Peninsula Forest and Beach School
Twin Pines Park, 1 Twin Pines Lane, Belmont, CA 95061
About
Peninsula Forest and Beach School offers 100% nature-based programs where children take part in activities such as morning circle time, creek exploring, climbing hills, fairy garden construction, story time, child-inspired games, nature exploring, arts and crafts time, nature treasure hunts, hiking, fort building, nature wandering, nature-based arts and crafts, nature journaling, storytelling, unstructured child-led play, educational activities and games, and meditations, circles, and workshops. The program uses an emergent style curriculum in which teachers listen to the interests of the child and create curriculum based on what children are most interested in, and follows a philosophy that emphasizes caring for one another and the planet, with nature as the teacher and inspiration for learning. Experienced Nature Mentors guide children in an immersive experience of nature exploration in school break, holiday, and summer camps, as well as nature birthday parties and the option to create a private pod in any location.
• Ages: 3–7 years old
• Schedule: 5-day summer camps offered as half-day (8:30am–1pm) or full-day (8:30am–3pm) sessions, with weekly camps from June through August
Peninsula Forest and Beach School was founded in 2018 and offers programs in multiple locations around the Bay Area with a focus on the Peninsula. The summer camp program at Belmont Summer Camp Twin Pines Park is open to ages 3–7 and runs as 5-day camps, with registration opening on April 3rd. The leadership team includes Owner/Director Bonnie McKinney and Lead Nature Mentors Caroline Skrobak, Catty Dennis, Kassandra Jimenez, and Jessica Patton.
Owner/Director Bonnie McKinney is a certified Permaculture Educator for Children and a former indoor preschool teacher who studied Child Development and Early Child Education at West Valley College and San Jose State University. She completed outdoor educator training through the Institute of Permaculture Education for Children in Portland, a forest school mentorship with Forest Friends of Earthwise Education in San Rafael, and The Nature Led Approach Certification, a comprehensive workshop and nine-month mentorship with Kathleen Lockyer of RxOutside. She participated in four rounds of the Ecology of Leadership program and completed a two-year training program with Thomas Hubl focused on individual, ancestral, and collective trauma. Lead Nature Mentor Caroline Skrobak holds a B.A. in environmental studies from the University of San Francisco with a specialization in cultural anthropology and geospatial information analysis, has worked as a ranger aide at Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, and gained facilitation and teaching experience at Hidden Villa and Pathfinders Nature Mentoring. Lead Nature Mentor Catty Dennis holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a concentration in Film and Media Studies from Kalamazoo College, has three years of experience as a preschool teacher at Kazoo School, a nature-based preschool in Kalamazoo, MI, holds a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, has completed professional development in trauma-informed classroom practices and early education, and has taken two courses through Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology.
Last updated March 19, 2026.
• Ages: 3–7 years old
• Schedule: 5-day summer camps offered as half-day (8:30am–1pm) or full-day (8:30am–3pm) sessions, with weekly camps from June through August
Peninsula Forest and Beach School was founded in 2018 and offers programs in multiple locations around the Bay Area with a focus on the Peninsula. The summer camp program at Belmont Summer Camp Twin Pines Park is open to ages 3–7 and runs as 5-day camps, with registration opening on April 3rd. The leadership team includes Owner/Director Bonnie McKinney and Lead Nature Mentors Caroline Skrobak, Catty Dennis, Kassandra Jimenez, and Jessica Patton.
Owner/Director Bonnie McKinney is a certified Permaculture Educator for Children and a former indoor preschool teacher who studied Child Development and Early Child Education at West Valley College and San Jose State University. She completed outdoor educator training through the Institute of Permaculture Education for Children in Portland, a forest school mentorship with Forest Friends of Earthwise Education in San Rafael, and The Nature Led Approach Certification, a comprehensive workshop and nine-month mentorship with Kathleen Lockyer of RxOutside. She participated in four rounds of the Ecology of Leadership program and completed a two-year training program with Thomas Hubl focused on individual, ancestral, and collective trauma. Lead Nature Mentor Caroline Skrobak holds a B.A. in environmental studies from the University of San Francisco with a specialization in cultural anthropology and geospatial information analysis, has worked as a ranger aide at Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, and gained facilitation and teaching experience at Hidden Villa and Pathfinders Nature Mentoring. Lead Nature Mentor Catty Dennis holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a concentration in Film and Media Studies from Kalamazoo College, has three years of experience as a preschool teacher at Kazoo School, a nature-based preschool in Kalamazoo, MI, holds a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential, has completed professional development in trauma-informed classroom practices and early education, and has taken two courses through Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology.
Last updated March 19, 2026.
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