Today we’d like to introduce you to Corinne Matovich.
Hi Corinne, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Outdoor education is a whimsical space! It is inviting, natural, and effortlessly mindful. My name is Corinne Matovich, founder of Rad Roots Nature School. I have been formally trained in environmental education and nature connection through outdoor schools I have spent years at over my career as a naturalist and educator. I graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a double major in Environmental Sociology and Communication. Throughout my years, I have worked as a naturalist at Rancho Alegre Outdoor School and as an educator at Fairview Gardens Center for Urban Agriculture, where I guided children through lessons on plant life and farm-to-table practices, as well as Wilderness Youth Project- an amazing organization working to explore outside with children and build community. I then worked in an Indigenous village in Alaska where I studied to become a certified youth mental health advocate in order to address social-emotional learning processes in communities in the Yukon-Kuskokim Delta. I have now been living in San Diego as a local nature schoolteacher and am excited to welcome your child to the community. My philosophy is influenced by Forest School models of the UK, social-emotional learning techniques, ethnobotany, Coyote Mentoring, the art of storytelling, power of play, and California Native plant magic!
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road felt both as if I were meant to be on it, as well as challenging at times. The first Outdoor school I lived and worked for years was burnt to the ground in a wildfire. This sent me on a journey of gratitude and fire ecology. I was able to observe the land as it healed- first a black Mars-looking landscape. Then, colorful Slime Fungus, a fire-follower. Then Morning Glory flowers bloomed over all the burnt ground and trees- an incredibly lovely fire-follower, reminding us that healing can be so beautiful after being so devastating.
As you know, we’re big fans of Rad Roots Nature School. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?
Rad Roots Nature School is an outdoor school rooted in the natural world and social-emotional learning. We are kind to the Earth, each other, and ourselves! This is a small, intentional space held to enrich the childhood experience both in day program ages 2-6 and after school ages 5-9. We are so proud of the community of loving families it attracts. Children spend time learning about local plants, trees, and critters and being resilient wildlings! We live by the ideology that dirt is good for the soul!!! Leave no trace, gentle parenting, and fostering childhood magic. Children are given the opportunity to grow sturdy roots as they rise up into childhood and schooling. It is the gentlest, most natural of transitions. We voice gratitude and honor Indigenous first nations, namely the Kumeyaay, whose land we walk and enjoy every day.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Rock-solid patience is the characteristic I most value in myself. I observe how the gentleness and solidity of calm patience is both comforting and not anxiety-inducing for children who are just trying to find their way in a world they are still trying to understand. Modeling patience is equally as important as boundary setting. I have learned to not accept anything I do not deserve and teach children to set their own boundaries as well, with clear communication and child empowerment!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.radrootsnatureschool.com/
- Instagram: radrootsnatureschool
