If you don’t know me or forget me, I am currently partially employed as a substitute playschool teacher, wishing to expand my own initiative called ‘Hand to Matter Iterative’ where the purpose is creative play with earthly materials, learning skills, ecosystem awareness, and ways to connect with plants based on your own interests. I have over 3 years of education experience, starting at Hilltop Montessori school for a few months, then the Kindle Farm school as a Behavioral interventionist, classroom assistant and designed afternoon activities in a variety of my own skills for two years. Now I intermittently substitute for Signal Pine Playschool in Putney and am working on connecting with other local schools and educational spaces.

I am ready to host and do house or farm visits for individual or family workshops on fermentation, sculpture, plant science, food systems, gardening, sewing, alterations, jewelry or metal works and repairs, just to name a few. I would love to help individuals, parents, and children—and eventually education centers—better get to know the land they inhabit and cultivate awareness and healthy reciprocity with all organisms and environments they use.

My current wish is for a paper beater called a ‘critter,’ which is uniquely portable, affordable, and comes in several sizes at the same price. This machine will allow me to bring or forage for local plant materials and turn them into pulp for creative projects like sheets of paper, lampshades, and sculptures embedded with seeds to throw in the garden when spring comes. The 'critter' is the most affordable, on-the-go option on the market, and will help solidify my workshops into a business plan that can reach a larger, changing audience through interdisciplinary art, science, farm, and ferment workshops.

I am passionate about bringing hands-on, interdisciplinary workshops in plant fiber arts and sciences to schools, educational centers, and community spaces. My vision is to create engaging programs that blend fiber arts, fermentation, farming, food systems, nutrition, cooking, and plant science, all rooted in environmental awareness and creative exploration. By using local and even on-site plant materials, I hope to inspire innovation and a deeper connection to the natural world through experimental, iterative play.

To make these workshops possible, I need this specialized paper beater called the 'critter.' This essential tool will allow me to prepare the materials needed for each session, making it possible to offer mobile workshops wherever they are needed most. My particular focus is on working with neurodiverse individuals, providing education to minority groups, and making public service programs accessible to low-income families. I believe everyone deserves the opportunity to learn, create, and connect with their environment in meaningful ways.

With your support, I can also begin to pursue my true career goals—helping transform those especially stale, public or underprivileged, underfunded learning institutions into vibrant, creative, colorful centers of imagination and innovation, environmental awareness and health; as related to nutrition and food systems. This is a long-term goal, and I know I cannot do it alone!

Cultivating creative minds, no matter the age, is important work. Those willing to participate in alternative, interdisciplinary learning are valuable. I want to spread awareness and take fundamental actions against environmental and societal injustices so we can heal together. We need to harness collective power and community to achieve these changes. Plants can be a shared pathway to these connections, through sharing time with them together for creativity and innovation.

Every contribution brings me closer to making this vision a reality. Thank you for believing in the power of creativity, environmental stewardship, and inclusive education!