teaching team
Aly Thatcher, Director & Teacher
As a young, quiet child Aly could be found braiding the blades of grass in the front yard, or chasing after the crows and squirrels during recess… as she grew up she was wishful of an experience like forest school for her inner child, and she knew she wanted to offer a nature connection space for young children.
Aly earned her bachelors in Sociology in 2015, her Forest Kindergarten Teacher Certification through Cedarsong in the fall of 2016, and shortly after joined the Cedarsong staff. She has since earned her Masters in ECE: Inclusive Curriculum & Instruction through Portland State, specializing in Infant & Toddler Mental Health.
You can find her laying on the forest floor, observing critters and building fairy homes. Aly is a proud member of the American Forest Kindergarten Association.
Linsey Moore, Teacher
She first fell in love with nature in the warmer waters and soft sandy lowlands of South Carolina and was delighted to find her drawings of oceanside forests come true when she moved to the PNW several years ago and began to know our Doug Fir, Madrona and Red Cedar rainforests. She pursued interests in farming, fiber arts and herbalism while falling in love with preschoolers and teaching methods founded in respect and child-led inquiry based curriculum. She also found great teaching inspiration from the Cedarsong Way as well as the 8 Shields model of nature connection. She is inspired by the deep presence and immersive attention that children and adults find in nature together. She appreciates the compassion, empowerment and inclusiveness that she has witnessed in children playing in community with nature. She is excited for all the play, laughter, stories and love we will share as we deepen our sense of belonging together.
Sydney Miller-McGraw, Teacher
Sydney grew up in South Seattle exploring the densely forested Cheasty Greenbelt. He began working as an outdoor youth educator in 2013 leading bike repair classes and bike touring camps through BikeWorks in Columbia City.
After graduating from the University of Washington he pivoted to adult bike education and was a TDM program manager in Seattle. As a teacher at Huckleberry he loves facilitating connections to nature through all four beautiful seasons!
Jamie Froyd, Teacher
Jamie grew up in rural Indiana connecting with the oaks and maples and beeches (and violets and chickadees and nuthatches) for sustenance. After high school, she moved to the Pacific Northwest to attend University of Washington and eventually landed on Vashon, where she worked on small farms and in plant nurseries around the island for over 20 years. When her body made clear that she needed to pull back from such physical work, she was very fortunate to have connected with the outdoor preschool world of Huckleberry and the Cedarsong approach to teaching. She finds it so rewarding to be able to pass on years of accumulated knowledge of plants and wildlife and agriculture to interested youngsters while sharing a deep gratitude for being in our vibrant forest.