Making soft, stretchy slime or dabbling in crafting Halloween-themed science experiences, there’s always a secret ingredient that instructor Lisa Lombardi brings to the table, positivity.
Lombardi doles out positive messages and infuses her wacky and fun classes with inspiration and support helping young people ignite their confidence while enjoying park district classes that dabble in Science Technology Engineering and Math and always include plenty of fun. Like the time earlier this year as she led a slime-making class she told participants to keep stirring, the gooey mixture wasn’t slime yet, but staying the course and not giving up, it would be soon.
“I share the growth mindset and the power of yet,” Lombardi said. “We will always get there.”
While many seek out life coaches for one-to-one sessions, Lombardi shares her positivity and support with children ages 5 to 13 through local park district classes throughout the western suburbs including the St. Charles Park District. Being able to share messages and help boost confidence is fulfilling work for Lombardi, who celebrated her 25th anniversary as a life coach in 2026.
As a life coach and a mother, she understands many of the challenges young people face today, and she relishes the opportunity to be an adult cheering them on as they talk about wanting to make that soccer goal, audition for a school musical or build new friendships.
In her classes there are no phones, no smart watches, just an hour for children to disconnect from their electronics and reconnect with friends or make new ones too while laughing at the squishy slime, the gooey and fizzy science experiments that Lombardi has carefully cultivated for her elementary age participants.
Autumn is Lombardi’s favorite season and she loves delving into the elements of Halloween. The St. Charles Park District will host Lombardi’s Spooky Chocolate Bridges of Hope class Thursday, Oct. 1 at the Pottawatomie Community Center where participants engineer a chocolate candy bridge, with a message of how to make bridges to move forward on goals.
In the Autumn-tastic Seasonal Slime class on Wednesday, Sept. 8, Lombardi shares a message about letting go of the past and preparing for what’s ahead. Lombardi said her slime recipe is one of the best, and participants can even add scents for a full sensory experience.
And the popular Halloween Gore-Tastic Hour returns on Tuesday, Oct 6 featuring multiple science concepts steeped in the Halloween theme, from puking pumpkins to fizzing ghosts. Lombardi said she often has students attend her classes for multiple years, and she tries to bring new experiments along with long time favorites.