I'm Teacher Liesha and when I think about childhood, I think about muddy shoes, imagination, open space, and endless hours outside.

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I created Snails & Turkey Tails because I believe children need more opportunities to slow down, explore, create, take risks, and experience the kind of connected childhood that happens naturally outdoors.

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Growing up in Illinois, much of my childhood was spent outside. We rode bikes for hours, played in creeks, built forts, invented games, and stayed outdoors in every season. Some of my happiest memories were on my grandparents’ farm—running through fields, playing with barn cats, helping in the garden, and exploring from morning until dark.

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Those experiences gave me something I want to give to children today: the freedom to explore, the confidence to try, and the time and space to simply be a child.

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My work with children began when I was a teenager in Girl Scouts, when I organized a neighborhood summer camp in my backyard. I went on to study art and design and, later in life, returned to school to study early childhood education. As an Early Childhood Educator, I bring together my background in art, early childhood education, and outdoor learning to create experiences that honor children's natural curiosity, creativity, and capacity for discovery.

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Over the years, I’ve taught classes, camps, and educational programs throughout the Bay Area, working with organizations including the Bay Area Discovery Museum, WildCare, Explorit Science Center, The Davis Art Center, local schools, and community programs. I have also developed and led enrichment programs and camps that give children opportunities to learn through hands-on experiences, meaningful relationships, movement, and exploration.

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Today, alongside growing Snails & Turkey Tails, I’m excited to bring my experience to a new role with Ross Recreation, where I lead Happy Hive, an aftercare program for young children, and help develop programming for toddlers. This work allows me to continue exploring how we can create thoughtful, engaging experiences for children at different stages of early childhood while staying true to what I believe matters most: connection, play, independence, and the freedom to discover.

 

A Different Kind of Childhood Experience

At Snails & Turkey Tails, there is no need to rush from one activity to the next.

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Children might dig in the mud, build a fort, search for insects, create with natural materials, climb, collect treasures, tell stories, or spend time simply noticing what is happening around them.

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Inspired by child-led learning and the Reggio Emilia approach, I see children as capable, curious, and full of ideas. I believe they learn through relationships, experimentation, imagination, movement, and meaningful encounters with the world around them.

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I don't believe every experience needs to have a predetermined outcome. There are no step-by-step projects that every child must complete or expectations that everyone should create the same thing. Instead, I want to offer rich environments, open-ended materials, and the time and freedom for children to follow their own curiosity.

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Sometimes the most meaningful learning happens when a child discovers a tiny snail beneath a log, spends an hour building the perfect stick shelter, or returns to the same patch of earth day after day to see what has changed.

 

My hope is to create spaces where children feel safe enough to take risks, trusted enough to make choices, and free enough to wonder.

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The Heart of Snails & Turkey Tails

Snails & Turkey Tails brings together the things I care most about—nature, creativity, childhood, community, and connection.

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Whether I’m developing a new program, spending time outdoors with children, or creating opportunities for young learners to explore their interests, my goal remains the same: to protect the magic of childhood and give children room to grow into themselves.

 

I hope every child who spends time with Snails & Turkey Tails leaves feeling a little more curious, a little more capable, and a little more connected to the natural world.

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Because childhood isn't something to hurry through. It's something to experience fully, one muddy, marvelous day at a time.

I look forward to meeting you and your family.