DEIDRA CARTER
Executive Director and Forest Family Leader
Hello!
I am so happy that you are interested in adventuring with us! When I first began homeschooling, I bundled up my eldest child, Lucas, out to the woods as often as possible for adventuring and learning At the time, we didn’t live in the woods, so we would drive, bike, or walk to the nearest patch to learn and spend as many hours of the day there. This learning environment was perfect for meeting his needs for growing & developing appropriately, I always knew that if I were able to homeschool—a natural woodland outdoor environment would be the cornerstone of our learning. It was then that I began investing my time in learning about the philosophy of forest education and community.
I led our Forest Co-Op on Chapman Mountain Nature Preserve through rain, snow, and shine with permission from the Land Trust of North Alabama from 2021 & 2022 school years, and it quickly became the highlight of our family’s week. We looked forward to exploring, even on below-freezing days, and with eager expectation, we would show up to the preserve. We would climb into the truck afterward feeling so charged with nature, filled with deep gratitude—like the best type of exhaustion from playing outdoors with other families and community. It provided my children with a “classroom in the forest”, and taught them compassion, emotional intelligence, empathy, risk-taking, immersive learning, and among many other beautiful things—rhythmic consistency.
In 2022, My husband and I, with the direction from a dear friend, purchased our new location in order to increase forest school offerings in Lacey's Spring. Our 45 acres include a 9-acre spring-fed lake and ~4 miles of trails and is located off of a private drive. We have named it Bountiful Acres due to the abundance of wildness and game that is magnified when the woods are filled with children! This past year, we have added 3 dairy cows, with the first one due this summer and laying chickens. I am looking forward to sharing this space with you and yours!
Xo,
Deidra Carter
