Tori holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies with a focus on conservation science and policy. She started as an after school leader and summer camp program coordinator before coming to KIN. This is their second year as a teacher at KIN. Tori loves to look for fungi, and rocks at KIN as well as explore new locations and do nature crafts! She hopes to inspire curiosity, stewardship, and a love for nature in her students this year. In their free time Tori likes to hike, go to the beach, read, and fish!
Garin, Lead Teacher
Natalie Twilegar holds a BA in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz, concentrating in Global Environmental Justice with a certificate in Visualizing Abolition Studies. Her relationship to land is shaped by her cultural roots and community organizing, which have taught her that our ties to nature and to identity are deeply intertwined. Fueled by community care and a love for lichens, Natalie is committed to addressing the social complexities of the climate crisis through radical reimagination and ecologically-inspired solutions. At Kids in Nature, she's excited to help students build culturally-grounded kinship with the outdoors from an early age. Her work prioritizes making outdoor experiences inclusive for all, fostering deeper compassion between the earth and one another.
Owen grew up in Colorado, and got hooked on nature in their teenage years going on long hikes in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. They have previously worked as a sleepaway summer camp counselor and as a crew lead on the Forest Ecology Research Plot at UC Santa Cruz, where they recently graduated with a degree in Ecology and Evolution. In their free time, Owen likes to read, play guitar, get outside, and spend time with people they love. Their hope is to facilitate the positive experiences with nature that turn kids into nature lovers, and to be a resource for curious students to develop their understanding of the world around them.
MEET THE TEAM
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ELISE, Director
Noah, Program Director
Lucy holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies, emphasizing conservation and policy from UCSC. They also are a California Certified Naturalist through the UCSC Arboretum. This is Lucy’s second year teaching with Kids In Nature. They are excited to continue to teach about our local biodiversity, build stick forts and hike through the redwoods with their students. In their free time, Lucy loves to garden, play with clay, and explore coastal crevices around Monterey Bay. They have a passion for the local ecology and fungi. Lucy hopes to spark excitement among her students about native plants and animals in order to inspire future stewardship and build strong relationships with the outside world.
Owen, Lead Teacher
Tori, Lead Teacher
Natalie, Lead Teacher
Lucy, Lead Teacher
Rose, Lead Teacher
Kate Jaffe is the Founding Director of Santa Cruz Kids In Nature. She holds an MFA from the University of California, Santa Cruz in Environmental Art and Social Practice, and a B.A. in Natural History and Environmental Education. She is a certified California Naturalist through the CNP and UCSC Arboretum and an alum of the UCSC Natural History Field Quarter. Her senior thesis explored the impact and effectiveness of forest-based early childhood education.
Kate has spent over seventeen years teaching outdoors in farms, gardens, and forests with a variety of programs, including Life Lab at UCSC and Bayview, Fox Tracks Nature Program, Santa Cruz Children’s School, and the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she worked as a Teaching Assistant and Lecturer. Alongside teaching and playing with children outdoors, Kate’s passions include bike touring, weaving and spinning wool, fermenting, and working with herbal medicines.
As a mentor, Kate is dedicated to creating participatory learning experiences where every child’s voice, curiosity, and perspective are valued. She believes that meaningful education grows from a sense of agency — when children are trusted to explore, question, collaborate, and contribute, they develop the confidence to think critically, communicate openly, and trust themselves.
Kate chooses the outdoors as the classroom because nature is an extraordinary teacher: it invites curiosity, offers challenges that build resilience, creates moments of wonder, and reminds us that we are part of a larger living system. Through play, exploration, and care for the places around them, children learn not only about the natural world, but also about their own place within it — developing a deeper connection to themselves, each other, and the habitats they call home.
Noah graduated from UC Santa Cruz in 2023 with a degree in Environmental Studies and Biology. He has previously worked in fisheries science at NOAA and has taught about freshwater ecology with the Watershed Stewards Program. Noah is passionate about ecology, natural history, and joining students in emergent learning and teaching through exploration of our surroundings. Starting his third year at KIN and second year as Program Director, Noah hopes to inspire his students with a passion for the environment, and teach them to be scientists and stewards of their ecosystems. In his free time, Noah likes to climb, hike, and spend time outdoors with friends.
This will be Rose's fourth year with Kids in Nature! She holds a M.A. in Education, a Life Science Teaching Credential, and a B.A. in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Cruz. She is also a Certified California Naturalist through the UCSC Arboretum. Rose currently splits her time as a teacher at KIN and as the Life Lab Garden Teacher at Westlake Elementary. Rose is passionate about inspiring kids to explore the outdoors, fostering their sense of curiosity, and helping them build connections with the world around them. In her free time, she enjoys biking, hiking, thrifting, and reading at the beach.
Garin is currently working towards a B.A. in Agroecology at UC Santa Cruz. This will be Garin’s first year teaching at KIN. Garin first developed his relationship with land working on a farm growing food for a non-profit organization that cooked meals for those with chronic illness. He is looking forward to guiding the next generation in developing their own relationship with nature and the outdoors. In his free time, he enjoys arts and crafts, playing soccer, reading, gardening, and going on bike rides. Garin works with Kinder-1st on Tuesdays and 2nd-3rd on Wednesdays.
Kate, Executive Director, Founder
Elise spent her childhood exploring tide pools, trekking in the mountains and swimming in the ocean. She has been working in the field of environmental education since 2016 and those years have been spent teaching at KIN, Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, and Wilderness Youth Project. She has a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Education from UCSC and is a Certified California Naturalist through the UCSC Arboretum. In her free time she enjoys surfing, cooking, and spending time outside with her family.