What we’re about…
Our Story
Hi! We are Ricky & Angela Rhodes! We met at Hope College in Holland, MI and have since lived in Chicago and Guatemala. We enjoy being outside, dance parties in our kitchen, and being with our 3 children. We both have degrees in education- Ricky with a master’s degree in special education and Angela with a master’s degree in school social work.
In 2021, we saw a need for an outdoor, hands-on learning environment and started Muddy Puddles Preschool. There have been close to 60 students who have gone through Muddy Puddles, and it continues to be a fun, loving, and engaging program.
After almost 15 years of working as a special education teacher in the public schools, Ricky joined Angela at Muddy Puddles in 2024. He immediately fell in love with our program and was thankful to have made the jump.
When our older children aged out of Muddy Puddles Preschool, we saw an additional need to provide a similar experience for school-aged children. Wild Roots has been a dream years in the making, and we were thrilled to start our program in 2025! Our first year has been very positive- we have a solid group of students that we love and we have learned a ton along the way. We are continuing to grow and follow the momentum of our programs- as of February, 2026, we submitted our paperwork to become at a 501c3 (non-profit) and a “non-public school”. We are fundraising in order to purchase a building of our own and continuing to add additional grade levels at Wild Roots for the 2026/2027 school year.
Our lives are somewhat of a whirlwind but we can’t imagine them being any other way. We are grateful that we’ve been able to learn alongside our children while also building community along the way!
We have three children- Rosie, Gino, and Rocco and a beagle lab named Minnie!
Our Philosophy
Our first priority at Wild Roots is to build relationships. We strive to have genuine relationships with each of our students and their families. We do this by regularly inviting families into our space through monthly “family lunch”; holiday parties; and field trips.
We believe children learn best when they are engaged, supported, and free to explore the world around them. Our educational philosophy is rooted in the power of outdoor-based free play, where curiosity and creativity flourish naturally.
In our mixed-age classrooms, children learn alongside one another, fostering empathy, leadership, and collaboration.
We offer standards-based, individualized instruction that honors each child’s unique learning path, allowing them to progress at their own pace and build confidence along the way.
Most importantly, we believe that learning should be joyful—full of wonder, movement, and FUN—because when children love learning, growth comes easy!
