For most of her life, Hanna has been involved in the lives of children both professionally and personally. Hanna believes all children and adults alike strive to be seen, validated, accompanied and to feel a sense of belonging. She aims to help children develop their sense of confidence, togetherness and awe of the beauty of the natural world around and within us.

Her past experiences led her to Honduras where she was a Youth Development Volunteer and had a chance to learn and grow alongside Honduran youth and families. Prior to farming, Hanna worked in the non-profit sector providing relationship support to Head Start families, advocacy work for children living through domestic violence and Summer recreation programming. While homesteading she became passionate about agriculture and she pursued a position with Food Connects allowing her to expand access to local food through a local market and buying clubs and work as a Farm to School Coordinator. For the past five years has been a full time flower farmer. Hanna is now a full-time farmer and homeschooling Mom.

After facilitating several “Flower Club” gatherings with our local homeschool group and years of on farm play dates Hanna saw firsthand how much children relish in the beauty and wonder of being present on the farm. Hanna is excited to cultivate a space for children to meander in curiusity, to explore their senses, to cook together, to relish in the beauty of flowers, to tap into creative flow, to build relationships with our other than human kin and to grow our sense of belonging both within ourselves and amongst others.

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Andy’s first farm job was leading young children on tours of a dairy farm in Pennsylvania and he was immediately captivated by the farm as a canvas for organic, emergent learning opportunities. He went on to co-found and direct a summer camp there before leaving for Vermont in 2010.

During his time in Vermont, Andy has continued to pursue the philosophical and practical applications of agriculture and land-based education. He believes in nurturing the innate curiosities of children by providing space for exploration and guiding them through observation and questioning. His experiences have shown him that immersion in nature and the relationships fostered there lead to a self-discovery in children that promotes confidence and critical thinking skills.

Andy is excited to welcome campers to Tapalou to enjoy the spaces he has been cultivating with Hanna for the past eight years. He looks forward to the feedback from kids to inform how the farm and forest might continue to evolve during his time here.