Olivia and Tom Butler

Olivia and Tom Butler are the owners, operators and educators of Wild Heart Forest, Farm and Nature School.  They both share an appreciation, connection and respect for the natural world and recognize their responsibility to foster land stewardship and their own ecological literacy.  As a result of their passion and commitment to the natural world, they began Wild Heart to help instil those same values, knowledge and sense of responsibility in our future generations.

Olivia Poirier completed her Honours Bachelor of Arts in French and Spanish Language and Literature at Wilfrid Laurier University in 2010.  She began working in education in 2013 and soon returned to school to obtain her diploma as a Child Development Practitioner through Collège Boréal.  During her time as an educator for the school system, she gained experience working as an Educational Assistant, an Early Childhood Educator and a Primary Teacher.  As classrooms and school programs have increased students’ exposure to technology and technological literacy, she felt the absence of nature based learning opportunities for students and a disconnection between the education system and ecological literacy.  She returned to school, once again to complete her Forest and Nature School Practitioner’s course in 2019 and through this study, Wild Heart Forest, Farm and Nature School was born!

Tom Butler completed his Honours Bachelor of Environmental Science with a major in Geography at Lakehead University in 2010. He obtained his Bachelor of Education in 2013 and gained valuable insight into environmental education through his Outdoor, Ecological, Experiential Education course.  Tom grew up on the land that Wild Heart calls home.  His childhood was filled with endless opportunities for outdoor exploration and they’ve contributed to his rich sense of ecological literacy.  He began his small scale organic market garden in 2010 and has continued to expand his understanding of responsible and sustainable farming practices ever since.  His knowledge of and passion for the natural world contribute to Wild Heart’s bountiful learning opportunities for children (and adults) of all ages. 

Tom and Olivia continue to seek educational opportunities for themselves both through academic study and exploring and immersing themselves in their natural surroundings.  We look forward to sharing our knowledge, skills and love of the outdoors with you and your children!