Wildlings Nature School is a hub for parent and teacher resources on nature-based learning. It provides online resources as well as in-person enrichment events.
Wildlings Nature School is located on 5 acres of private land rich with nature. Children will have access to a fenced nature playscape, chickens to care for, gardens, apple trees, raspberries, a pond, and forested trails.
Wildlings Nature School operates under a philosophy that early childhood education should be child-led, active, and unhurried. Teachers at Wildlings take inspiration from Reggio Emilia, Waldorf, Montessori, as well as messages from the children and the natural world.
Wildlings Nature School’s main focus is not “kindergarten readiness,” but rather scaffolding children’s learning based on their current developmental abilities and interests. We craft our programming to serve the learning needs of the children now, rather than what we expect them to do later on.
About the Director
Michaela Johnson has her bachelor’s degree in Unified Early Childhood Studies from UMD and her Masters in Education with a focus on Culturally Responsive Practice from St. Scholastica. Michaela began her nature preschool teaching journey while doing a practicum at Little Barnyard Preschool in Esko, MN. This was her first introduction, and she was immediately inspired and felt this was her calling. She student taught at Wind Ridge Schoolhouse in Duluth, MN and completed research on nature-based programs with Julie Ernst. She taught and developed nature-based preschool programming at Proctor and Hermantown schools. She taught early childhood special education in Cambridge, MN as well. She was inspired to create Wildlings Nature School to bring more nature-based programming to the area and to benefit her family, and thus, Wildlings Nature School was born. Wildlings ran as a licensed nature preschool for one year, before shifting focus to online resources and enrichment events. In Michaela’s free time, she enjoys mountain biking, reading, gardening, and spending time with her husband, daughter, dog, and beloved chickens.
About the Communications and Project Coordination Intern
Eva Salmela is currently pursuing her bachelor’s degree in Communication at UMD. Since December 2024, she has coordinated social media and blog content for Wildlings Nature Preschool and recently expanded her role to support additional projects and events.
In her free time, she enjoys reading, biking, and playing volleyball, and she is passionate about education, the outdoors, and coffee.