Kari has been with City of Fountains School from the beginning as one of the co-founders and she will be leading  the parent/child class for the 11th year.  She was first introduced to Waldorf education while reading “You are Your Child’s First Teacher” by Rahima Baldwin when her eldest child was just a baby and has been studying the inspiring philosophy ever since. She is committed to sharing that philosophy and the beauty of Waldorf education with parents to enrich and promote balance in their family lives, while honoring childhood.

In recent years, Kari has turned her attention to the benefits of puppetry with young children and the educational and healing benefits of nature. She has furthered her professional development through the workshops she has taken with Juniper Tree School of Puppetry: The Therapeutic Value of Nursery Rhyme Story & Puppetry,  Steiner’s 12 Worker Professions and their Soul Quality, and The Art and Joy of Outdoor Puppetry; as well as Brain Science and Child Development and Learning in Nature through Lifeways North America.

The knowledge gained from her course work has blended beautifully with the parent/child class becoming a mostly outdoor program, as nature provides so many of the key elements needed for healthy development.  This summer she also participated in COF’s in-house training with Robyn Brown. She looks forward to working with this new component in the coming year as she continues learning more ways that help enrich and enliven parents’ experience with young children.

Kari and her husband, Brian, have three delightful daughters (Lilah, Prairie, & Robin) and live in Overland Park, Kansas. She strives to bring truth, beauty and harmony to her family and community. In her free time, Kari enjoys reading, spending time in her garden, and discovering the wonders of nature with her family.