Today we’d like to introduce you to April Hepokoski.
Hi April, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My love for the environment and my community is woven into a beautiful life teaching others how to live more sustainably and to develop a deep love and connection to nature. I teach children in my nature-based preschool called The Little Barnyard Preschool located on my hobby farm. I also teach adults through sustainability classes and share my lifestyle through my blog.
I live a Zero Waste lifestyle, where my goal is to create as little waste as possible. This is done by reducing the amount of trash and recycling I create, as well as reducing my environmental footprint overall. My journey to zero waste started when I became very ill with SIBO and endometriosis. I was on the search for a natural treatment and cure for my conditions after being diagnosed. Through researching and connecting with people in healthcare and environmentalism, I started to see that what I eat and use in my home affects my health. I started eliminating plastics from my home to reduce the chemicals and endocrine disruptors in my food and environment, which inspired me to continue making my home and school healthier and more environmentally friendly. As a nature-based school, I want the learning environment to support a sustainable world. Each change I made has been small, but after a few years, I look at my life now and see it has transformed dramatically.
My writing has also extended into contributing to the book Zero Waste Kids: Hands-On Projects and Activities to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, by my friend and fellow sustainability activist, Rob Greenfield. I enjoyed writing 13 of the 35 activities in the book; projects like making your own recycled paper, conducting a trash audit, and building a raised garden bed.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
My journey started out with the challenge of treating SIBO and endometriosis, two debilitating health conditions. I had very painful and nauseating symptoms with these conditions, but those challenges also inspired me to keep finding answers and are what drives me to teach others and give them hope about how our bodies and our earth can be healthy. The health of our earth is very important for the health of our bodies. When making more healthful changes for my body like reducing my exposure to plastic and chemicals and eating more whole foods, I took each change slowly to make sure it would become a habit for the long term. Many of these changes felt counter-cultural compared to our heavily processed food system and our throw-away culture that uses a lot of single-use plastic.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
My nature-based preschool is located on my hobby farm. We prioritize time in nature and learning with nature. The children spend time in wild spaces on the property and engage in a variety of activities, such as tree climbing, exploring a bog, building stick houses, frog catching, picking raspberries, canoeing, and observing the development of tadpoles and monarchs, to name a few. The children build their curiosity and love for learning through play and having the opportunities to experience new things. They build strong peer relationships in nature as they plan out pretend play themes, discuss roles, and negotiate how the play will proceed. Their imaginations and creativity are full of ideas to play out when immersed in nature’s playground, where only natural, open-ended materials are available as play props. Resilience and problem-solving skills are both challenged in an outdoor setting where children are climbing over fallen trees to get to their destination, getting their boots stuck in the mud, being around bugs and other small creatures, and figuring out ways to maneuver over at times, rough terrain. The farm provides opportunities for the children to practice caretaking for other living things like the animals or plants in the garden. The children practice empathy, perspective taking, and self-regulation on the farm as well when working with the animals. It’s a busy place full of lots of fun and learning!
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My teaching philosophy is inspired by what I learned through my Early Childhood Education degree at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and my internship at The Children’s Farm in Stillwater, MN. When I moved back to Duluth and opened my own farm school, I created a philosophy that entwined many different styles of teaching.
The Duluth Nature Play Collaborative has been an amazing group of nature-based teachers and program directors in the Duluth and surrounding area. We get together every couple of months to support each other and collaborate on hosting conference events for other educators.
It has also been a pleasure to work with Rob Greenfield on one of his latest books, Zero Waste Kids: Hands-On Projects and Activities to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.thelittlebarnyardpreschool.com and http://www.zerowastenatureschool.com
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/thelittlebarnyardpreschool/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zerowasteduluth | https://www.facebook.com/thelittlebarnyardpreschool
Image Credits
Joanna Nelson on some pictures.
