Developed by Kerry Pyle, enrichment educator and founder, Build-A-Mind offers a range of fun and educational enrichment programs for girls and boys of all ages in the Blue Mountains and surrounding areas.
Build-A-Mind programs are themed and include holiday workshops, after school classes, school incursions, parties and special events. All programs reinforce the four c’s of 21st century learning: creativity, communication, collaboration and critical thinking. The programs are inquiry based, taking advantage of the naturally inquisitive natures of children, in order to further their own education at their own pace.
Primarily, Build-A-Mind aims to provide a stimulating environment, where children have fun being creators of technology and not just users.
MEET OUR TEAM
Build-A-Mind team members are the best there are around. We call them Edutainers because the educate and entertain the children in equal parts and that is extremely important to our philosophy. They are 110% dedicated to their roles and the children they work with. They go out of their way to make sure that each and every child has an awesome time at our events and that they leave feeling empowered and excited about their ability to achieve great things in their lives’.
Our Edutainers are hard workers, who are passionate about making a positive difference in a child’s life. They come from a variety of backgrounds, some are teachers, some are completing their degrees at University, some are in Tafe and a few are graduating from high school. What they all have in common is that they are sensitive to children, highly motivated and love to teach, laugh and have fun. Most importantly, they work with us, not just because it’s a job, but because they believe in what we do and love being a part of it.
Rick Swancott
BA science Maq University. Dip Commercial computing Western Sydney University. Rick has 51 years of teaching experience at every level preschool to university with Christian community schools, Catholic and Government schools. His other experience includes being a lecturer in post…
Oliver Pyle
Ollie has a diverse background in IT systems, development, networking and security. His mission is simple – provide the latest tech, keep it secure and make sure it works. Ollie’s WWC number is WWC1249651V
Michael Laws
Michael is a qualified Industrial Designer and Secondary School teacher, facilitating and delivering Steam education from years 1 through 12. He loves using technology in creative and innovative ways, constantly challenging himself to learn new ways of problem solving, which…
Melinda Mayrhofer
Melinda has a background in arts and sciences. She is especially interested in animals, creative writing and working with children. Melinda is currently looking at changing degrees from Bachelor of Liberal Arts and Sciences to a more specialised animal science…
Kerry Pyle
Kerry originally hails from South Africa and has lived and worked throughout Europe. She is Mom to three gorgeous kids and spends most of her time researching methods to expand their horizons’ through the use of nature, technology and craft.…
Joshua Mercieca
Josh has completed a Graduate Diploma in Engineering Management and worked in the telecommunications Industry for 5 years. In his off time, he builds costumes and loves entertaining children, as well as working on multiple resource books to aid kids with learning difficulties.…
Faith Power
Faith is currently finishing high school and loves to spend time baking, going out with friends, taking photos and spending time with kids. She loves seeing the kids grow in their learning and using the skills they learn to develop…
Evan Bonser
Evan began his university training in robotics before changing to complete a Bachelor of Education (Primary) from the University of Western Sydney. He has taught in a variety of educational environments, ranging from mainstream settings in both the public and…
Daniel Skinner
Daniel is a hard working high school student who loves all things to do with STEM. In his spare time, he loves to read, play piano, play tennis, mess around with electronics and play games with friends online.
Chloe Power
Chloe is a high school student, who works with Build-A-Mind during her spare time. She is a great advocate for the quieter child, making sure they get heard and get their chance to shine. Always willing to learn, she is…
Charlotte Kolega
Charlotte is a student at Winmalee High School. With a bubbly personality she loves talking to people and is great communicator who excels at customer service. Charlotte enjoys working with kids and helping them learn new skills.
Catherine Power
Catherine is a full-time mum of 3 and university student, currently working towards her Primary Education Teaching degree. She has been running Build-A-Mind workshops since 2017 and is a firm favourite for our kids. Catherine loves to see children reach…