Class Leaders

I teach Monday evenings at 5:00pm at Noblitt Park in Columbus.

 My name is Maranda. I’m married to Kyle and we have 3 children. Our son, Roman, is 6.5. Our daughter, Ezri, is 4 years old. And our youngest daughter, Amarie, is 1 year old. We live on 5.5 acres in Brown County and have 1 dog, 3 cats, and 2 bunnies ( and we’ll probably have ducks and chickens soon too!). As a family, we love spending time outdoors hiking, camping, and really any outdoor adventure.   Pre kids, I was an elementary school teacher at a school in Indianapolis. While I loved teaching, I quickly realized that I didn’t want to teach in a traditional classroom. So I went back to school and earned a degree in environmental science/ecology. I got a job at a national wildlife refuge where I led environmental education programs for people of all ages.   I became a stay at home mom when my son was born. After my first daughter was born, a couple of my friends and I started a local chapter of Free Forest School. Free Forest School is an organization that promotes unstructured, child-led outdoor play by hosting regular meetups across the country. I facilitated meet ups until the start of the pandemic.   My family has been involved in Nature Explorers Club since it’s beginning. It’s been a wonderful experience, learning about nature and connecting with other families that love the outdoors as much as we do. It’s been neat to see the club grow and evolve!   In my spare time, I enjoy reading, gardening, hiking, biking, drinking copious amounts of coffee, and cooking. I’m a vegetarian and am always trying to make recipes that even my meat eating family will love. We are also a homeschooling family.  I’m so excited for this opportunity to teach and I can’t wait to explore nature with you!

Reach me at maranda.mynatureclub@gmail.com

I teach the babies group at 10 am on Fridays at Mill Race Park in Columbus.

Hello All! I am excited to introduce myself as your Columbus leader for Nature Babies!
My name is Andrea, I am a mom to 4 great kids married to my husband, Sam. We live a busy life with lots of love and a touch of chaos. 

 We’ve been members of Nature Explorer’s Club since day one. I have also participated in and led other outdoor education classes before Breanna created it! You’ll likely spend class with my youngest who has been a Nature Explorer since birth. 

I’m passionate about the impact of outdoor education on little minds and it all starts through play as babies. I look forward to getting to know all of you and helping your babies grow and learn!

Reach me at Andrea.mynatureclub@gmail.com

I teach the mixed ages class on Mondays at 9:30 at Cool Creek Park in Carmel

I am mom two Chelsea and Kali and I am Emma, Graham and Everly's Na (grandmother.) I love the outdoors. I love playing in creeks, learning about nature, reading books and teaching. I love all the seasons and look forward to meeting you at the Nature Playground at Cool Creek Park.

Reach me at Angela.mynatureclub@gmail.com

I teach the mixed ages class on Mondays at 10:00 at Lion's Park in Zionsville

Hi! I’m Laura, married to my high school sweetheart Tim, mama to two beautiful kids and two fluffy dogs. 

A passion for access to clean drinking water led me to study environmental science as an undergraduate and environmental engineering in grad school. As a volunteer with Women in Engineering, I taught programs for elementary students that made all things science and nature fun and engaging, and that connection to environmental education has remained important to me. 

I am working towards becoming a certified Indiana Master Naturalist, and have learned a lot over the past decade through my involvement with the Indiana Native Plant Society. I’ve become slightly obsessed with the importance of native plants in home landscaping, which led me to plant over 100 native plants, trees, and shrubs in our yard last summer. 

I love being outside with my kids and experiencing the beauty of the natural world through their eyes. We love exploring parks and playgrounds, trails and gardens, making friends with trees and flowers and birds along the way. 

There are countless lifelong benefits to spending time outdoors, especially for children with their caregivers, and I’m thrilled to have the chance to share that with more families. I can’t wait to spend time outside with you and your kids, learning, playing, and exploring together!

Reach me at Laura.mynatureclub@gmail.com

I teach the mixed ages class in Brown County

My name is Whitley! I teach the Brown County class. My family just built a cabin on multiple acres here. My partner, Ian, and I have one daughter, Iris, who is 7 years old. She blooms in nature and that’s what inspired me to be here. Her love of nature grew into a love of the outdoors we shared together. My background is in early childhood education and I’m so excited to share that knowledge and experience in a new way, outside the confines of a traditional classroom. 

We just started our homeschool journey this year and are loving all the freedom it is offering for us to do the things that really matter to us, being a part of the Nature Explorers Club included!

In my free time, I enjoy reading, trips to my favorite local tea shop with my daughter, walks with my dog, and collecting unique plants.

Reach me at Whitley.mynatureclub@gmail.com

I teach the babies class on Wednesdays at 10:00 and the mixed ages class on Saturdays at 10:00 at Griffy Lake in Bloomington

Hi everybody! My name is Morgan and I am so excited to lead Nature Babies and Nature Explorers Club!

My daughter, Kairi, and I have been a part of Nature Babies for a year and we have loved the experience so much. I am a stay at home mom that loves to get my kiddo out and about as much as possible. I love leading classes with littles and making it as much fun as I possibly can. I love being outside with nature and love being able to teach small minds new things. I look forward to leading!

Reach me at Morgan1.mynatureclub@gmail.com