OUR STORY
Connecting with Nature, Each Other, and Ourselves
We started Wild Rose Farm because we believe in empowering children to find and nurture relationships with nature, and to build a sense of unity and belonging with the land, the animals, and people that walk upon it. Our intention is simple: to nourish children with the sights, sounds, tastes and feel of this earth and the joy that abounds from simply being outside.
OUR PEOPLE
Caring and Connected
We come together from diverse backgrounds and bring rich experiences to build a program that empowers, nourishes, and inspires children to play and learn on the farm and in nature.
ELIZABETH BRANDLEY
Farm Educator & Guide
Elizabeth grew up in the foothills of the sparkling Sierra Nevada Mountains, in view of both their snow-capped peaks and the fertile valley of the Sacramento. She holds an undergraduate degree in philosophy, a formal training in biodynamic agriculture, and is completing a master's degree in transdisciplinary healing education. Over the past 20 years she has worked as an educator in diverse settings, including work with homeless and "at-risk" youth, Waldorf grades and early childhood, as well as public schools.
She is passionate about the unique educational possibilities that farm education offers, putting human beings in nourishing relationship with the soil, plants, animals and place. Her love of each child fuels a curiosity and interest in that child's relationship to the environment around them, whether that is expressed as interest in a particular animal, flower, or even a favorite stomping mud puddle. Interest spurs observation, which can lead to insight into which of the many "colors" of the farm educational "palette" can provide nourishment to a child's unique capacities for growth and development.
When Elizabeth is not studying, teaching or working with the earth, she enjoys singing, spending time with loved ones, and living in awe and reverence for nature and relationships.
LINCOLN GEIGER
Biodynamic Farmer, Founder of Wild Rose Farm, Guide
Lincoln Geiger is founder of Wild Rose Farm, home of its parent organization, Gaia Education Outreach (GEO) Institute. He grew up in rural southern Sweden, where the land with its ancient roots was still alive in its people. He started farming at the age of 18, inspired by the ways of his village and the vibrant Swedish Biodynamic movement, which he joined for a life dedicated for a renewal of agriculture. He inspired and created the Swedish collective Mother Earth with his brother Chris where he worked as gardener, farmer and miller for seven years. In 1979 he immigrated to Temple, New Hampshire where he started a small farm, and in 1986 co-founded the Temple-Wilton Community Farm (TWCF) which helped spark the idea of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) in the US. Working there with the dairy cows, the pastures and hay lands for over 30 years, he always invited children as well as adults to join him in the work on the farm. Now working as the Director and Farmer/Educator of Wild Rose Farm NH/Gaia Education Outreach (GEO) Institute, he shares with the children knowledge and stories of his beloved farm, fields and forests every day.
EMILY HALL
Art Educator & Guide
Emily Hall is a local artist and public school art teacher in Wilton, NH to grades 6-12– she is entering her 5th year in this school district. Emily focuses on fostering the innate desire of a human's yearning to experience the joy of creation. These experiences allow young artists to relax, and thus, connect closely to their inner self for moments of artistic discovery.
With over 20 years of art and graphic design work across various teaching and learning experiences, Emily has observed fundamental desires of human creativity that are rooted in the practices of a more playful reality. Through pedagogical practices that balance choice-based art education with technical formalism, Emily provides the young artist with the tools they need to experiment within the intersections of art and science. Art lessons explore the discovery of building meaning into a work of art through practices of art critiques that uncover symbolism of material, processes, and ideas. Material investigations include graphite pencil, charcoal, pastels, watercolor, acrylic, clay, paper maché, found objects, and more!
When not teaching, Emily enjoys relaxing through playing music or exploring her surroundings in flow-state with a good cup of loose leaf tea. You may often find her spending time with her partner hiking, foraging, cooking, and learning how to fish!