People

Being a lover of children and the outdoors brought me to becoming a business owner of an early childhood school in 2004.  The journey went from childcare to being Reggio-inspired and then being Natue Based.  Connecting with other nature-inspired educators with the No Child Left Inside mission. We were inspired by Richard Louv's Last Child In the Woods and started moving past our fenced-in yard to visit state land behind our school. In 2014 I visited the schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy—so much formation of our journey. Our school has gone through a transformation from our outdoor classrooms to weekly nature walks visiting the pond and Highland Recreation Area year around.  Creating an environment where teachers and children thrive spending most of the day outdoors learning in a "Wonderful" environment to grow, play, and learn. 

My prior work includes 16 years as a public school teacher and many years as a natural history museum educator and camp director/counselor. I believe in the power of environmental education to change people and places for the better.

What Would Leslie Knope Do?

Hi!  My name is Gail Westcot and I am the Director at the Mary Kahrs Warnell Forest Education Center which is located on 3,300 acres of forestland in Guyton, GA.  The Center is a part of the University of Georgia Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.  I conduct natural resurce educational programs for prek - 12th grade students and teachers as well as college students, adults, and members of the general public.  I am passionate about getting students outside to experience forests, wildlife, soil, and water resources in order to teach them about their natural environemnt and provide safe, positive experences in oudoor settings.