Boss Mom of the Week: Lily Jones, Creator Of Curiosity Pack
As an educator and a parent, Lily Jones is on a mission to inspire kids to love learning. She created Curiosity Pack to deliver educational & engaging activities to kids while bringing families together around joyful learning. In addition to helping parents support their kids’ education, she helps teachers through her educational consulting work with organizations such as Teaching Channel, education.com, and edutopia.
Tell us a little bit about your family and your Boss Mom journey.
I was a kindergarten teacher before becoming a mom in 2012. When I had my daughter Matilda I really wanted a more flexible, less consuming job. So I started doing what I call my “hodgepodge” of flexible education-related jobs. I became a teacher coach, started supervising students in teacher ed programs, doing education consulting for nonprofits, and curriculum writing projects. Over the last few years, I was able to double my teaching income while spending the majority of time at home with my kids. Which is awesome! But when I was pregnant with my son in 2015 I knew the time was right to go after my grand dream– to create fun learning activities that bring families together around joyful learning. So many kids see school as boring and so many families are too busy to really connect around education. I help parents create a better future by nurturing kids develop into empathetic, critical thinking change makers.
So as a pregnant lady, I decided to launch a Kickstarter to fund Curiosity Pack. When my son Milo was two months old, I successfully completed the Kickstarter and brought Curiosity Pack to life. I’ve created three packs of themed activities– the Letters Pack, the Feelings Pack, and the Travel Pack– and am launching them as part of a yearlong “Countdown to Kindergarten” program that aims to get kids academically and socially ready for kindergarten, gaining skills that set them up to be lifelong learners!
What are some of your favorite go to meals when time is tight and dinner MUST get on the table?
Spaghetti + sausage + carrots + mushrooms + sauce or frozen chicken potstickers + greens + frozen peas + soy sauce
Where do you go for inspiration?
My kids. The way they view the world is refreshing and hilarious.
What are you currently reading or listening to (podcasts, books, blogs etc)?
My goal in 2016 was to read enough books and listen to enough music that I could write a Top 10 list at the end of the year (both of those hobbies had gone by the wayside since having kids). Not sure I’m there yet but I’ve enjoyed reading The Girls by Emma Cline and listening to Cate Le Bon. And, of course, Beyonce.
What is one piece of business advice that you’d give to a mom just starting out?
Your kids will never learn as much as they will by watching you follow your dreams.
What are some of your favorite quotes or words to live by?
Done is better than perfect.
In one word, sum up your life as a Boss Mom.
Busy.
What are three core values of your business and how do those values relate to your motherhood?
Joy, Curiosity, Connection. These are my top three values for both my business and my family. I think above all we should work to find joy in life and business. Follow what feels good to you. Curiosity is the first step towards empowerment– if you wonder about the world around you, you will soon find yourself learning, trying and growing. Finally, connection is key. In business I want to bring families together around joyful learning AND connect with the families I’m serving. In my home, I spend the majority of my time connecting with the ones I love most.
Connect with Lily Jones & Curiosity Pack: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Pinterest
Lily is in the middle of a huge Kindergarten launch with her Countdown to Kindergarten program. If you’ve got a 3 – 5 year old, you want to check this out!
This Countdown to Kindergarten Subscription gets kids ages 3-5 ready for kindergarten AND ready to change the world. Through monthly deliveries, kids will learn all the important academic & social skills they need to be ready for kindergarten. But even more importantly, they’ll be excited about learning!
Every month kids will receive either a Curiosity Pack or a book bonus, all centered around a theme like letters, numbers, friendship, or feelings. But this subscription program isn’t just for kids. We’ve got parents covered with monthly plans full of ready-to-use activities and information about child development. As part of your subscription, you’ll also receive exclusive access to a private Facebook group where you can connect with other like-minded parents and receive support from educators, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and more.
What an inspiration for someone like me. I also have an education background and trying to figure out how to merge my interest in education with my new field of communications. Great profile and so timely for me.