Our Team | Forest Friends

Forest Friends, the school.

We ran a well-loved program in North Idaho for four school years - several families with siblings staying with us the entire four years! While Forest Friends preschool is currently closed, we are so grateful for the memories, the magical moments, the children and families that passed through our trails. We spent an average of two hours outdoors in teacher led nature lessons and child led outdoor play, then another two hours indoors in a nature insipred classroom with crafts and play, pre-reading activities, and storytime. This blend of traditional preschool with extended daily outdoor time, along with small classes, is the hallmark of Forest Friends.

Mud kitchen

Forest Playground

Fort Land and 'beyond'

Trails and Garden

Storytime and Crafts

Child Paced Learning

Laura Johnson

Program director and lead teacher, "Ms. Laura"

Hi! I'm Laura. I'm passionate about helping people connect with nature, with one another, and with their Creator. It's been a lifelong journey and passion of mine, and I hope you'll join me along the way!

At 16 years old, I worked at a school-year outdoor education center and loved every minute of holding snakes and leading hikes. I then pursued a degree in Forestry at Virginia Tech, reveling in the fact that I could study tree i.d. while out on my mountain bike! I loved nerdy stuff like maps and spatial analysis and followed up with my Masters' work. I taught at the collegiate level for several years, wrote 4-H materials, and taught other teachers.

Along the way, I became a proud mom to three amazing and very different kids.

Through experiences with my adult students, my own family, and seeing first-hand the huge need for quality early childhood programs, the vision for Forest Friends school began years ago.

In 2020, we had the opportunity to move just outside of town and tend some land. We made this move so that Forest Friends could have its first official "home"! We got busy cutting trails, finishing off a classroom, digging up a garden, bringing in animals, building a forest playground, and (whew!) opened Coeur d'Alene's first nature preschool in Fall of 2021.

After four school years and several summers of serving young children (4-7) and their families in our area, it became apparent that it was time for a break. Running a home business is a blessing that allows us flexibility to turn to other areas of family life and work. Now, I'm focusing on helping others who dream of creating opportunities for children to learn outdoors!