WHO WE ARE

We are educators, parents, goofballs, and lifelong learners. We are Unruly. We believe that every student should have the same opportunities to unlock STEM and play.

our mission

Our mission is to break down barriers to STEM and computer science for all students through active play and collaborative learning experiences.

OUR STORY

In 4th grade, our CEO and founder Bryanne Leeming was exposed to coding for the first time through a computer game. She had so much fun that she wished she could play the game at home!

As Bryanne went through college and started working, she realized how that early exposure to coding prepared her to feel confident in technology and ultimately start her career in the industry.
Breaking Down Barriers in STEM Through Play
Bryanne’s experience was unusual. Computer science remains unapproachable for many despite efforts to introduce coding at earlier ages.

Women still only make up 36% of high tech workers, 8% are hispanic, and 7% are black or African American.

So Bryanne looked at how computer science was taught in schools. If it was introduced at all, most coding activities required kids to sit in front of computer screens in an isolated, sedentary way.
Coding and Active Play
With a degree in cognitive science, Bryanne knew that kids learn best with activities that are collaborative and physically active to get them engaged and learning without even realizing it.

That’s when Bryanne had an idea. What if we could make learning to code as much fun as recess?
Bryanne tested 24 prototypes with over 3,000 kids.
Students in the Bronx, NY bring computer science to their PE class with Splats.
Kids stomping on Splats1 Million Stomps and Counting

OUR IMPACT

Today, Unruly Splats are a cross-curricular tool used by over a thousand schools to incorporate STEM and play into their classrooms.
  • Over 1 million stomps on Splats!
  • The majority of our partners are public schools that serve mostly under-served populations in low income areas. 
  • In schools across 49 US States and 6 Canadian Provinces
  • Named one of Tech and Learning 2021 best learning tools.
  • Bringing STEM and play to all areas of a school including Music, Language Arts, PE, and core STEM subjects
OUR ADVISORS
Amon Milner - Dr. SplatDavid Kunitz - Founding Product AdvisorLiz Brooke - Chief Education Officer at Lexia Laearning
Amon Millner - Dr. Splat
Amon earned a doctorate (of Unruliness?) from MIT’s Media Lab where he co-invented the Scratch programming language. He’s an Associate Professor of Computing at the Olin College of Engineering and directs the Extending Access to STEM Empowerment (EASE) Lab.
David Kunitz - Founding Product Advisor
David is our product design and development lead. He has developed toys, such as Star Wars Lightsabers, GI Joe, RC and Matchbox cars with Hasbro, Mattel, Lionel and Tyco toys.
Liz Brooke - Chief Education Officer at Lexia Learning
Liz has been working in education for over 25 years in various roles including speech-language pathologist, researcher and began her career as a first-grade teacher. Dr. Brooke has been published in several scholarly journals and books.
IN THE PRESS
New tool demystifies coding for students as Hawaii legislators push computer science to younger grades
First graders at Solomon Elementary School squealed and cheered as they skipped past and then stomped on bright blue floor tiles that lit up, changed color and made sounds.“ When do I get to play?” asked one eager girl, Arianna, just moments after she’d had a turn. “This feels like playing on the playground.” Her classmate, Dominick, chimed in: “It’s fun, exciting and challenging!”
Read more...
New tool demystifies coding for students as Hawaii legislators push computer science to younger grades
Elementary students jump back into physical education
This week, thousands of students across Arizona returned to school for in-person instruction. Academy Adventures Midtown, a K-5 elementary school in Tucson, is leaping back into physical education (PE).“It helps them focus and it helps them be lighter,” said Megan Gilbert, a K-2 teacher at Academy Adventures. “With students being at home for so long, we wanted to make sure they safely transition into a physical routine.” After seven months of learning from home, students are excited to be together again. However, teachers needed to find a way to limit contact. So, team sports are out and “unruly splats” has become the way forward.
Read more...
Elementary students jump back into physical education
This Female Founder Is Creating A Playground That Breaks Down Barriers In STEM Education
Not many of us had the opportunity to learn STEM through out-of-the-box activities in our school days. I certainly didn’t. And although I never studied STEM and following this path wasn't my first career choice, I still ended up working in the technology sector, like many women out there. It was just meant to be.
Read more...
This Female Founder Is Creating A Playground That Breaks Down Barriers In STEM Education
unruly careers
Join our passionate team of former educators, escape room designers and tech enthusiasts! These are our core values:
  • We either win or we learn. ITERATE!
  • Challenge the rules - think Unruly
  • Question each other, (respectfully)
  • Everyone takes out the trash
  • Yield to the learner (aka Hacker ethic)!
Bloopers Says Join Us!
Ready to bring STEM and active play to your school?
Have a Splats Specialist reach out to you to learn more