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A Letter from Kimberlee Berlin
Hello!
A bit about me...
I grew up in rural New Mexico, with all the wildness and wonder of a childhood spent in the dirt, sage, and ponderosas. I rode my horse all over the mountains to my heart’s content, and didn't appreciate until much later what a unique and wonderful childhood I had.
I later rode and showed horses competitively and came to CSU in 1999. I married my sweetheart the summer after we graduated, and we settled down in Old Town, Fort Collins. Having been a nanny and horseback riding instructor during college, I accepted my first teaching job in 2004 and I loved being a teacher! I taught at the elementary level for 5 years until our daughter was born in 2009 and I became a stay-at-home Mom. While at home, I provided in-home childcare for a few other families as well as continuing teaching riding lessons.
After growing up in the country, I knew I wanted some acreage and to raise our family with the same blessings I experienced while growing up. We bought our small farm just north of Fort Collins in 2010, and our son was born the following year. My husband works as a recording engineer/producer, but he also loves living on a farm and is a huge help with all the chores (especially when it comes time to stack hay or build fences!)
We now have several horses/ponies, raise quality ADGA registered Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats, offer raw goat milk shares, have a flock of 45+ chickens and ducks to sell fresh eggs, grow an organic garden for our family, and raise the occasional litter of Livestock Guardian Dogs. We have 6 dogs (2 smaller house dogs, and 4 LGDs), barn cats, a Lionhead bunny named Jitterbug and a sassy pig named Sassafras.
Parents kept telling me how happily exhausted their children were after spending time here with us for childcare and riding lessons. They encouraged me to share the goodness of the farm with more people, so the idea of a farm camp program was born! I now teach farm camps regularly from March-November, and we also offer birthday parties, goat yoga classes, and other special programming. Our kids are now 10 and 12 and are true little farmhands- they love helping out with all the animals and farm chores and assisting at the camps and events.
I truly believe in teaching children an appreciation for nature, animals, and agriculture, and in giving them an awareness of where healthy food comes from. I believe in fresh air and sunshine and kindness; I believe in letting children play and get dirty; I believe that hard work builds character; and I believe that animals help nurture our hearts and souls. I am so grateful for my busy, blessed life with my wonderful family and farm, and I love feeling like I am doing something important for all the kids we get to share it with.
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” - Annie Dillard
