Our Story

How a beloved stuffed owl inspired a mission to help children discover the joy of math.

The stuffed snow owl that inspired Owlgo Math

Owlgo Math began with a simple family tradition.

When our children were very young, they received a snow owl stuffed animal wearing a red Christmas hat. That owl quickly became a constant companion. It sat beside them during story time, joined them while practicing math, and even slept beside them every night.

When one of our daughters was about two years old, she tried to say something that sounded like “owl go.” Soon, she started calling her favorite stuffed owl “Gowl.” That playful childhood phrase stayed with our family, and years later it inspired the name Owlgo.

As a former college professor specializing in mathematics education and teacher preparation, I have always enjoyed helping children learn. Working with my own kids every day gave me a front-row seat to the challenges young learners face when building mathematical understanding.

Whenever they struggled with a concept, I would turn it into a simple game.

To teach skip counting, we grouped blocks into piles and counted by twos, fives, or tens. To build number sense and logical thinking, we played guessing games where a hidden number could be narrowed down by clues such as “too big” or “too small.” These activities transformed abstract math ideas into experiences that were engaging, memorable, and fun.

Over time, our children began sharing these math games and strategies with their classmates. Their friends loved them. Seeing how excited other children became about learning math planted an idea: What if we could help more children learn through games?

That idea became Owlgo Math.

Our Journey

Our Mission

Children learn best when learning feels meaningful, playful, and achievable.

We are building Owlgo Math one game, one lesson, and one child at a time.