Meet our team
Megan Van Massenhoven
Owner/Director, Outdoor Facilitator
Megan holds a diploma in Early Childhood Education, and is a Forest School Practitioner. She has taken multiple courses in non-violet communication, and has experience in Waldorf, child-led, emergent, project-based and high scope settings. She has experience with many different age groups, from 6 months to 13 years of age, and has facilitated outdoor programs within an early years setting. She is a mom of 4 ranging in age from 12years to 1 year, and has been a practicing educator since long before her eldest was born.
Megan's love of the forest and outdoors began at an early age, likely during her first camping trip at 6 months old. From there, she attended multiple camping trips each year, and attended sparks, brownies, and girl guides to fuel this passion. She spent her summers in the creek beside her grandparents house, and still has vivid core memories that drove her to instill this love and passion for the outdoors within the children in her care.
Hillari Crocker (since 2025)
Support Staff
Hillari spent much of her childhood outdoors in Newfoundland, wandering forest trails with her brother, climbing over mossy rocks, and admiring shiny treasures like leaves, stones, and twigs along the way. Her early love for nature has only grown stronger—now shared with her two daughters and her dog, Jazzy.
With a background as a veterinary technician, Hillari has always gravitated toward nurturing roles—whether she’s caring for animals or connecting with little ones. She discovered the forest school philosophy while exploring outdoor learning options for her own children, and it instantly felt like home: hands-on, child-led, and rooted in nature.
When she’s not in the woods, Hillari enjoys strumming her guitar, singing songs with little ones, and designing playful stickers, decals, and custom shirts. She brings a gentle, creative energy to everything she does—and has a deep appreciation for moss, pretty rocks, and the magic of slowing down.
Sam Petruga (Since 2025)
Forest Facilitator
Sam was born in Toronto but raised in a small town in Saskatchewan from age 1 to 6. That's where her outdoor adventures began, and she's never looked back! She comes from a family of 6; the oldest sister to 3 younger brothers, 2nd Mom to Charlotte, and an Aunt to 4 beautiful niblings. She's always been an active and athletic person, played on many teams through out the years, and coached a youth soccer team for a couple summers. She's always loved to be out trekking new paths in the forest, no pavement in sight. Any chance to get away from the city. Outdoors and animals have been her life, from keeping exotic snakes/reptiles to raising fallen baby birds that she brought home from elementary school. Everything she learned was from her Pops. He taught her and her siblings respect for nature and animals. He would take them hiking every saturday morning, catching snakes and frogs, it kept them busy and fed their curious little minds for hours!
Some of her outdoor hobbies include rock hounding, fishing, hiking, magnet fishing, tracking, gathering, and photography. Her favorite place to be is anywhere near water.
Her goals this summer are to find a geode, deer antlers, and land a big fish! I'm excited for this program to be able to pass on what I've learned and teach a new set of curious minds.