About Us
Hey there! We're Annette and Ashley, two homeschooling moms that envisioned a program that fosters collaboration among peers, project-based exploration, and embraces a child's natural curiosity. When we couldn’t find one; we decided to build it. Learning by doing is our jam. Plus, let’s be real, sometimes we didn’t want to have to clean up those messy science experiments at home. That's why we created The Curiosity Crew.
At the Curiosity Crew, our vision is to create a Twin Cities Homeschool community where students can connect, collaborate, and learn.
We believe that learning happens best beyond the traditional classroom experience and we strive to help our students cultivate a lifelong love of learning in a welcoming, inclusive environment. We provide project-based learning opportunities where students can be academically engaged while working with their friends. We are here to support you with take home materials to continue going down rabbit holes and deep dives into topics that spark interest. We foster a vibrant community for students and families, where we can all get to know each other and support our education journeys. Students are in consistent cohorts and are welcome to join any of the optional activities throughout the week.
meet the founders
Annette Sandager
Annette’s homeschooling journey began in 2020 when her daughter was supposed to start Kindergarten but schools were all doing distance learning. The first year went well so they continued and this year her son was old enough to join the fun as well. What started out as a temporary experiment has turned into a treasured part of their lives.
Annette is a graduate of the College of St. Benedict with a degree in Accounting and Finance. She has spent much of her professional career doing accounting, finance, and consulting work with small businesses and non-profit organizations and currently serves as the treasurer for her church and the Minneapolis Toy Library Board of Directors. She is excited to bring this knowledge to help launch this new non-profit organization!
Annette likes to spend her free time reading, relearning US History, and volunteering. She and her family love to spend time outdoors, explore Minneapolis, play board games, and travel.
Ashley Siljenberg
Ashley’s passion for education has proven invaluable as a homeschooling parent to two energetic and curious boys. She is a graduate of Iowa State University with her B.S. in Genetics and a minor in Mathematics. She went on to earn her 5-8 General Science and 9-12 Life Science Minnesota Teaching License.
Ashley has over 15 years of experience teaching students. She started her journey to becoming an educator as a Calculus tutor at Iowa State University and then taught in the classroom for 6 years where she worked with students with a variety of learning styles and differences. She has also worked as an educator at The Bakken Museum, a local science museum. Most recently, Ashley has continued to work with students both as a private tutor and as a science guide at a local homeschool enrichment program.
When Ashley isn’t tutoring and homeschooling you’d likely find her out riding her bike, hiking through the woods, or camping with her dog and family. Ashley and her family love to travel and are often exploring new places.