After Graduating from University of Florida (GO GATORS!) with a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, 2001. I taught Junior Kindergarten at Shorecrest Preparatory School for 6 years. My daughter was born in 2007 and I decided to be a stay at home mom for a couple of years.

And then…

The Wonder Studio is a small business I started in 2009.

Having researched and intensely studying the pre-primary schools in Reggio Emilia, Italy for many years…I longed for a place where my own children and I could visit together that would expose them to the 100 languages of children.

I wanted to create artistic and creative experiences that were high quality and put the child into the role of protagonist of his/her learning.

Thus began my starting up and leading a community of like-minded mothers, fathers, and caregivers who wanted to accompany their children on a journey together in Wonder and Joy.

The Wonder Studio, named for the environmentalist Rachel Carson and her beautiful book, The Sense of Wonder…is an arts and science studio for young children and the caregivers who love them.

My children were (and still are) the most inspiring people I had ever met. I wanted to learn all I could about them and who they were.

With an understanding of my favorite educational theorists, psychologists, and philosophers…I designed a unique program that would allow both the child and the caregiver to learn about themselves and others in a safe, caring, and creative “Studio” environment.

Studio spaces are designed for mess making. I have believed for many years now that learning is a messy process. I believe that children need to use “more” materials before they can learn the benefits of using “less”. At The Wonder Studio, we are paying close attention to the ways children are motivated to use materials. We believe in the social and cognitive learning that happens when children are in a group setting with other children and adults with different learning styles.

Every element of The Wonder Studio is designed so that the child can be independent in his/her exploration and/or use in collaboration with an experienced co-wonder’er.

Hello, my name is Megan Kotsko. Florida has always been my home. I grew up in Orlando and graduated from Stetson University with a degree in Elementary Education. I later earned my master’s degree at the University of South Florida. I started my teaching career outside of Jacksonville teaching 1st Grade. In 2003 I moved to St. Petersburg and taught 1st and 2nd Grade at Bay Point Magnet and Bay Vista Fundamental. In 2010 I came to Shorecrest and fell in love with teaching kindergarten! Teaching children the beauty and adventure of reading and writing is what I love most about teaching. My favorite time of day is storytime. Books truly capture children’s attention while taking them to all kinds of places with all kinds of characters!

After teaching for nineteen years, and wanting to be a mom for a lifetime, I’m now a stay at home mother to my two children, Nathan and Nora. Nathan is 2 years old and Nora is 6 months old. Being their mother has been the best gift in my life. It’s been a privilege for me to see the innocence, joy, wonder, and awe of childhood. The world is their playground and playing is how they learn and grow.

I’m honored to join the Wonder Studio team. Having taught at Shorecrest, I’ve been an observer of the Wonder Studio for years. I found myself wondering about what happened in the studio. I’d walk by with my class and all of us would admire the explorations Shannon had provided for the children. We’d delight in their smiles as they followed their interest and curiosity with the outside investigations. I’ve known Shannon for years and always found her passion and advocacy for teaching little ones inspiring. Over the summer, I fully took in the Wonder Studio from the perspectives of both a teacher and a parent. I attended some classes on my own to observe Shannon’s teaching and then with my son Nathan to experience it as a parent watching my son take in the experience. I found being in the Wonder Studio to feel peaceful and magical. It was a place I (and my son too, of course) wanted to spend more time in!

Being a new mom has allowed me to learn and grow with Nathan and Nora. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning about their development, interests and needs throughout different stages of their growth. I’m excited to continue learning about little ones as I follow their interests while they independently navigate their time in the Wonder Studio. I can’t wait to play and learn with them. I found the Wonder Studio to be a special place where children’s ideas, curiosities and interests are respected, fostered and followed. I am thrilled to become a part of such a special place for children and their caregivers!

Hi! My name is Jamilee Douthirt. I have been teaching at Wonder Studio since 2019.

I grew up in Cleveland and graduated from the University of Akron with a B.S. in Biology/Zoology. My intention was to become a zookeeper! I spent a bit of time as an assistant teacher at the Lowry Park Zoo kindergarten. I then went on to work for almost 2 years at the Suncoast Searbird Santuary on Indian Rocks Beach. I took care of the permanent resident birds that could not be released back into the wild. I loved working outdoors, getting dirty, and being with animals. But as I matured a bit, I realized I was making very little pay for doing very hard work and I decided to become a teacher. (Yes, I understand the irony in that!). I spent 8 years teaching high school science at Osceola Fundamental High School. My favorite was Environmental Science but I also taught Biology. When my first son was born, I took some time off from teaching and decided I loved staying home with Greyson too much to go back to work. I am thankful for a partner that allows me to do so. Two years later, we had twin boys and we're a family of 5 in a matter of just a couple years!

I met Shannon in 2019 and immediately loved her and her philosophy about children, teaching, art, and wonder. The Wonder Studio sounded like such a magical place for children, and it is! When she asked me to work for her, I was grateful for the opportunity, and was also able to bring my children to her classes so they could experience the studio as well. After a couple years of teaching at the Wonder Studio, I was looking for more part-time work. I was still not ready to go back to teaching full time but wanted more hours. Now that my kids were in school all day. I started teaching art at sacred heart Catholic School in 2021 and moved to Admiral Farragut Academy in 2022. I love teaching art! I am now happy to be working at both Farragut and Wonder Studio, sharing my love of art, science, and wonder with kids of all ages!