Hello! My name is MyLisa Flowers-Shipanga. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. I truly enjoy teaching. The genuine curiosity and enthusiasm for learning that young people possess motivates me to want to share my knowledge even more. I have a passion for learning, and I love sharing my knowledge with children through nature and art. Most of the classes that I will teach will either be nature-based, art-based, or a combination of the two. Your child will use their natural, creative gifts in my classes, as I will direct students with techniques and tips, and they will choose how they use them. I am a very high-energy teacher and it’s a pleasure to use my energy to encourage your child to believe in themselves and grow to great heights.

I have been married for 12 years to my fabulous husband. We have two creative boys, 10 & 5, that love nature, dinosaurs, tinkering, garden railroading, construction, demolition, and Minecraft. We share our lovely home with our 17 backyard chickens, corny, our corn snake, slugs, and a spider or two! 

I began my teaching career as a teenager - working at summer camps, interning with Summerbridge, and babysitting. While in college, I worked at a learning center, babysat, and worked at a summer camp. Post college, I was a nanny for a wonderful family, and I taught grades 4, 5, 6, 7th grade history, and 8th grade math. For the past 9 years, I’ve had the privilege of homeschooling my two children, 9 & 4 years old. I have had the privilege of teaching an assortment of classes. During the early years of my eldest’s life, I taught clients skincare and makeup techniques as well as business management to adults and tutored math with children.

In the more recent years through our homeschool co-op, I’ve taught classes such as anatomy, planets and solar systems, gardening, various art classes, marine biology, Lego creation, block building with Kevas, Magna-Tiles, bristle blocks, Zoobs, as well as preschool projects and exciting read alouds. For the past two summers, I have taught at an arts camp with themes like solar systems and in focus. It was a fabulous experience. We painted a picture of one of my hens in the garden with acrylics. For several years, I have also volunteered with our local Cub Scouts pack as an assistant cubmaster and den leader for several years. I have completed Youth Protection training, Baloo training, and over 25 completed cub scout training courses. Nature based and life skill lessons are some of my favorites to teach. 

I currently own and operate a Hands-On Gardening Educator business, teaching clients how to grow their own food and the importance of having symbiotic relationships with nature. I design the perfect garden layout personalized for each client. I also teach gardening classes online for adults. I also volunteer on our community radio station, in which I share gardening tips on the radio to community listeners.

In my free time, I enjoy gardening, drawing, painting, pottery, long hikes, nature watching, reading, crafting, teaching, playing games with my kids and friends, bike riding, cooking, sewing, learning history, art, exploring science, writing children’s books, traveling, and volunteering.

Signup for a class today. I can’t wait to create fun experiences with your inquisitive learner.