Our Story
Oddball Academy was born from a deeply personal place: a mother’s love, an educator’s eye, and a relentless drive to create something better.
My name is Liza Marie Odom. I’ve dedicated my life to helping children thrive—from majoring in education and earning a degree in psychology to pursuing my master’s in special education. My career has spanned special education classrooms, DHS child welfare, and community-based family engagement. I’ve had the honor of consulting on early childhood programs, literacy initiatives, wellness partnerships, and career-readiness programs with state agencies like Oklahoma CareerTech and the Department of Education.
But none of that compares to the inspiration I found in my own home.
My son Helio has been building robots since age two—literally from hot glue, coffee cans, and old computer parts. His curiosity was endless, and his drive to understand the “why” behind everything led us down a path of kits, programs, and robotics clubs. But time and again, we found the same problems: a lack of challenge, minimal explanation, and missed opportunities to truly teach critical thinking.
I watched Helio and other bright kids put together robot kits without understanding how or why they worked. There was no focus on physics, electronics, or troubleshooting. Worse, there was no plan to develop their leadership, collaboration, or design thinking skills—the ones they’ll actually need for the careers of tomorrow.
So, I created Oddball Academy.
We’re not here to follow a script. We’re here to break it.
At Oddball, kids don’t just build robots—they understand them. They learn how torque works, why coding logic matters, how to use washers and gears effectively, and how to adapt designs for their neurodivergent friends. We include parents in the process because real learning happens when it continues at home. And we go way beyond summer camps—we offer a year-round progression that prepares kids to compete, lead, and innovate.
If you want your child to learn more than how to follow directions—to think like an engineer, to lead a team, to solve real-world problems—you might just be the perfect Oddball.
Let’s build a future worth inventing.
Our Approach
Where Purpose Meets Practice—Rooted in Research, Built for the Future
At Oddball Academy, we believe all children—regardless of background, ability, or zip code—deserve access to meaningful, future-ready STEM learning. We don’t just teach robotics, engineering, or coding. We teach kids how to think, how to lead, and how to persist through complex problems with creativity and confidence.
Every course, family workshop, birthday party, Parent Night Out, and Make & Take kit we offer is carefully designed with three key frameworks that reflect best practices in child development, inclusive education, and 21st-century learning:
Habits of Mind
Developed by Art Costa and Bena Kallick, the 16 Habits of Mind are essential life skills that empower children to grow as thinkers, leaders, and lifelong learners. We embed these habits into every Oddball experience—encouraging children to:
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Persist through challenges
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Listen with empathy
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Think flexibly and metacognitively
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Ask powerful questions
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Strive for accuracy
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Take responsible risks
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Create, imagine, and innovate
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Think interdependently as teammates
These habits shape not just how kids learn, but who they become.
21st Century Skills Framework
To prepare children for the rapidly evolving workforce and global society, Oddball emphasizes the Four C’s and more:
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Critical Thinking & Problem Solving
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Communication & Collaboration
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Creativity & Innovation
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Information, Media, & Tech Literacy
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Initiative, Self-Direction, and Accountability
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Leadership & Cultural Competence
Whether building a robot, designing a science fair project, or brainstorming with a team, our learners practice the real-world skills that tomorrow demands—today.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Inclusivity isn’t an afterthought. It’s our starting point.We proudly implement Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to ensure that every child has access to high-quality, developmentally appropriate learning experiences—regardless of learning style, neurotype, or physical ability.
We design with variability in mind by offering:
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Multiple ways to engage (the why of learning)
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Multiple ways to represent content (the what of learning)
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Multiple ways to act & express (the how of learning)
Every student is supported to set goals, overcome barriers, and drive their own learning journey.
Why It Matters
STEM is not just about subjects—it’s about skills, systems, and stories. By combining research-based frameworks with hands-on exploration and authentic problem-solving, Oddball Academy cultivates independent thinkers, curious collaborators, and bold inventors who are ready to shape the future.
Whether your child is taking apart a computer, learning to code a robot, or investigating magnetism with their family, they’re building more than projects—they’re building purpose.