Meet the Creators- ANNA!

Let's get to know our Educational Director and artful creator, Anna!

Hailing from Duluth, MN, Anna always had a passion for working with children and teaching/learning. At parent teacher conferences in elementary school, her parents frequently heard comments such as, "Anna sure has a lot to say...." and "She is quite helpful but sometimes needs to remember who the teacher is." Even at a young age, Anna knew she wanted to help others and share her passion for learning with the world. 

Anna did well in school and loved language arts, Spanish, and social sciences. Math and Science, however, were more difficult. These subjects felt out of reach at times and seemed more difficult than other subjects. Social messaging seemed to imply that math and science were for boys and girls just weren't good at those things. It wasn't until college that Anna found her passion for STEM topics. "I was taking a human biology class with Professor Jurney. His personality was unlike any other- dry, sarcastic, unintentionally entertaining, and always forgiving. He taught Biology in a completely new way and gave second chances- encouraging mistakes and learning. I looked forward to that class every week and it is still the one I remember most fondly after all these years." 

While volunteering in college for a program with adults with physical and cognitive disabilities, Anna met Stacy, owner of Science Explorers. The two instantly connected and Stacy offered Anna a teaching position that day. While teaching for Science Explorers, Anna learned just how amazing and accessible STEM topics can be to all students. She learned how to make science fun, engaging, and non-intimidating for students of all ability levels. The class that really piqued her interest was "Extreme Bubbles". The number of things that can be done with bubbles is just astonishing!! (Stay tuned for some bubble science fun coming later this this year!)

In 2012, Anna graduated with her Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education K-8 with a middle school specialty in communication and language arts and began teaching full-time while also continuing to teach summer science camps with Science Explorers. Throughout her teaching career,  Anna has taught babies, toddlers, and preschoolers in a Montessori setting; second grade and kindergarten in a public school setting; and community education science classes in a variety of areas. Her passion for STEM continued to grow and in 2019, she obtained her Master's of Education in Curriculum and Instruction with a focus on STEM. 

Now, with two young children of her own, Anna continues to explore ways to make STEM accessible to all families and children of all ages. She joined Discovery Explorers in April 2021 and helped to launch the company's first sensory bins. She uses her expertise to ensure that materials are developmentally appropriate, connect to national science standards, and provide quality educational experiences for kids and parents alike. "Our goal at Discovery Explorers is to make parents feel empowered. We want to bring families together by providing the materials, educational background, and hands-on family fun that makes STEM simple and accessible for everyone." 

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We LOVE messy play at our house. Egg splatter painting is one of our FAVORITES!