Our Team
Rachel Larimore, Ph.D.
Chief Visionary* of Samara Early Learning
Rachel (she/her) is a champion for children learning with nature for the health of individuals, communities, and the planet. She is the founder and Chief Visionary* of Samara Early Learning, an organization focused on helping early childhood educators start nature-based schools or add nature-based approaches into their existing program.
For more than 30 years, in roles such as educator, preschool director, and researcher, Rachel’s work has focused on supporting young children’s holistic development by learning with nature to expand their worlds and live rich, full lives. Prior to founding Samara, Rachel spent more than a decade starting and directing one of the first nature-based preschools in the United States. As a thought-leader in the field, she is constantly evaluating what is best for children, best for nature, and where educators can leverage the common ground between those two sets of needs.
A popular keynote speaker and author, Rachel’s books include Preschool Beyond Walls: Blending Early Childhood Education and Nature-Based Learning, Evaluating Natureness: Measuring the Quality of Nature-based Classrooms in Pre-k Through 3rd Grade, and her newest book Reimagining the Role of Teachers in Nature-based Learning: Helping Children be Curious, Confident, and Caring. These titles and more are available at the Samara Early Learning shop.
Rachel was raised on a vegetable farm in Central Illinois where she played in the dirt and woods. Today, when she’s not working with educators, you can still find her wandering in the woods, playing in the dirt in her garden, filling her birdfeeders, or knitting her latest creation.
Rachel earned her Ph.D. at Michigan State University’s Department of Teacher Education; a M.A. in Park and Recreation Administration from Central Michigan University; and a B.S. in Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism, with an emphasis in interpretation, from Colorado State University.
Click here if you’re interested in having Rachel speak at your conference or with your professional learning workshop.
Learn more about Rachel’s current research here.
* Chief Visionary because someone in the organization must stay focused on the overall purpose, or the WHY, of the work being done. This was inspired by the work of Simon Sinek.
Hank
In Memoriam
Our original Director of Joy*, Hank was a German Shorthaired Pointer (“GSP”) who loved to spend time outdoors and napping on the couch. He particularly enjoyed pointing birds, keeping squirrels in line, and chasing shadows. In fact, he was a shadow connoisseur who could easily distinguish between a butterfly or bird flying overhead rather than a human trying to trick him.
Hank lived 12 strong years and for the last six years played an important role at Samara Early Learning. Like the other SEL team members, he had a passion for nature-based play. His primary responsibility on the team aas reminding everyone that life is too important to be taken seriously and we should find moments of joy as often as possible. In fact, he had an incredible knack for calculating 60 minutes and reminding his mom (our Chief Visionary, Rachel Larimore) it is time for the meeting to end and go have some fun. Maybe a frisbee throwing break?! Or a squeak toy?!
* Director of Joy because someone needs to remind us life is too important to be taken seriously
