About

Hi. I’m Melanie.

Mother, homeschooler, maker, and lifelong learner — with wool on my hands more often than not.

The long way round

A Life That Kept Asking Deeper Questions

I grew up in a lovely family home in New Orleans and was privately schooled. By the time I was twenty I was ready to spread my wings. I lived in Italy for several years and found I had a talent for languages — I went on to become fluent in Italian and Spanish, and I loved learning about cultures far from my own.

All my plans changed with the birth of my first son. I was a certified Spanish high school teacher at the time, and I quickly decided to become a stay-at-home mother, and eventually a homeschool teacher.

It was during that journey that I was deeply moved by the arts-integrated approach to learning — and found I had a certain knack for handwork of every kind. I found much solace in long hours spent creating.

Underneath all of it ran one question that would not leave me alone: why do we keep circling back to the same patterns, no matter how much we learn? I spent more than fifteen years looking for an honest answer — trained in the Morphic Awakening Method, and five years deep in the Mastering Alchemy programme, long before any of it had a name I could put on a website. The Sophia Rose Code is what came of finally answering it.

The making

What My Hands Know

I make dolls and puppets. I knit, crochet, felt and sew. I weave. I spin. I dye yarns, wools and fabrics, and process raw wool. I quilt and embroider. I wield a skill saw for Waldorf-inspired figures. I play a little wooden recorder, glockenspiel and lyre — and I am diving deep into the storytelling arts and puppetry.

I am currently studying and training in Waldorf puppetry and story writing with Juniper Tree Puppets, and completing my Waldorf Early Childhood Teacher Certification with the Sophia Institute.

What guides me

Values, Beliefs, and a Mission

My Values

I have always valued a life guided and shaped from the inside out — a deep love of making art, of raising children in a soul-honouring way, of seeking universal wisdom, and of following intuition and insight as I am led.

My Beliefs

I believe we are each meant to reach our highest potential and live a life of value and service, however small or large the endeavour. I have been shaped by Steiner’s teachings, the Catholic faith, Buddhism, Waldorf homeschooling philosophy, and my own innerstanding of this spirit-filled world.

My Mission

To gather with like-minded folk and create a nurturing space where children are educated in a way that honours the natural world, cultivates morality, and deepens their connection to the living world around them.

These days

Bees, Chickens, and a Quilting Studio

We keep bees and chickens, a garden, and an art and quilting studio on our little suburban homestead. Two of our four children are homeschooling at the moment. I would call myself a lifelong learner without hesitation.

I look forward to sharing what I know, and to gathering with others walking the same way. For more on my formal career path — mostly from before the children — you can find me on LinkedIn.

“The sea calm is the Absolute; the same sea in waves is Divine Mother.”

— Swami Vivekananda

Meet the Homeschool Co-op