Wild Roots Administration
Lia Grippo
Wild Roots Founder + Director
Santa Barbara Programs
Born in Riga, Latvia, Lia Grippo spent many of her earliest years foraging and fishing the woodlands with her family. Her early relationship with Nature has remained a constant thread in her life. At an early age, Lia was drawn towards working with young children and has been an early childhood educator since 1989. In 1996 Lia founded her first preschool, Seedlings, and in 1998 she opened Wild Roots Forest School, a preschool and kindergarten roofed by the sky and carpeted with the living woodland floor. Lia is a storyteller, naturalist, herbalist, parent educator, mentor and education consultant. Using the arts of storytelling, song, poetry, movement, and play, Lia is dedicated to helping children and families develop their powers of imagination, and through these powers discovering their relationship with all of life. Lia has brought knowledge, compassion, reverence, and magic to her community not only through Wild Roots Forest School, but also through workshops, seminars and mentoring for adults. Having trained and mentored dozens of early childhood educators through her years, she is excited to have co-founded The Academy of Forest Kindergarten Teachers, which offers formal training for forest kindergarten teachers. Lia's commitment to excellence sets a high bar in this fledgling field in North America. Lia is the grateful mother of two tree climbing boys and wife of a exquisite musician.
Wild Roots Founder + Director
Santa Barbara Programs
Born in Riga, Latvia, Lia Grippo spent many of her earliest years foraging and fishing the woodlands with her family. Her early relationship with Nature has remained a constant thread in her life. At an early age, Lia was drawn towards working with young children and has been an early childhood educator since 1989. In 1996 Lia founded her first preschool, Seedlings, and in 1998 she opened Wild Roots Forest School, a preschool and kindergarten roofed by the sky and carpeted with the living woodland floor. Lia is a storyteller, naturalist, herbalist, parent educator, mentor and education consultant. Using the arts of storytelling, song, poetry, movement, and play, Lia is dedicated to helping children and families develop their powers of imagination, and through these powers discovering their relationship with all of life. Lia has brought knowledge, compassion, reverence, and magic to her community not only through Wild Roots Forest School, but also through workshops, seminars and mentoring for adults. Having trained and mentored dozens of early childhood educators through her years, she is excited to have co-founded The Academy of Forest Kindergarten Teachers, which offers formal training for forest kindergarten teachers. Lia's commitment to excellence sets a high bar in this fledgling field in North America. Lia is the grateful mother of two tree climbing boys and wife of a exquisite musician.
Erin Boehme
Wild Roots Director
Lead Teacher, Eastern Sierra Programs
Erin Boehme grew up freely exploring the pastures, creeks and high deserts of the Eastern Sierra, this is where she truly learned about early childhood. Her passion to work with children and families in nature has led her on a journey into teaching. While studying early childhood education and child development, Erin worked as a Public Project Coordinator at Kidspace Museum in Pasadena. In 2000, Erin traveled to Italy to study in the Reggio Emilia Municipal Schools and returned to Santa Barbara to teach preschool and mentor student teachers at Santa Barbara City College Children's Center, volunteer for Wilderness Youth Project and teach kindergarten at Wild Roots Forest School. Erin has been a member of the board of directors for Quail Springs Permaculture, and is a current member of the advisory board. Erin is co-founder and instructor for the Academy of Forest Kindergarten Teachers. and After 19 years in Santa Barbara, Erin has returned to her homeland in the Sierra Mountains where she directs and teaches Wild Roots Eastern Sierra Programs based on her more than 20 years experience in early childhood education. She is an artist and designer that seeks to fuel the creative spirit in herself and others everyday. She is mentored by her 2 children and still runs barefoot exploring in nature.
Wild Roots Director
Lead Teacher, Eastern Sierra Programs
Erin Boehme grew up freely exploring the pastures, creeks and high deserts of the Eastern Sierra, this is where she truly learned about early childhood. Her passion to work with children and families in nature has led her on a journey into teaching. While studying early childhood education and child development, Erin worked as a Public Project Coordinator at Kidspace Museum in Pasadena. In 2000, Erin traveled to Italy to study in the Reggio Emilia Municipal Schools and returned to Santa Barbara to teach preschool and mentor student teachers at Santa Barbara City College Children's Center, volunteer for Wilderness Youth Project and teach kindergarten at Wild Roots Forest School. Erin has been a member of the board of directors for Quail Springs Permaculture, and is a current member of the advisory board. Erin is co-founder and instructor for the Academy of Forest Kindergarten Teachers. and After 19 years in Santa Barbara, Erin has returned to her homeland in the Sierra Mountains where she directs and teaches Wild Roots Eastern Sierra Programs based on her more than 20 years experience in early childhood education. She is an artist and designer that seeks to fuel the creative spirit in herself and others everyday. She is mentored by her 2 children and still runs barefoot exploring in nature.
Kolmi Lata Majumdar
Administrative Director
Kolmi was born and raised as a young child in the wild beauty and rich culture of Calcutta, with Bengali as her first language. She grew up in northern California, playing in the redwoods, and riding bikes and buses. Kolmi has a degree in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Barbara. From 1998 to 2004, she served as a youth mentor, mentor-trainer, and development staffer for Wilderness Youth Project. In 2005, Kolmi and her husband joined the founding team of Quail Springs Permaculture, a land-based educational center in the high desert of the Cuyama Valley, where she and her family lived and worked "off-the-grid" for ten years cultivating deep nature-connection and community. Kolmi served as Quail Springs' Educational Programs Director, providing earth care, regenerative permaculture courses and experiential workshops for thousands of people of all ages from our local area and around the world. She is engaged in graduate studies in counseling psychology through Pacifica Graduate Institute. Kolmi brings 20 years of experience with nature-based educational organizations to Wild Roots Forest School, and is a co-founder of The Academy of Forest Kindergarten Teachers. She lives in the Santa Barbara mountains with her husband and two children.
Administrative Director
Kolmi was born and raised as a young child in the wild beauty and rich culture of Calcutta, with Bengali as her first language. She grew up in northern California, playing in the redwoods, and riding bikes and buses. Kolmi has a degree in Environmental Studies from UC Santa Barbara. From 1998 to 2004, she served as a youth mentor, mentor-trainer, and development staffer for Wilderness Youth Project. In 2005, Kolmi and her husband joined the founding team of Quail Springs Permaculture, a land-based educational center in the high desert of the Cuyama Valley, where she and her family lived and worked "off-the-grid" for ten years cultivating deep nature-connection and community. Kolmi served as Quail Springs' Educational Programs Director, providing earth care, regenerative permaculture courses and experiential workshops for thousands of people of all ages from our local area and around the world. She is engaged in graduate studies in counseling psychology through Pacifica Graduate Institute. Kolmi brings 20 years of experience with nature-based educational organizations to Wild Roots Forest School, and is a co-founder of The Academy of Forest Kindergarten Teachers. She lives in the Santa Barbara mountains with her husband and two children.
