Hard-nosed Green Beret conquers elementary school with science program – Colorado Springs Gazette

Maj. Warren Foster was a stony-faced Green Beret – that rusty-nails-for-breakfast type.

Now, though, the Army retiree is taking education skills he learned in the Green Berets to a new venue that requires a softer touch – elementary school.

Foster, of Monument, created Science Playhouse “on a mission to create a fun, hands on, real science laboratory experience,” the news release says.

Foster, whose classes can be found at www.scienceplayhouse.com, said he saw the need for bolstering science, engineering and math skills in kids after he returned home from more than seven years as a contractor in the United Arab Emirates. In the Persian Gulf, his children attended an elite school which emphasized science, technology, engineering and math. “When we came back here, there was nothing as far as STEM went,” he said.

In 2015, Foster decided to fill the vacuum with classes that are a lot more fun than the ones he took to earn his green beret. But the drive that brought him so much success at Fort Carson and overseas plays a big role. “This is something I’m passionate about,” he said.

Foster’s passion was evident to judges in February’s D’Aniello Family Foundation Business Plan Competition in New York. They gave him first place and a $35,000 prize for his Playhouse plan.

Foster’s classes are growing in northern El Paso County, including several sessions at The Club at Flying Horse. Children can learn robotics, computer programming or how to travel in space through Foster’s offerings. “I can teach programming to 4- and 5-year-olds,” Foster said. “If they can do Legos, they can do programming.”

Foster’s goal now is to grow his business in the Pikes Peak region and beyond. With curriculum plans and other tools, he hopes to offer the program as a franchise in the future. “This can get pretty big,” he said. The financial rewards haven’t arrived yet, but Foster, a father of three, said he gets plenty of payback watching kids discover science. Even in the Green Berets, he loved teaching, Foster said.

“I enjoy that more than knocking down doors,” the Iraq veteran said.