Mandy Slavik, Commonwealth Corps Member

Mandy believes that children’s exposure to nature in early childhood fosters a curiosity and appreciation of the earth and her denizens, which blossoms into environmental stewardship in time.

Mandy is a mother, yoga teacher, hobby naturalist, outdoors-woman, gardener, and passionate early childhood educator. A spiritual connection to mother earth and becoming a mother brought her to the world of nature-based education.

Mandy has an associate degree in Early Childhood Education and is currently working towards a degree in Social Work. She is passionate about social-emotional learning, mindfulness, empathy, self-expression, movement, creativity, nature, and community building. She weaves her background in dance, yoga, and mindfulness into her teaching. She has an innate curiosity and a love of learning, constantly bringing in new threads of wisdom to weave into her philosophical tapestry.

A new generation of children who deeply love the earth and have empathy and compassion for those around them has the potential to heal the social and environmental wounds we face today.

Mandy has had a variety of roles at BOPN, including Lead Teacher, Forest Day Leader, and Curriculum Coach. In her role as Curriculum Coach, Mandy mentors teachers in developing and implementing their emergent curriculums in a way that balances child-led, play based learning, and intentionally curated experiences and lessons that foster deeper learning. With a focus on social-emotional development and nature connections, she aims to build a strong foundation for learning in all domains. Through supporting each teacher her work strengthens BOPN as a whole.

In her spare time Mandy enjoys dancing, photography, and exploring natural spaces.

For Fall 2023, we are delighted to continue our collaboration with Professor Emily Mann and welcome service learning students from Northeastern University to volunteer with our Forest Days program.