Kathleen Vickery

Kathleen’s passion for nature-based learning grew from her childhood in the Maine woods. She has worked in diverse early childhood settings, including nature-based centers, farm/homestead-inspired schools, and Reggio Schools in Italy. Kathleen believes nature offers endless opportunities for children to discover, connect, develop empathy, test ideas, overcome challenges, and create new understandings through play and exploration. Using inquiry-based frameworks, she looks to children to inspire the curriculum and enjoys documenting children’s work and words. Building community and celebrating the sacredness of childhood drive her work. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in nature-based education from Antioch University. Kathleen completed a global internship at Nido Giulia Maramotti and Scuola dell’infanzia Faber in Reggio Emilia, Italy, where she learned firsthand about the Reggio Emilia Approach, which views the child as beautiful, powerful, competent, creative, and naturally curious. While there, she found inspiration for her own practice and philosophy of education. Outside of school, she enjoys hiking, fly-fishing, cooking, practicing yoga, and camping.