Above: Phoenix Biodynamic Camp, 2015

Samuel: Tell us about your passion and your work.

Sandra: My business name tells my passion: It is “Living. LOVING LEARNING and laughing too: Educational programs for all ages”. Because my particular passion is nature, all my work stems from and is related to natural forces of life. So a NATURE based focus is a qualifier of my business. At this moment, I am outside Beijing at Phoenix Hills Biodynamic Farm, teaching young aspiring farmers how to teach nature based education as camp counsellors or all ages.

So for 6 days we will use the forest and farm and river and mountains as our palate for getting in touch with the elements and learning how those can be brought to children in a healthy way. In a way that supports the development of the children’s rhythms and senses. There is no place better for this in my opinion than in nature. As we are in winter here, we have the crystalisation forces evident in snow and ice on the land, the bare trees adorned with nests, steaming compost piles, and the potential for appreciating the warmth and beauty of fire making as a basis for exploring our creativity and learning to support that in the children.

Samuel: Tell us a personal story about your journey that has lead you to where you are now.

Sandra: Although I was raised in various suburbs of the world, my parents always had a garden, always cared for a compost and made rich beautiful soil, and always ate healthy, home-cooked food. Our weekends were consistently based around the garden life and having adventures to farms and mountains and lakes and rivers and the ocean. Picnics were a regular event with other families.

A first memory for me was of the smell of ducklings and chicks as my Godmother was a poultry farmer in Colombia (South America) where I was born. To this day, I love the smell of animal manures. Now that I know its value for compost making which I teach in Australia and China, I am all the more excited to smell a good fresh cow pat.

Samuel: What is some key messages and practical wisdom that you would like to share and how can people contact you?

Sandra: A key message comes from a fear I developed when I was 14 (43 years ago), that there was a conspiracy to kill the earth and all the people and animals. At that moment I knew I had to work towards bringing people to the land and the land to the people. I have been hugely gratified to hear people tell me that it is because working with me in Agriculture classes and learning the art and science of composting, and watching how I lead children in nature appreciations that they too have made a commitment to being ambassadors for the earth and all living creatures. They have fallen in love with life in many of its’ formations.

So my message is: ENTHUSIASM is infectious. To EN thuse is to put God into life. That is the way I like to bring education, I believe that life is meant to be lived with joy. I wish everyone to enjoy nurturing life for the sake of saving us all. Living Loving Learning and Laughing too, ALL of us where ever and whoever we are.

Contact: Email: sandrafrain58@gmail.com Web: http://www.sandrafrain.com

To see more about Samuel Osborne: Website