Meet Tamara Wineland

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tamara Wineland. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tamara below.

Hi Tamara, you’ve got such an interesting story, but before we jump into that, let’s first talk about a topic near and dear to us – generosity. We think success, happiness and wellbeing depends on authentic generosity and empathy and so we’d love to hear about how you become such a generous person – where do you think your generosity comes from?

Innovation and entrepreneurship are so humbling, especially when you start out on your own. There are very few people willing to jump in and take the risk with you and there tends to be an air of competitiveness making it hard to find a mentor. I think this is why I make every effort to help other individuals and organizations navigate the challenges of building unique programs that serve children. Often times you have to think outside the box and having more collaborators means more solutions. I’m also realistic in my expectations. I can’t run a single program that covers the spectrum of learning styles, so I stick to my strengths and try to show others a path to utilize their unique gifts. If we truly want an individualized approach to child development, we have to have individualized programs and build a community that supports and compliments one another.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I’m an education imagineer; a combination of dreamer and doer. I’ve been an informal educator in various capacities for 27 years and I am constantly amazed at how capable, yet underestimated, children are. I operate a nature-based program that highlights child development through age appropriate independence and exploration outdoors. Learning concepts are introduced through a wide range of literature, environments, and field professionals. We know that exposure to complex concepts builds complex neural pathways, allowing a child to develop wholly. My current passion is bringing together a range of therapeutic disciplines and integrating them into our program. This has led to a more inclusive and informed program. The therapists integrate therapies into the day’s activities for our treeschoolers with special needs and our educators utilize strategies learned from the therapists to make learning fun and interactive for everyone. My favorite part of this model is the peer to peer interactions and how children motivate one another in areas where adults may struggle to get participation.

My current focus is building out our non-profit, TREK Outdoors, which emphasizes the integration of therapies into a nature-based classroom. Nature has proven to be an ideal setting to build social skills and promote positive behaviors, present a diverse opportunity for language development, and strengthen motor and sensory systems. This benefits all children, not just children with an identified need. We see a huge leap of improvement in learning outcomes when we can bring these disciplines together under the umbrella of education.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

The skills that have been the most valuable on this journey are the ability to be flexible, intentional, and creative. My most impactful programs have come from listening to my customers and working on a creative approach to meet their needs while remaining flexible if something doesn’t go as expected, which happens a lot when you’re working with Mother Nature. However, I think intentions are always the most visible to your audience. Intentions keep you focused on your mission and vision, but they also signal to others the “why” behind what you do. If your intentions are noble, more often than not it lends some much appreciated grace when you make a mistake; and you will make mistakes.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

We are always looking to collaborate and partner with our community. There are so many areas of expertise that inform child development, it would be impossible to do it without them. If you have a skill to teach, know of a field trip opportunity, or want to volunteer your time to help us expand our reach, we’d love to speak with you. You can reach me at [email protected].

Contact Info:

• Website: www.adventuremefs.com or www.trek-outdoors.org
• Instagram: @adventuremefs @trekoutdoors_org

Image Credits

Professional Photo Credit: Katelynn Batzer Photography all others courtesy of AdventureMe Forest and Nature School.