Michael Jakobsen

I am a father, artist, and musician, who has been working with children & youth for over 20 years.

2000-01: My career working with children first began in Silver City New Mexico as a nanny to twin toddlers, while also working as an improv dance instructor at local elementary schools through a grant from the  Mimbres Regional Arts Council. 

2002-03: I was a preschool teacher at Kid's House Preschool in Ashland Oregon.

2005-08 : Later I moved to the Bay Area, and worked as a middle school art instructor for the ArtEsteem program in West Oakland, as a music teacher for Oakland Fine Arts Summer School , and as a mural instructor at Richmond High School .

I was an art instructor working with Oakland families for the 100 Families Art Project   (both in West Oakland & Chinatown), as well as teaching art & mentoring at risk youth for the Youth Spirit Artworks inaugural program in Berkeley.

2013-2018 , I took a break from city life to live in the mountains of Mendocino County in Northern California. 

There I volunteered as youth mentor with at-risk youth at Sanhedrin High School  in Willits California, by creating an engaging class that focused on self-awareness through hip hop, freestyling, creative writing, and visioning with the students there.

2018-2020: Forest Preschool teacher at Early Ecology forest school in Oakland's Joaquin Miller Park.

2020-2022: I was the lead mentor for Luminary Learning Village's forest program in Oakland California. 

2023: Launched Wild Earth Kids, LLC, with forest programs for homeschool elementary & late elementary/middle school children in Oakland, and Briones Regional Park, Martinez California.

Growing up in several states around the country during my own childhood, I could often be found fishing the lakes in Minnesota, catching reptiles in South Florida, wandering the mountains of Western Montana, or spending summers helping my grandparents tend their fields and animals, on their farm on the plains of Northern Iowa. 

I was inspired to create Wild Earth Kids! to bring my passion & wonder for the magic of Nature to children from all walks of life. And children deeply benefit from the healing energy and sanctuary that nature provides, in these tech-saturated times.

My future plans with Wild Earth Kids are to produce a Nature Songs album, as well as a professionally produced Children's show based on the pilot episodes I made in 2020, which can be found on the Wild Earth Kids  Youtube  channel. 

Ultimately, it is my hope to guide young people to become more self-aware, confident, and compassionate human beings, so that they may become future stewards of the Earth!