Our Idaho Team
Leadership Team
Karyssa Tilden
(aka Miss Ryss)
Founder & Nature Teacher
Karyssa has been dreaming of opening Wild Beginnings Nature School in the Boise area for years. Her eyes were really opened to how beneficial and life changing a nature immersed program can be for families and individuals while working for the Anasazi Foundation in 2013 (an outdoor survival therapy program for at-risk youth). She then pursued a career in the outdoors which has included being a Wildland Firefighter, Backcountry Backpacking Guide, Whitewater Rafting Guide, Tinkergarten Leader and Head Nature Teacher at Wasatch Nature School. She is married to the love of her life, Michael Tilden, an adventure therapist, and they have three adorably sweet girls. As a family they love to backpack, rock climb and do anything else that gets them outside. Since moving to Boise in March 2020, Karyssa has really focused on how to bring out the light in others, especially children, during the difficult time of this pandemic. The time has finally come for the realization of her dream with the opening of Wild Beginnings Nature School! Karyssa has training in early childhood education and development, Nature Teacher Certification, The Cedarsong Way, the Waldorf Method for early childhood, Waldorf Foundations Certification through Lifeways of North America and currently working on full Waldorf Early Childhood Development certification from Lifeways. She has an innate love for children and believes that the greatest work we can do is to invest our time and energy on enriching the lives of all children. So get up, gear up and get out! Let’s have some fun!
Beki Call
Co-Founder
If Beki could spend all her time outdoors, she would. She loves getting outside and allowing children to learn and grow through outdoor experiential education. Beki is a mom to three nature-loving children. She and her husband are Boise natives and love the outdoor opportunities in and around the Treasure Valley. Beki possesses a degree in Elementary Education. She was a 4th grade general education teacher and has taught middle school Math, Science, and PE. She also taught English as a Second Language, both in a small village in Guatemala and online to children in China. Beki currently coaches high school soccer. Her experience in outdoor education began as a counselor at an outdoor youth adventure camp in eastern Idaho. She went on to facilitate and manage youth and adult outdoor team building and ropes course activities. When presented with the opportunity to join with the Wild Beginnings team and teach, it felt like the perfect fit.
Alison
Director of Idaho
Alison has always been drawn to nature from roaming the riverbanks, to going to camp and from eating fresh fruit from her grandparent’s orchard to hiking the foothills. Alison finds comforting moments in getting her hands dirty in mud, watching the sunrise, and being at the lake.
Alison pursued a degree in History with an emphasis on secondary education and a minor in Dance Education through Central Washington University.
For over fifteen years Alison has been working with children and youth and in the past five years she has been connecting them with their natural world. Within the past three years her path has brought her to Wild Beginnings Nature School as a Nature Teacher and now the Director of Idaho managing eleven staff members, four programs and twenty four classes.
Alison is excited to see how Wild Beginnings continues to grow and help individuals make connections with nature.
Melissa
Forest Kindergarten Coordinator
M– makes adventuring in nature a top priority for herself, her own family, and now your child.
Nature Teachers
Jessie
Nature Explorers Teacher
Jessie is an Idaho native and has always loved an outdoor adventure! Growing up she spent her summers in Palisades and couldn’t wait to be out exploring nature.
She graduated from ISU with a degree in Human Resources and Training Development. A large focus was adult education but now that she has her own children she is diving into childhood education!
With two kids of her own she loves learning with other parents and helping kids grow and learn new things! She excited to be apart of Wild Beginnings!
Corinne
Forest Kindergarten Teacher
Corinne spent nine years in early elementary education, before transitioning out of the classroom to be home with her two children. After moving to Idaho, she and her kids have spent these past two years learning and exploring together in nature. Corinne enjoys camping, fishing in the river, sledding in the winter and going on nature walks with her family. After experiencing Wild Beginnings last year with her children in preschool and Caregiver and Me classes, Corinne is excited to bring learning and nature together for other children as well.
Christina
Forest Preschool & Forest Kindergarten Teacher
Christina was born in Idaho and spent most of my life traveling the west coast. She loves anything and everything that has to do with nature and the earth we live on. She is a senior in high school and this will be her second year being a teacher’s assistant.
