.png)
Amanda Bell
Hello! I’m Amanda Bell, owner and director of Santa Cruz Forest School. ​
​
Having put my heart into our forest school program since 2016, I have seen how much the children love it, year after year. Once parents realize how free play in nature is helping their children to thrive - physically, emotionally, and socially - they love it too!
​
A natural storyteller, I find myself engaging joyfully with the children around picture books, oral stories, and spontaneous creativity. I am also curious and have a knack for finding beautiful and interesting things in nature to share.
​
​The continuation of learning that occurs naturally when you spend time outside is so valuable. During our time together, we name trees, plants, animals, mushrooms and birds when we see them or hear them. We explore tidepools, creeks, and rivers during field trips. My naturalist knowledge has become strong with this practice, and I love to share it with the children.
​
I studied Geology in college, touring natural spaces, learning natural history, and taking every field trip class offered. I earned a B.S. from the University of Missouri-Columbia and a M.S. at the Ohio State University.
My sweet family and I moved to California from Columbus, Ohio in 2011. Our kids are now in high school and college. We live in Scotts Valley with our love dog named Princess Leia.
Katherine Tkoch
Hiya! My name is Katherine and I’m a teacher at Santa Cruz Forest School.
Having grown up in Santa Cruz, I have a deep appreciation for this gorgeous place we’re lucky enough to call home. I adore working with children, and even more having the opportunity to teach young people about my most favorite thing: nature! Santa Cruz County is a fantastic backdrop to learn about all things living (and not!). Banana slugs, redwoods, mushrooms, birds; we have it all at Forest School.
I completed my undergraduate degree in Edinburgh, Scotland in Biology with my honors in zoology. As such, I love getting to teach our students about the wonderful animals we have around us: their names, homes, history, and behaviour. Having lived abroad for years, I also enjoy getting to share bits from the cultures I experienced, as well as learn about the vibrant cultures of our students.
In my free time I love hiking, backpacking, nature journaling, birdwatching, painting, and making jewelry. I like bringing my creativity to life through the kids, using nature as an inspiration for our crafts. You’ll often find me in Wilder Ranch sketching a bird or a landscape, or at Nisene Marks making leaf prints.