Meet the Team
Our Mission & Purpose
Nature-based educators Keara Savage & Charlotte Olson will be opening a new nature school this upcoming summer (2026) and school year (2026-2027). We are creating this program because we’ve seen firsthand, as teachers, how powerful it is for children to learn and grow outdoors. When children spend time in nature, they are learning foundational skills that will last with them throughout their lives: confidence, relationships, creativity, and a sense of belonging in the world around them. This kind of learning supports the whole child.
Paul Louv describes this beautifully in Last Child in the Woods, when he discusses how childrens’ growing distance from nature can affect their attention, resilience, and overall well-being. Bringing learning into natural spaces helps children connect to the physical world around them and supports curiosity, care, and joy. This rings true in our days as nature-based teachers.
“Children live through their senses. Sensory experiences link the child's exterior world with their interior, hidden, affective world. Since the natural environment is the principal source of sensory stimulation, freedom to explore and play with the outdoor environment through the senses in their own space and time is essential for healthy development of an interior life... This type of self-activated, autonomous interaction is what we call free play. Individual children test themselves by interacting with their environment, activating their potential and reconstructing human culture. The content of the environment is a critical factor in this process. A rich, open environment will continuously present alternative choices for creative engagement. A rigid, bland environment will limit healthy growth and development of the individual or the group.”
RICHARD LOUV | LAST CHILD IN THE WOODS
Recommended Reading
Books
Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv
Lens on Outdoor Learning, David Sobel
The Nature Principle, Richard Louv
Forest Kindergartens: The Handbook for Outdoor Learning, David Sobel
Place-Based Education, David Sobel
Nature Preschools, David Sobel
The Geography of Childhood, Gary Paul Nabhan & Stephen Trimble
Small Wonders & Nature Education for Young Children, Linda Garrett
Articles & Resources
"Running Free in Germany's Outdoor Preschools," New York Times, May 18, 2017.
"Preschool without walls,” New York Times, Dec. 29, 2015
"You Can't Bounce Off the Walls if There Are No Walls: Outdoor Schools Make Kids Happier--And Smarter," David Sobel, Yes Magazine, March 28, 2014
“Look, Don’t Touch,” David Sobel, Orion magazine, July 2012
Natural Start Alliance, https://naturalstart.org
Children and Nature Network, http://www.childrenandnature.org/
Documentaries
School's Out: Lessons from a Forest Kindergarten: http://www.schoolsoutfilm.com/
Keara Savage
CO-FOUNDER & TEACHERWith a vision for building something meaningful, our founder brings a blend of big-picture thinking and hands-on experience. Keara is a nature-based educator who has worked outdoors with young children since 2023. She holds a degree in Political Science and French from Bucknell University and is a Child Development Associate. Her child-led practice centers respect, shared decision-making, and supporting children to advocate for themselves and others while nurturing a wonder-filled relationship with the natural world.
Check out Keara’s interview with Global Village from her time as an educator at the Boston Outdoor Preschool Network.
Charlotte Olson
CO-FOUNDER & TEACHERCharlotte is passionate about fostering sincere connection, curiosity, and understanding between young learners and the natural world. Through her work with children, she has become deeply hopeful about the next generation and the possibilities that emerge when young people are given the space to explore, ask questions, and build relationships with the environment around them. Charlotte believes early nature-based education is a powerful way to nurture environmentally conscious stewards and inspire lifelong care for the natural world.
Charlotte has a background in environmental science, natural resource conservation, and outdoor education. She earned both her Master’s degree in Geographic Information Science & Technology and her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, with a minor in Natural Resource Conservation, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
She brings hands-on experience working with both the land and young learners and has volunteered across the country on environmental stewardship projects during her time with AmeriCorps NCCC.
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Sarah Besse
CONSULTANT
Sarah is a leader in nature-based early education who has launched nature preschool programs throughout the Boston area. She previously mentored Keara and Charlotte as nature preschool teachers, and now actively supports them in bringing their vision to life as founders of The Nature School of Sudbury. She is deeply invested in their success and wholeheartedly supports their leadership as this joyful school takes root.