Ashley
Forest Preschool Teacher
Ashley’s love of nature began as a child attending camp, hiking, skiing, and camping with family in the Sequoia National Forest. She began her career in childcare at a young age and has over 15 years of experience working with children. Ashley has 3 children of her own that she loves to spend time outdoors in nature taking her children on hikes and to the river and incorporating learning in the outdoors.
Sarah
Forest Preschool Teacher
Sarah was born and raised in Idaho, spending as much of her childhood and teen years as possible in the beautiful mountains and especially rivers that abound here. She received a bachelor’s degree in Recreation Management and Youth Leadership with an emphasis in Recreation Therapy and found a lot of joy through that program helping people of all ages and abilities find ways to enjoy nature and recreation.
She has spent most of the last 8 years raising her 3 kids and has truly found a love for creating adventures and learning experiences to have with them. After a time of living in Michigan and Texas, Sarah is thrilled to be back in Idaho to bring her family to the places she loved as a kid and for the opportunity to be a part of Wild Beginnings!
Tana
Forest Preschool Teacher
Tana grew up in Emmett Idaho. She loves spending time with her farm animals, family dogs, chickens, and spending time in the orchards and rivers. Her family would often go camping and fishing in the sawtooth mountains and the Idaho Oregon area. She worked at a summer camp in Stanley for 6 years. After high school graduation and college she went on to work at Disney World making magic for thousands of families. She loves long road trips, exploring different national parks and going to historical monuments. Tana has years of experience working with kids in nature and loves the joy, questions, and peace that nature can bring to anyone. Watching the children find their confidence in nature through exploring and asking questions is how she grew up and she loves being able to help children grow up the same way.
Karly
Forest Kindergarten Teacher
Like many in 2020 Karly found herself homeschooling her two children. She began immersing herself in books centered around outdoor education and play, devoured episodes of the 1,000 Hours Outdoors podcast and launched her family into completing that challenge, joined a local Wild+Free group, and started her own nature based homeschool co-op. She quickly realized the biggest blessing she could give her children by homeschooling them was a childhood rich with nature play and connection. As hard as those COVID years were, the one thing she can give her full hearted gratitude toward was the opportunity to learn and grow with her children in a way that has forever changed her. Now she is excited to be joining the Wild Beginnings Kindergarten team and share her passion for connecting kids and nature with your child! Karly graduated from Carrington College with a degree in Dental Hygiene and also works as a lead lab technician for a local dentistry practice.
Hanna
Forest Kindergarten Teacher
Hanna grew up on the southern Oregon coast where she explored the rocky beaches and Redwoods with her family. In her childhood she enjoyed climbing, hiking, camping, exploring, playing sports, and playing outside in all weather. This is where she met her high school sweetheart and forever best friend, Ben. After getting married, they designed and built a tiny house on wheels which encourages them to get outside! Now being married nine years, they have one sweet little boy who loves to explore outside, play disc golf and soccer with his parents. He has a silly personality and calm temperament, just like his parents.
Hanna was born with genetic diseases, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Cystic Fibrosis. CF affects the lungs and digestive system. The lifespan, when Hanna was born, was age 16. But as research and treatments have advanced, thanks to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and fundraisers, life has been prolonged for many with CF. Luckily for Hanna, she no longer has lung infections and is the healthiest she has ever been! Being outside through it all has taught her to have gratitude, admiration for nature, to take care of the earth, to meditate, be in the moment, be resilient and pushed her to know her own strengths.
She is currently working on the 1000 hours Outside Challenge this year with her family. She has always worked with children whether through babysitting, nannying or past church groups as a youth and summer camp leader.
Hanna knows first-hand that being in nature, in all weather, can increase overall health and well-being. She continues to let nature heal her body, mind and soul and has a passion for sharing the healing powers of nature. She is excited to lead by example in teaching your kids to connect with nature and learn the many lessons that it has to offer.
Holly
Substitute Nature Teacher
Holly is currently in the process of writing a Hiking With Kids Idaho book (set to be published by Falcon Guides in 2025) that will feature 50 great hikes for families in Idaho! She also creates adventure kits for kids to get them engaged with and learning from nature. You can find her adventure kits and more at
