Shannon is a mama and super-passionate about nature, play, and early childhood development. She has studied a variety of topics, including child psychology, music, swimming and linguistics, and received an AA from SUNY NCC in 2008. She managed a brand-delivery & operations team for a highly successful retail brand, and has a vast background in customer relations. Some of her core memories come from family camping trips, travelling and playing in the cul-de-sac with friends during her early childhood. She’s always felt very connected to the natural world. Her journey of outdoor education began when she and her daughter joined an outdoor learning program, called Tinkergarten. This outdoor play experience fostered a such strong and noticeable bond between her and her child, that she applied to become a teacher within the program. She completed the training program and became certified in 2020. She has been teaching classes in her community since Fall 2021. When she’s not teaching classes, you can probably find her exploring the mountains, making chalk art on the sidewalk or cooking-up something yummy in the kitchen. She has experienced so many wonderful and challenging moments, and hopes to inspire other humans to learn, grow, create outdoor moments and always make time to play.