About Me

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Hello world! I'm Ana M. Ryder. Thanks for taking a peek into my personal story. Let me tell you a little bit more about myself.

When I'm not creating fun hands-on resources for teachers to use in their unique classrooms, I'm exploring the world with my family trio. Exploration is a relative term in my life. It can reflect the family passions of road-tripping our way across the country to delving deep into an amazing educational adventure that ties into our homeschooling.

​Mountains, seashores, music, hockey, and battlefields are just some of the key ingredients to making that perfect learning experience, even for us adults. Who said learning was only a kid thing anyway?

Right now, we live in a tiny hamlet somewhere in the northeast region of the United States. Every time we open our windows, we soak in all of the wildlife within our vast backyard and our incredible mountain views. I feel so lucky to have such a beautiful and tranquil place to teach our son about the world. 

When it comes to homeschooling, we lean more towards a non-traditional education. I believe that workbooks can only go so far, then after that, hands-on learning is the most important. Montessori, Charlotte Mason, unschooling, STEM-based education are just a few staples in my custom-made studies. I guess you could call me more of an eclectic homeschooler. Variety of subject matter is essential to me.

In my eyes, the world is such a vast and diversified place, so education should reflect similarly. A well-balanced and meaningful learning experience is part of everything. Essentially, the world is our playground and our classroom in tandem. Every adventure our family trio goes on is yet another way to learn about anything and everything. Battlefields come alive, mountains awe us with marvels of nature, music fills us with the airs of culture, and a hockey game teaches us about the art of teamwork. Life is such an incredible journey. We can only develop and grow every step we take together.

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Where it all began:

I've spent my life until I was 25 living in a city or suburbia-like environment. I never knew anything else. I had a difficult childhood. My family was ripped apart by divorce when I was a toddler and I was in the yo-yo effect for what seemed like an eternity. The family dynamics, after that, made me estranged and made to feel less-than. I wanted so badly for things to be different, but I felt stuck and helpless. 

Then one day, in 2013, everything changed. I met my husband for the first time, and felt instantly connected. The way both of our lives have gone up until that moment was anything but simple. There was more family dynamics, stress, chaos, and the overwhelming feeling of disconnection from our environment. Some of you may be able to relate to these feelings. Then, my husband and I finally said enough is enough we couldn't take another moment of feeling rejection. So we gathered our courage and began what we now realize today as our incredible life journey. 

We sold everything we had except for a couple of suitcases full of clothes, jumped in our Jeep, and drove south. We spent months on the road exploring the states, 32 in all. Alabama, Tennesee, Texas, and Colorado were of the handful in which we stayed the longest. Colorado was one of my favorites. The Rocky Mountains were absolutely breathtaking. But after a while, we decided that we needed to find our new home, especially since we were going to be parents! 

Kansas, Ohio, Virginia passed by our windows. Then, there it was — that perfect location, nestled in the mountains back in the northeastern region. Our journey had almost made its way back home. Only this time it wasn't a city or suburbia, it was a rural, mountainous, and inviting place — the place where we are still living today. 

Our journey was a real eye-opener for us. We learned much about ourselves and what we were searching for in our lives. It wasn't an escape it was to find where we belonged. It didn't necessarily have to be a location on a map, but more a place in our minds. The gorgeous place that we had found and made a home just made it easier to grasp that connection. There will always be family dynamics and stress, but we don't need to feel disconnected from our home. 

The most significant and crucial piece to continuing our life journey was and is to create a safe place for our son to grow up. A place where he can be free to express himself and not be hindered by chaos. As I've mentioned before, a well-balanced and meaningful learning experience is part of everything. And that is the philosophy that we continue to strive for today.
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Ana ❤︎

Hi there! I'm Ana!

​Hey there! I'm Ana. I'm a wife and homeschooling mother of one extraordinary little boy. I absolutely love music, mountains, and traveling with my family. Using my creative talents to make hands-on resources is my ultimate passion.❤︎

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