founded this society to be present for experiences in the outdoors which promote an early and lasting understanding of the value in these spaces. As a kid growing up in South Eastern Ontario I was never far from the shore of Lake Ontario or the shade of a ravine. My friends and I rode bikes, climbed trees and made forts in the woods near our houses. We rushed down hills on toboggans in the winter and crept along creeks in the summer. Outside was an endless source of open ended adventure. I strongly feel that every child is entitled to this type of freedom to play and challenge themselves.
KALEIGH MCGINNIS
Over the years I have been a part of many different childcare settings from home daycare, private tutoring, international leadership camps, kindergarten in the Ontario school board, before and after school programs, YMCA early years programs, non-profit child care centres, and forest education programs.
Collaborating with other like-minded individuals is an important part of my process as an educator, learning from everyone I meet. In my spare time I enjoy reading, hiking with my Husband and playing with my cats. I have always been interested in the natural world and brought it into my programs as much as possible. Founding this society is an opportunity to share knowledge and resources with fellow ECE's and teachers on a wider scale.
ILIYAH HAMILTON-CHINN
My husband and I, our two young boys and our dog-ter (Foxy), have lived here for 6 years and we absolutely love it. We are originally from Jamaica where I worked as a Veterinarian. When we started our family we decided to immigrate to Canada. Jamaica is place that is beautiful to live but is not without it's challenges. Before having my two children I spent time with my husband Chris making a life here while studying for Canadian Board exams to work again in the veterinary field.
After having Zachary and Tristan, my perspective on so many things changed. One of the realisations I had was how different childhood is in the world and society they are growing up in from the one I grew up in. I loved my childhood, it was filled with fun adventures in the backyard, digging in dirt to find ‘treasure’, making mud pies, bicycle rides and beach days. I can remember we had limited access to cartoons as there just wasn’t any on TV after 11 am, there literally was nothing on TV that we could watch. Whereas these days any show you can think of is a click away and these kids seem to be born with a manual on how to use any device in their brain.
As sad as it was to realise how different our experiences will be, the fact is that this is the world we live in now and we can’t avoid it completely. This fact doesn’t have to stop us from trying our best to pass on the love for fun in their backyards, the appreciation of simple things and the love of the outdoors no matter the weather. Time outside is an opportunity to detach from the confines of our walls, unplug from the virtual interconnectedness and be present in our daily lives. It is so important for children to have these experiences. These are some of the reasons why I accepted a founding role as a Director in the Natural Pedagogy Society.