Our Teacher

Hello! My name is Laura Branca (previously Karstensen) and working with young children in the natural world is my passion!! Moqui, our 11 year old chocolate lab, loves children and nature too. She is sweet, mellow, and full of love. She shares her home with the children of Little Birch and is certified as a Therapy Dog of Vermont.  She passed the therapy dog test with flying colors and lives to give and receive love!   

In the well-known words of Rachel Carson...

"If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder without any such gifts from the fairies, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in."

It is my goal in life to be that person for the young child. I love to share my interest and appreciation of the natural world with children. There is nothing like seeing the wonder and magic in a child's eye when they see the first wildflower of spring pop up in the meadow, the morning dew on a spider's web, or a bright red eft making its way across the damp forest floor. When a child is truly engaging with his or her natural environment - climbing onto small boulders and jumping off, turning a fallen log into a horse to ride through the gift of imagination, and running free through an open meadow - important physical needs are being met and so much more. This is what childhood should be all about. I aim to create a rhythm for children that allows them ample time to fully experience childhood through imaginative play, healthy movement, social relationships, songs, and stories. I want to create a nourishing environment for these little beings so that they will grow up creative, free-thinking individuals who are able to fulfill their own dreams and goals in life and who are inspired to care about and fully participate in the world around them. Working with a curriculum that is inspired from Waldorf education and rooted in the natural world has helped me to do this. A little about my background and training...

 

I was first inspired by Waldorf Education while working on my degree in Anthropology and Sociology at Johnson State College. While studying and teaching at a small Waldorf school located within the beautiful valley of Mount Mansfield, I instantly fell in love with the nurturing, developmentally-appropriate curriculum and emphasis on cultivating a reverence for the natural world. After college, while spending a few years exploring the mountains and deserts of the southwest, I was pleased to gain a position as a kindergarten teacher at an independent Waldorf-inspired school in Colorado. I then returned to the east to complete my Masters of Education at Antioch University New England where I gained certification in teaching early childhood through eighth grade and concentrated in Waldorf Education. I worked at The Child’s Garden of the Orchard Valley Waldorf School in Montpelier, Vermont from 2009-2012 where I was happy to join many of the very teachers who first introduced me to this holistic and healing education. I now enjoy life in Johnson, Vermont, with my husband Phil and a chocolate lab, Moqui. My goal has been to create a small early childhood program in Lamoille County that I feel best meets the needs of the young child. I hope you will join me in this inspiring journey.