Farm Based Learning Preschool

Hi! My name is Cara (McDonough) Shambaugh and I was born and raised in Massachusetts where I received my Master’s in Education. 5 years ago, I moved across the country to Oregon to live on a farm. My husband Josh and I recently purchased property in Oregon City and named it Dragonfly Ranch. In August of 2022 we moved there with our 2 kids Rena (9) and Drew (3), several horses, 2 cats, 1 bunny, 1 pig and our dog Remy. With the founding of Dragonfly Ranch Education our focus is to educate children through experiencing ranch-life including raising animals and growing food. As Co-Director for Dragonfly Ranch Education I am responsible for designing the curriculum and activities to make learning fun and exciting. Our program is based on a similar program Dan and I started 2 years ago at a farm in West Linn, OR.  By combining our strengths in education and the love of working with nature and animals, we intend Dragonfly Ranch Education to have a lasting impact on the lives of children in the community.  I have worked with children for over 20+ years and seen first hand how animals and the outdoors enhance learning and socialization! I have encountered this with my own children as well. We love exploring and playing outside with nature and animals. We also love to go to the beach, the river, play tennis and enjoy a great family movie! 

My name is Dan Silvey and I was born and raised right here in Oregon (OR). I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon and my Master's in Education from Portland State University. I currently live in Wilsonville, OR with my wife (Amy), our two children (Declan, 8 & Josie, 6), and our two boxers (Autzen, 10 & Lucky, 2). I am one of the founding members of Dragonfly Ranch, LLC. One of my major roles on the ranch is being a Co-Director for Dragonfly Ranch Education. I’ve spent the last two years working under the same role at a farm in West Linn, OR. Before leaning into my interest in working with Preschool-aged children, I worked with Kindergarten-5th grade aged students for over 10 years. As I’ve watched my own kids grow up, I’m reminded of how kids often look to the outdoors, play, and relationships to further their own interests. My own kids as well as the ones I’ve worked with in schools have influenced me in my work life, but also my family life. My family loves to adventure out and try new things when we can as well as some of the things we just love like the Oregon Ducks, golfing, camping, & animals.