We had the good fortune of connecting with Doug Thomson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Doug, where are you from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
My childhood was a product of new and growing neighborhoods in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio in the 1950’s and 60’s. I rode my bike home for lunch, freely roamed near and far with my next-door friends, and enjoyed toys like Lincoln Logs, Erector sets, Mr. Potato Head, and Lionel model trains. Play was a mixture of discovery and dirt clods with a healthy dose of skin abrasions and band-aids. With practice and some supervision, I could make French toast, grilled cheese, tomato soup, and scrambled eggs. More simply stated, I was raised, with love, to be an independent thinker and a curious explorer. My background, scattered intermittently throughout my decades as a classroom teacher, has allowed me to serve as a professional calligrapher, pottery instructor, custom home project manager, landscape designer/installer, FSLIC Liquidator-in-charge, commercial real estate broker and national analyst, and enrichment curriculum writer/instructor. The common thread in my background and upbringing is independent curiosity.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
An unavoidable byproduct of a long-term stay in a hospital for any patient is the loss of normalcy. After the initial procedure or treatment, the individual loses control of their schedule, a certain routine is established, and their world is confined to an adjustable bed, four plain walls, and plenty of equipment. Excursions to distant imaging rooms and eventually an atrium, balcony, or reading room do not dispel a growing malaise. I observed this with one of my children, confirmed it with others, and experienced it first-hand as a prolonged patient. What we needed was a safe escape to a space of the normalcy that was left at the revolving glass doors. Those seeds of discontent inspired the solution fifteen years later.

The TinkerZONE is a practical, creative, and exciting extension of my experience as a classroom teacher and enrichment curriculum writer. It is an idea that applies effectively to patients in pediatric hospitals, rehabilitation units, and adult day care, as well as memory care, skilled nursing, and assisted living facilities. Like the childhood experiences of so many in the 1950’s, physical manipulation (tinkering) is the primary objective of a buffet of contemporary travel games, logic puzzles, and mental challenges. Each activity may be encountered in the space of a cafeteria tray with built-in levels of difficulty. Activity sessions may last between 10 to 45 minutes and require differing elements of concentration, imagination, logical thinking, fine motor skills, spatial ability, and expressiveness. All of this makes The TinkerZONE a unique program in the field of health and well-being recovery systems.

Perhaps the most appealing element of The TinkerZONE is the personal connection between the trained staff and the tinkerers. One-on-one sessions bring together retired master teachers, special volunteers, or intergenerational students on one side with medically cleared children, military veterans, recovering first responders, and active seniors. Active listening, combined with respect and encouragement creates an atmosphere of trust and growth-mindset. It all makes for a safe place of frequent return.


Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Teaching effectively is my core value. That active engagement with others makes a difference, largely defines me, and is the measure of my success. The attributes of teacher are quietly infused into every role that I have accepted as an adult. The skillsets that serve me well at my advanced age can be attributed to a vast collection of other souls. But there are two men who have made a profound impact on my life as teacher.

The first is my son Chandler. At age 24, he has just completed an intense round of practical and academic training to become a certified firefighter. He graduated with honors and accolades and has decided to add additional certifications before joining a squad. Through more than his share of adversity, disappointment, uncertainty, and crushed dreams, he has become a man who has found his passion and will pursue it as a first responder. He is physically strong, mentally tough, thoughtfully reasonable, openly compassionate, well-spoken, and a diligent demonstration of grit. He is kind and considerate of others less fortunate. Specifically, Chandler T. is a champion of those with special needs like his older sister. He also has a special understanding and skills with small animals and pets learned from years as a veterinary technician. As a natural talent, he was a pleasure to coach and cheer for in his year-round pursuit of baseball. My son has indirectly taught me much about moving forward despite a steep path with many obstacles.

The second is my colleague and mentor Justin Vawter. Assigned to many of the Middle school students that I would send from fifth grade, Justin was extremely popular for effective and distinctive teaching methods. He was a powerful influence on Chandler’s writing and reading development. His pervasive impact on my creative curriculum production can be traced to 2013, when he formed NuMinds Enrichment with partner Ben Koch. Their seminal Camp Pursuit model for that first summer challenged my imagination and ignited my teacher-brain. Students, aged 6-12, chose four classes from a broad catalogue to attend for a week. As an “inspirator”, I was one of a handful who pitched two untested courses of study born of my passion for the content. “The Thrones of Olympus” registered enough campers to make the final schedule, so I completed my project-based lesson plans with a new wrinkle: the multi-age classroom. I was rewarded with the confirmation of olds collaborating with youngers, rich conversations, and diverse strategies. The die was cast for a new world of “NuMi” side-hustles like shorter holiday camps, enrichment curriculum design, and content module creations.


Website: https://tinkerzone.us

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082183111805

Other: usatinkerzone@gmail.com

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