About Us

My name is Katie Balon, Founder and Teacher of Forest Kids Golden BC. We are Goldens very first year-round outdoor education program, opening in May of 2021.  I am a certified teacher with two degrees: Bachelor of Arts/ Bachelor of Education, and a minor in social studies. I have over 15 years teaching experience in both the public school system, homeschool and outdoor environments, and spend quite a bit of my time volunteering in the community. I am a Mama to two adventurous and inspiring little kiddo's and they are my inspiration for starting and continuing our programs. 

I am a strong advocate of the preservation of childhood and believe in the importance of protecting our children's mental health through providing a safe environment for kids to think critically, share their strengths, work collaboratively with others, learn leadership and communication skills and spend time with kind and compassionate peers.  It is important to me that Forest Kids is a place that kids are excited to attend each week, and that they always go home happy and with new knowledge to share.

Forest Kids was created with the intentions of providing the families in our community with a real world, education focused, hands on program. A program that would not only get children outside for a minimum of 5 hours a day, but positively influence them to care for our worlds many ecosystems not just now, but into their future. Learning through the senses in a positive and hands on learning environment creates lasting memories, and my hope is that the students enrolled in our Forest Kids programs will grow up reflecting on their time spent in the forest, passing on a love of adventures outdoors to their own families one day, and also grow into adulthood with a keen desire to protect the magical places they spent their childhood learning in.

Other core values of Forest Kids are the importance of teaching leadership skills to kids from an early age, helping kids learn how to deal with conflict in respectful ways, and my most favourite is the importance to creating opportunities for families to spend quality time together + making core memories.

We currently offer three types of programs at Forest Kids- our Wildcraft program teaches naturalist skills of illustration and observation notes, herbology of local plants, and Waldorf inspired handcraft skills to kids ages 7-13.   Our Rangers Program teaches survival + traditional bushcraft, trapping and hunting skills to kids ages 7-13, and our Pinecone + Sapling Programs, ages 4-7, teach a new nature-based topic each week, with a focus on role modelling respect of nature, curiosity and creativity.  Programs focus on adventurous risky play, teaching leadership and clear communication skills, problem solving, confidence building, collaborative play, mindfulness, botany, nature sciences and science experiments, bush craft skills, hand crafts and nature journaling. I have spent the last five years teaching the children of our community all about our local ecosystems, and now I am excited to expand our programs to include an annual Forest Kids Family field trip, to visit and learn about the other ecosystems in our world, make beautiful memories and grow stronger connections between families. I am a huge advocate of quality family time and often host family fun nights, to provide families the opportunity to create lasting memories together.

All programs are taught by myself, and my husband, an avid hunter and outdoorsman, and registered trapper.  And new this year, we welcome another certified teacher into our Forest Kids teaching family - Miss Nicole!  

It's official!  Forest Kids is SO happy to announce that we have found our Pinecone + Sapling teacher for the 2026/27 school year!

Please give a warm welcome to Nicole Neutzling!  This amazing Educator comes to us with 10+ years of experience teaching across K–12 in Canada and internationally (Ecuador, Uruguay, Japan, and Bahrain).  Nicole is a certified teacher in Alberta and BC, and holds both a Bachelors of Education and Masters of Education degree. She grew up in and around Golden and has a vast knowledge of our local ecosystems. She has a genuine love of the great outdoors and will be a great role model for our kids! 

Nicole values experiential, constructivist, and land-based learning. She believes children learn best through doing, exploring, experimenting and engaging directly with the world around them. Her goal is to help children develop the skills and confidence to explore, learn and discover their unique passions - the perfect fit for our Pinecone + Sapling students!

As Forest Kids begins this next chapter of growth, we are pleased to announce that we will be offering double the program opportunities to the community, next school year!  

As more families are seeing the many benefits that outdoor education offers their children, our waitlists have consistently grown.  So I am very excited to finally be able to offer additional programming to our community, welcoming more of you into the Forest Kids family : )