Our Team
We have a small and dedicated team who facilitate each program. We have diverse professional backgrounds including health, education and conservation psychology. What unites us is a passion for seeing children outdoors in sensory-rich natural environments that support their health, happiness, and well-being. All of our team have a current DCSI clearance for working with children and have completed first aid training.
Associate Professor
Elissa Pearson-Reed
Director
Our Director Elissa Pearson-Reed is a mum to two beautiful young boys, educator, and Associate Professor of Psychology, with a passion for supporting children (and all people) to thrive through time in, and psychological connectedness with, nature. She holds multiple educational qualifications from early childhood through to higher education and has a PhD in the area of conservation psychology, which considers the relationships between people and the natural world and seeks to make these healthier and more sustainable- for the benefit of people and our planet.
She has completed nature pedagogy training with some of the leading experts around the world including Claire Warden, Angela Hanscom and Niki Buchan and brings this expertise to Enchanted Childhoods program offerings. She is additionally the author of over 30 peer-reviewed publications in education and psychology; regularly presents her work at National and International Conferences; and has also been the recipient of National teaching awards as a university educator.
Through Enchanted Childhoods programs, Elissa and the Enchanted Childhoods team translate science into practice through creating experiences and opportunities carefully designed to strengthen children’s relationships with the natural world and positively support their physical, cognitive, and social and emotional development. In her spare time she enjoys nothing more than hanging out with her boys, their farm family, and spending time enjoying their beautiful natural environment.
James Pearson-Reed
James grew up in rural England where he spent much of his childhood in the English Countryside playing on farms, engaged in the local Scouts program, and exploring the local area on bike.
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James wears many hats at our Enchanted Childhoods programs, being the creator and quality assurance tester of many of our sensory experiences, our photographer extraordinaire helping to capture the many magical moments that happen during our programs, our behind the scenes manager of operations, and also sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm for the outdoors with our explorers.
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When he’s not involved in running programs you can be sure he’s working on a new project on the farm or tending to his (rather impressive) Vege Patch!
Julie Field
Julie brings to our programs extensive experience working with children from age three through to eighteen year olds, having worked as a junior primary teacher, senior school teacher, and now as an early childhood practitioner. In all of these settings, she has observed that children thrive when in the outdoors. The freedom of no walls and open-ended play is great for their creativity, as well as their physical and mental health.
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Julie has two girls and a husband who love being outdoors and getting filthy too. She enjoys experiencing nature with them. Being outside, surrounded by plants and animals, brings her peace and happiness. She loves plants and caring for nature.
Jess Reinhardt
Jess has spent her working life with pre-school aged children as an early childhood educator and currently as a KinderGym coach. Jess says:
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"I feel very proud to be a part of the Enchanted Childhoods team and what the program has to offer our children. I enjoy seeing the children move and coordinate their bodies in our outdoor environment - driven by their exploration, creativity, imagination, and their natural need to take healthy risks (so much muscle work goes on!). It warms my heart observing the children thrive socially when given the space, time and autonomy in our natural outdoor environment."
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In her spare time you will find Jess with her family enjoying music or sunshine.
Alex Field
Alex is a primary and middle school teacher with over 18 years experience.
He has a passion for Science, Outdoor Education, Health, and Physical Education.
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As a member of the Enchanted Childhoods team, Alex loves seeing kids being outdoors and challenging themselves. His favourite part is seeing how they solve problems, work in teams and come up with crazy inventive ways to achieve their goals.