About Me
Katie moved from Ireland to the United States in 2017, which was a big change for her. She had a teaching degree from Dublin City University and had experience as an elementary school teacher in Ireland. With her husband, she took a brave chance and tackled the new opportunities and challenges in America.
Since moving to Washington DC, Katie has immersed herself in a diverse range of teaching settings. Her dedication to education has led her to maintain her involvement with Cooking Thyme, where she previously held roles as a teacher and director of cooking camps in the lively neighborhood of Capitol Hill. Furthermore, she has contributed her expertise as both a teacher and director at The Riverfarm Cooperative, an elementary school deeply rooted in nature, located Alexandria, Virginia.
After her daughter Bláthnaid was born, she made the difficult decision to leave The Riverfarm Cooperative. after which she helped reform Oats Cooperative, where she would be in charge of caring for 8 wiggly toddlers, including her own precious little one.
With a love for teaching outdoors and a passion for facilitating holistic development, Katie is a dedicated certified Tinkergarten teacher, bringing her expertise to nature classes for over 8 seasons. Her qualifications extend to being a 200-hour registered yoga teacher with specialized training in baby yoga and massage, complemented by a teacher certificate from Kidding Around Yoga Teacher Training, enabling her to offer a well-rounded approach to education and wellness.
Excited to start her own classes, she founded Balance and Blossom in 2019. Teaching favorites like "Poses, paints and pancakes," "Mess around" summer sessions, and "Busy Buds" toddler camps. She continues to teach an array of children’s classes.
After joyously welcoming her daughter Erin into the world in 2021, she felt an even stronger conviction to remain at home and continue teaching classes alongside her children, nurturing a supportive and inspiring learning environment.
After many years of teaching, she has accumulated a wealth of knowledge and expertise that has solidified her focus on nature and outdoor play. Her love for creating sensory experiences for kids has become a driving passion, leading her to develop and offer enriching outdoor nature classes. Following her move to Asheville, North Carolina in 2021, she eagerly anticipates the opportunity to forge meaningful connections within the local community, as she sets out to bring joy and learning to children and parents alike through her engaging camps and classes.
Testimonials
Katie Clear is an energetic, endlessly creative instructor. She has a natural rapport with children that's built on a mutual goal to have fun. I've witnessed Katie engage children of every interest and temperament in activities ranging from song and dance; a shared meal; stringing a "spider web" between trees in a park; to good, old-fashioned slime play. Let it be said that Katie's true gift is in observing children -- she first saw my daughter's tendency to linger at the easel and art table, and in sharing that observation with me, I've been able to nurture my child's interests.
Candace - Mum to Axel and Lily
Meeting Ms. Katie when we did, mid-covid, after having struggled to work and care for my two toddlers simultaneously, was like meeting a fairy godmother. Except instead of getting me dressed and ready for a ball, she created magical, thoughtful, and engaging activities for my kids through her summer camps, sensory play groups, and preschool. I can't say enough good things about Ms.Katie. I learned so much from her about child development and parenting strategies, which was just a bonus to all of the learning and amazing experiences my kids were having. Katie is kind, warm, and playful with the kids. She gives them freedom within clear boundaries and teaches and encourages kindness, respect, and being a good friend. My kids were with Ms.Katie from 20 months through 4.5 years across her various programs and we would have begged to keep them involved longer, despite aging out, just to get more time with Ms.Katie! She is awesome in adjusting her approach and activities across different developmental stages and I've seen her handle the most difficult tantrums, separation anxiety, and kid to kid conflict with ease. Lastly, she has a way of creating a warm and inviting parent community with the families involved in her programs, so the parents made new friends along with the kids. It was a really special experience! I admire her, her work, and am forever grateful for all of the positive ways she impacted our family! Thank you Ms. Katie!
Jacquelyn Akines - Mum to Talia and Nora
We signed up our 2.5 year old daughter, Kathryn, for Katie’s Busy Bud camp in July 2021. Kathryn had been at home for over a year at that point, and we were concerned she would not enjoy camp. But were we happily wrong! She came home the first day and was so excited to find out that she got to go back for the rest of the week.
After the first week, we asked if Kathryn could possibly join camp for week two, and Katie made it work! Kathryn loved the second week, and we didn’t want to say goodbye to Katie. The whole family attended one of Katie's hour-long outdoor classes at a local park, and my husband and I loved how Katie interacted with all of the kids. Another parent mentioned to us that Katie served as facilitator for a local co-op in the fall -- we joined the waitlist that day.
We were DELIGHTED to get off of the waitlist for the co-op. During the course of the year, Katie helped our daughter learn her letters, numbers, some amazing songs and traditions, and my husband and I were able to join in and help out about twice a month. After the year in the co-op ended, we immediately signed Kathryn up for Busy Buds camp and for a few Wednesday Sensory Days for the summer. The best part was that our son Andrew also loved the Wednesday Sensory Days too!When Kathryn started PreK3, I signed up my son Andrew for Tinkergarten with Katie. Andrew and I had so much fun in Tinkergarten every week until Katie moved out of the DC area.
If Katie still lived in DC, Andrew and I would definitely still be in her Tinkergarten class, and Andrew would have joined in whichever co-op program she was facilitating. I have told multiple people that the best parenting decision I have ever made was sending Kathryn to Busy Buds camp in 2021. It changed the course of our children’s lives. We found an amazing teacher that we loved, kids that loved learning from her, and a community that embraced all types of people. Being part of Katie’s multiple programs (Busy Buds, Outdoor Classes, OATS co-op, Sensory Days, and Tinkergarten) has enhanced our life immensely.
Laura Hudson - Mum to Kathryn and Andrew