Veronica Rae Cowen aka Coconut ~ Founder
Veronica is a Marin native, and has been working at kid’s camps since 1998. She grew up traveling the world, went to Kindergarten in Nepal and taught 3rd grade in Thailand, and is now happy to bring her passion for summer, fun and children to Funderblast & Kinderblast Preschool. She started Camp Funderblast is 2013 and is excited to be expanding through Marin to impact and brighten the lives of even more children!  

Veronica graduated from UC Davis in 2004 and spent the past years traveling around the world, running camps and teaching meditation & awareness classes to kids & adults at The Foundation for Spiritual Development. Veronica is grateful to share her love of the world and possibility with you. What inspires Veronica is inspiring others, she looks forward to getting to know you and your family!
Katja "Miss Buttons" Gruenheidt ~ Director
Katja, aka Miss Buttons started her exploration of Early Childhood Education more than 15 years ago. She finds great joy in supporting children being their best. Miss Buttons has studied different philosophies from Waldorf to Reggio Emilia, while strengthening her own intuition to be able to see clearly the child in front of her. She continues to learn and grow alongside the children in her classroom. Her love for animals and plants is deeply embedded in her being. Hiking in the woods or working in the garden bring her great peace and harmony. She has created an amazing garden at Kinderblast where our children love to dig in the earth and plant yummy vegetables. Miss Buttons sees Beauty in the simple things in life. A butterfly or a ladybug bring her a feeling of awe and wonder. This inspires her to invent stories and songs that soothe or stimulate the children in her care.
Amy "Snowflake" McKinney ~ Teacher
Amy joined our team in January on 2020. She and Veronica have been friends since they were placed in the dorms together at UC Davis in 2000. She had long talked about coming to work with Funderblast, and when Kinderblast opened, we all knew the time was right! Amy, aka Snowflake, loves the joy, laughter and authenticity that young children bring to life. Amy believes in the importance of diversity and self love, and letting children learn by taking chances in a safe, supportive environment with social-emotional learning. She loves to teach children songs, sing, do fun art projects and give warm hugs. She’s a mom to 5 year old Davis and a wife to her best friend and college sweetheart, Sol. She loves all fruit, Stevie Wonder and North Shore Hawaiian beaches. 
Benny "Bear" Margules ~ Teacher
Benny, aka Benny Bear, joined the Kinderblast family in February of 2021. In Hebrew Benyamin translates to son of the right hand which is funny because he is left handed. Benny has been working with preschoolers since April 2018. In his spare time you will find him riding his bike, hanging out with friends, and playing music. He is grateful for health, family and friends, and freedom. Being with people makes Benny smile. He likes working with kids because he is a high energy, joyful person and he loves sharing that joy with the kids. And, they make him laugh! 
Tina Andropolous ~ Teacher
Tina joined our team in February of 2021. Every job she had as a teenager and young adult was with kids: babysitter, lifeguard, swim teacher, camp counselor, preschool teacher’s aide, paraprofessional, substitute teacher… Somewhere along the way, she left this path and after earning an MA in Education/Instructional Technology, she worked in the internet industry as a user experience writer. After having her daughter (who is now in college), she left the corporate world and looked for work closer to home. That was when she found her way back to the path she started on with children, as an art teacher, and an after schoolteacher. She loves getting to know all of the little spirits here and helping them to grow and learn and play. She is grateful to live in such a beautiful place, for her family, and for friends old and new. ​
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