Our Faculty
Big Kids Academy Faculty
Expert Educators Behind Our Live Online Enrichment Classes for Kids
At Big Kids Academy, our faculty is made up of experienced educators, subject-matter experts, and creative professionals who specialize in live, interactive online enrichment classes for children ages 4–12. Our teachers include former classroom educators, scientists, artists, chefs, engineers, and global explorers all carefully selected for their ability to engage kids through meaningful, discussion-based learning on Zoom.
Each instructor brings real-world expertise into the virtual classroom, helping children build confidence, curiosity, and critical thinking skills across subjects like science, global studies, technology, art, music, health, and nutrition. Our small-group online classes are designed to feel personal, dynamic, and fun never passive or prerecorded.
Below, meet the educators who make Big Kids Academy a trusted destination for families seeking high-quality online enrichment programs for kids, both in the U.S. and around the world.
Meet The Faculty
Ms. Lyndsi Keves
Ms. Lyndsi is a former elementary school teacher with international teaching experience in Phoenix, Abu Dhabi, and Brooklyn. She brings global learning to life through stories, geography, culture, and real-world exploration. A lifelong adventurer, she has practiced yoga in Sri Lanka and held a baby koala in Australia, experiences she weaves into her interactive online classes. Now based in Michigan and a mom of two boys, she is passionate about helping children build curiosity, cultural awareness, and confidence as global citizens.
Chef Alon Langlieb
Chef Alon is a professional chef with experience in top New York City restaurants and a former educator at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE), where he trained future pastry chefs. He believes healthy food should nourish the body while exciting the senses. As a father of two boys, he loves teaching children about nutrition through hands-on activities that focus on colorful, balanced meals. His classes help kids build healthy eating habits and feel confident creating plates that are both nutritious and fun.
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Dr. Elena Rosales
Dr. Elena is a pediatrician who believes every child has “a little doctor” inside them. With a gift for making anatomy fun and accessible, she guides students through the wonders of the human body from how the heart pumps blood to how our lungs work using simple balloon experiments. She loves the moment her students’ eyes light up when they understand why oxygen is so important!
Mr. Noah Kaplan
Mr. Noah is a logic enthusiast and problem-solving educator who loves making kids think in new ways. With a background in math-based reasoning and game design, he helps students tackle riddles, puzzles, and real-life logic challenges that stretch their thinking skills. Using brain teasers, pattern games, and “think-it-through” discussions, he teaches children how to slow down, ask smart questions, and enjoy the process of figuring things out helping build confidence, persistence, and the joy of saying, “Wait… I figured it out!”
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Dr. Aris Thorne
A lifelong stargazer, Dr. Aris transforms the vast universe into an exciting, child-friendly playground. He introduces the 8 planets using colors, stories, and fun facts, and teaches children how to spot constellations in the night sky. His favorite assignment is when students create and name their very own constellation.
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Ms. Sarah O'Connor
Ms. Sarah makes coding feel like play. Through interactive activities like the “Human Robot Game,” she teaches children how to give clear instructions the foundation of programming. Her goal is to help every student build their first mini-animation , showing them that they can tell stories through technology.
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Mr. Marcus Jean-Baptiste
An artist with a love for joyful, messy creativity, Mr. Marcus introduces young learners to masters like Picasso and Monet. He encourages exploration through texture, shape, sculpture building, and color mixing. He believes every “mistake” is simply a new way to create art.
Mr. Jon Harris
With nearly 20 years of experience in top New York schools, NYU graduate Jon Harris is a dedicated music educator who views creativity as a child’s natural language. His joyful, age-appropriate classes blend foundational skills like rhythm and composition with movement, collaboration, and familiar pop influences. By merging classic techniques with modern themes, Jon empowers young learners to build lasting confidence and a genuine love for music.
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Mr. David Chen
Mr. David turns math and money topics into a fun and practical adventure. He teaches the “Three Jars” method Save, Spend, and Share and helps students understand the difference between needs and wants. He always enjoys seeing the creative business ideas and price lists his students design.
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Ms. Hannah Lee
Ms. Hannah is passionate about hands-on discovery. Whether leading a “melting ice race” to explore solids and liquids or guiding children in tracking their shadows, she inspires curiosity in every lesson. Her grand finale the classic baking soda volcano is always an exciting (and messy!) favorite.
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Mr. Tariq Al-Fayed
Mr. Tariq is a chemist who loves the “fizz” and “pop” of scientific reactions. He safely guides young scientists through mixing vinegar and baking soda, creating slime to learn about polymers, and discovering that chemistry is not magic, it’s science happening right in their own kitchens.
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Mr. Liam Foster
With a background in biology, Mr. Liam brings the wonders of nature into the online classroom. He teaches what makes something “alive,” helps students grow their own bean plants, and leads imaginative animal movement games. His classes spark appreciation for the living world all around us.
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Dr. Nia Okeke
Dr. Nia simplifies the world of genetics by teaching children that DNA is the “instruction book” that makes each of us unique. Through activities like “Trait Bingo” and building play-dough cells, she turns complex science into engaging stories children can understand and remember.
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Ms. Sofia Martinez
Ms. Sofia, an engineer with a passion for robotics, teaches children how machines move, sense, and respond to the world. Using LEGO builds and simple engineering challenges, she empowers students to design their own robot maps and think like young inventors.
Ms. Maya Feldman
Ms. Maya is a technology expert who makes artificial intelligence easy for kids to understand. Through games like “Human vs. Computer,” she shows how machines learn patterns and how AI helps doctors, artists, and everyday people. She inspires curiosity about the future of technology in a positive, kid-friendly way.