Who We Are

Adriane Armour

Head Teacher/Guide

ALG Founder

Adriane has been working with children using the Montessori Method since 1998, and has earned two Montessori teaching degrees — one at the preschool level and the other to teach elementary-age children. Over the years she has been blessed by the opportunity to work with several different Montessori schools, including a program in Katmandu, Nepal. 

As a Montessori teacher/guide, Adriane has observed that children can easily master academic work and maintain their passion for play and creativity as they learn. She has also nurtured her profound interest in the natural world, and has worked with numerous outdoor education organisations, including Guelph’s Outdoor Preschool. Her experiences inspired her to found the Almonte Learning Garden and combine Montessori and Nature-based education. 

“I think children need to be outside,” she says. “The indoor classroom has all the essential Montessori materials, but children need to have the freedom to move in and out. They need to be able to relax into the change of seasons, to feel the wind and the weather, and to observe the way living things constantly change and grow… the original Montessori schools all had gardens.”

In addition to working with children, Adriane also loves animals, dancing, gardening, long walks, bicycling, and she has a great passion for reading, especially children’s literature, history, and geography.

Erin Wilson Rangecroft

ALG Registrar

Erin Wilson Rangecroft is pleased to be volunteering as the ALG’s Registrar. 

Erin holds a Masters Degree in Osteoarchaeology and has enjoyed a 15 year career as an archaeologist working in various locations across Ontario, Quebec, Cyprus, and Egypt. She is also a Registered Holistic Nutritionist (RHN) and is passionate about women’s health.

Erin’s child has been happily attending the ALG since 2021. As a parent, watching her child flourish while attending the school has inspired her to volunteer her time and further contribute to the ALG’s development.

“I believe in the sentiment that ‘it takes a village to raise a child’ and I wanted to be a part of the supportive journey of the school,” she says. “I love the ALG’s approach to education, the community it builds, and Adriane because she is so attuned with the children. Whatever skills I have to share contribute to a bigger picture and that gives purpose to me.” 

Besides volunteer work, Erin also enjoys the outdoors, gardening, cooking, music, her stand-up-paddleboard, and art.

Diana Armour

ALG Matriarch

Diana Armour is the ALG’s residential mother/ grandmother/great-grandmother. 

Born in Egypt in 1931, Diana has lived a varied and interesting life. She was the first in her family to get a university degree. She went on to work as a researcher at a newspaper in London, England. Here she met her future husband, Leslie Armour, a PHD candidate in philosophy. Diana typed and proofread his doctoral thesis and continued to proofread all seven of his philosophy books. She has continued with this work proofreading most of the publications for the music festival Music and Beyond which was founded by her cellist son, Julian Armour. Diana has a delightful sense of humour, is widely read, and widely travelled. 

Diana is often in the yard at the ALG, occasionally talking with the children about their activities and making observations. Her presence around the ALG offers the children a happenstance opportunity to benefit from intergenerational engagement.

Roy Milwid 

ALG Handyman

The ALG would not exist without the constructive and creative mind of Roy Milwid. With a devout commitment to volunteerism and a constant smile on his face, he has done much to repair, and maintain, much of the ALG’s physical environment. 

You may recognise him from around town as ‘the dancer’ since he is usually the first one on his feet at any event or festival! 

Roy spends about half the year in our region and the other half touring meditation centres, meditating and sharing his gifts with others in need. 

When at the ALG, Roy is usually behind the scenes in the workshop, however on occasion he has stepped into the yard to teach the children about basic bicycle maintenance and mechanics.