Sam McNair
Small Business Spotlight
The ability to learn so quickly is what makes humans special and it’s why we have accomplished so much in our existence.
Additionally, the ability to learn and retain information is at it’s strongest during the childhood stage.
It’s likely why elementary schools and high schools cram so much into their curriculum — although, getting children to sit still long enough to actually learn is another matter.
This, of course, is why businesses like Vernon Teach and Learn exist; to supply both teachers and homeschooling parents with the tools they need to make learning both fun and productive!
Teach and Learn has been around for longer than you would think, having been around the Vernon area for 31 years since the now-owner Lynella Henke and her parents started it.
The idea for the store came during the ’90s when Lynella’s mother Mavis, who was a teacher at the time, was finding it difficult to locate resources for her classroom.
The store originally started from the family’s basement but quickly grew in size as they cycled through a handful of locations, soon finding the perfect spot downtown on 30th Avenue.
“We love being downtown… there are so many unique businesses here!” Lynella said. “And being a family-run business, we get to choose our own hours, which is a big plus.”
Now managed by Lynella and her husband, Trevor, the store offers traditional learning supplies such as planners, binders, and coloured pencils, as well as toys of all kinds.
Toys are important to the education of young minds as they can stimulate the mind and inspire new ideas!
And it would be unfortunate if I forgot to mention the coolest feature, in my opinion: their home-learning kits.
These kits are jam-packed with everything a parent needs to help bolster their child’s creativity and curiosity, an example being their soon-to-be-released butterfly larvae kit.
So, as we continue to navigate these complicated times of self-isolation and you find your children to be growing more and more restless, think of Vernon Teach and Learn — a business that cares deeply about the well-being and education of Vernon’s youth, which is something, I think, we can all get behind!
Sam McNair is a fan of adventure novels, as well as writing about the people and places that make Vernon a great place to live. He got his diploma in Writing and Publishing from Okanagan College in 2020.
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