Meet Mr. Lake! Lead teacher and Co-Founder of NC Nature School.

Mr. Lake is a knowledgeable Eagle Scout who has spent over a decade building his skill sets in wilderness survival, bushcraft, mushroom and herbal foraging, traditional primitive skills, permaculture, conservation, and human-rewilding. Through two years of uninterrupted voluntary service, community outreach, as well as studies in anthropology and indigenous cultures, he further grew his desire to make an impact on his community through meaningful connection with the land and our fellow man. You can find him teaching a variety of survival skills, and working with Adults and Children to nurture a desire to be more resilient and independent through our organization’s programs. Lake’s gentle approach embraces the ADHD mind, and sensory seeker, as he too struggled to overcome the obstacles of ADHD throughout his youth. It is his mission to redirect children and adults to a more connected and natural state where they can build their skill sets to feel empowered, confident and independent in the outdoors.

“My love for the wilderness and penchant for self-sufficient lifestyles came at an early age. My favorite book as a child was My Side of The Mountain; it tells a story of a young man who escapes the trappings of modern life and makes his way in the Catskill mountains with little more than his knowledge of the land, a creative mind, and a helpful peregrine Falcon to serve as his companion. I was fascinated by the adventure of it all, but more than that I craved the independence he gained through these things. Even at my young age I saw the value in learning these skills and remembering our ancestral modes of survival - man who can shelter and feed himself, and survive without the aid of modern conveniences is one that can’t be controlled. More and more I see our society trading away the freedom that is our human birthright for more conveniences. To me, NC Nature School is a bastion for that indomitable human spirit - it is a call to remember the old ways before they are lost, an opportunity to restore human independence, and it is a place for humans to be humans once more.”

Meet Ms. Denise—lead teacher and co-founder of Nc Nature School.

Carrying on the legacy of my mother, I (Ms. Denise) have well over 15 years of experience working with children in various settings such as micro schools, environmental education programs, homeschool programs, community outreach, farms, infant nurseries, churches, “special needs” and ADHD programs, Girl Scouts, children’s music and theater programs, ASL for children, and now our current organization dedicated to “rewilding” and reconnecting the modern human to nature and their humanity. Although I have been trained and have worked in “Montessori,” “Reggio Emilia,” “Forest-Schooling,” “Waldorf,” and other specific ethos settings, my preferred teaching approach is more of a medley of them all. My gentle forest-school approach consists of a focus on human-nature connection, active listening and understanding, empowering the child, and helping them deepen their connections to who they are, and what fulfills them through “child-led” learning, and self-discovery opportunities.I have always held reverence for the natural world, but throughout my life, I especially developed my appreciations through play, family gardening, hiking, honoring my indigenous lineage, 13 years of scouts, van travels through all 48 contiguous states with my grandfather, self discovery and recovery through severe clinical depression, and especially, by deepening my knowledge and human-nature connection through fulfilling studies in psychology, child-rearing, foraging, certified herbalism, self-sufficiency, permaculture, survival skill development, and more. Without the opportunity to have made meaningful connections with nature, I would not be here today. By connecting to nature, I have restored life back into my human experience that once was a depressed and unfulfilling place. It is my mission to give as many people the opportunity to connect to the land and their humanity through a variety of options that may be the spark they’re looking for to begin their “rewilding” journey. 🌻