Learning to live in an Acton community is hard but with vulnerability and time comes amazing rewards. I am not only an Acton leader but I’m a fellow parent. I know too well the feeling of watching my own daughter fail, not quite pass that reading level, and I know the feeling of worrying if she’ll make the right choices. It’s hard, but as hard as it is for me it’s ten fold worth it when I step back and allow her to fail because when she picks herself up and tries again and finally reaches her goal she holds greater pride in her independence and honors her journey of learning to learn.

“Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to build an obstacle course and have each hero complete the course. You must not be detected by the evil owl eyes and you must complete the mission on time.” - Carmen SanOshkosh

This week, Spark Studio heroes received this top secret mission and experienced the journey of failure. Day 1, after receiving their mission, learners jumped with bursts of excitement and began their journey.

The smell, the crunchy sound and soft touch, the warmth of freshly baked bread…there is nothing like this carb happy experience. What’s better? Having your hand in baking bread and the pride and joy of sharing the bread you made with friends.

All week we have been baking bread with learners in pairs. Why? Besides it being delicious, recipes are science (this session’s theme) and our bread making recipe offers learners practice in completing measurements and patience throughout the day and patience with their baking partner.

What happens when you give learners free time and ask open ended questions? Creative gifts are revealed, democracy unfolds, and learners practice the process of improvisation. Improvisation isn’t just for jazz musicians, it is the act of making or doing something with whatever is available at the time, it is unrehearsed and unplanned.

So, how do we improvise at Acton? Simply, we provide space and time, materials, and as much trust as we can muster. Trust is the trickiest ingredient but honestly holds all the magic!

Is a paperclip just for holding papers or is a ball of dough only for baking? With an artist frame of mind any object has endless possibilities!

This week learners continued their creative and artistic journeys with music and visual art. To start the week we continued exploring music and storytelling. If we close our eyes and listen our imagination can take us anywhere! The music tells a story and may inspire a battle of soldiers, a magical fairyland, or even a nice walk on the beach. It was amazing to watch learners dive into an artist frame of mind; their eyes laser focused, voices joyfully humming, bodies bursting with excitement, and eyes wide with possibility.

What does it mean to be creative? Where does inspiration come from? How can we cultivate great ideas? These are some of the questions learners have been exploring as they journey through our Winter Camp theme of Creativity and the Arts. Our answer to these questions is simple, PLAY!

The power of play is vital. Play is how we spark ideas, uncover mysteries, learn from a friend, develop social skills, try something new, overcome challenges, and regain or release energy. This is why play is the primary way that Spark learners learn in the studio and why we are invested in play and it’s link to creativity this Winter Camp session.

All session learners have been exploring traditions around the world in our very own Spark Studio. We practiced traditions of France, Israel, China, Mexico, and even Minnesota (many learners reminded us of the Viking rival in Packer country). Globe Trot Scott sent us amazing and generous gifts. And yes, if your learner asks, Globe Trot Scott is real! Who else would have sent these packages?

During our travels we had many conversations about our family traditions and how our celebrations may be similar or different. The studio has been bursting with stories and joy this week as learners share their family traditions.

Opening day in our new Acton home warmed our hearts and also our bellies as we drank hot cocoa and topped our celebration with beloved marshmallows! It’s funny how such a small, squishy, and innocent delight had bountiful inspiration for our learners. When realizing that our feet made quite the rumble on the studio floor we began to imagine “what if our feet were marshmallows?” “could we be marshmallow ninjas?”.

And so began the development of marshmallow moments.

These past few months it has been amazing to watch learners develop their independent learning skills and practice setting academic goals. Often, learners choose work that is interesting and challenging balanced by easier work for a brain break. Continuously staying on task and working to achieve goals is tough (even for us adults). What if there was a way to feel encouraged and held accountable for your work? What if a friend could give us this tough-minded and warm-hearted support?

Enter………RUNNING PARTNERS!

The beautiful thing about Acton is learners create their own rules and have 100% stake in their learning environment. The hard part, following rules and holding yourself and others accountable so everyone learns safely and joyfully with friends.

As learners struggled through the process of holding one another accountable for rule breaking they began their individual and tribe’s journey of feeling privilege and setting goals. The first lesson learners discovered was information-learning is one of the greatest privileges.

Are you a bucket filler or a bucket dipper?

The great book by author Carol McCloud titled Have You Filled a Bucket Today? A Guide to Happiness for Kids has inspired learners this week to actively explore kindness to themselves and others. What is a bucket filler? In short, you fill your bucket by doing focused work, helping a friend who asks, inviting a friend to lunch, or sharing why you like being friends. When you show kindness to a friend you not only fill your bucket but your friend’s bucket too. How do you know? You know you’ve filled someone’s bucket by the light you see in their eyes and the smile on their face that causes their whole body to glow.

Kindness is a super power!

Inspired by our country’s 2020 election, Tuesday was a day for learners to practice the amazing process of voting in the studio.

What’s the most important and highly coveted job for Spark Studio learners? Line Leader, of course!

What happens when one succeeds? We ALL succeed!

This week the magic of reading has inspired all learners. How did this happen? All it took was one. One learner took the brave leap to try and read a Bob book and could do it! The smile, the pride, and the joy of this learner sharing their accomplishment was priceless. This one learner first read to a friend then with the desire to read more chose to invite the entire studio to listen to a book. What happened next? The learners were blown away and deeply inspired to learn to read. You could literally hear a pin drop and the sense of joy and wonder was flooding.

A happy and thriving learner community at Acton boils down to two essentials and a little flair.

1. Be kind.

2. Do some work everyday.

Imagine working on math, language, or dreaming about the world under a beautiful blue sky! The sky lights are officially installed at Acton and we are literally floating on clouds with their beauty! Along with skylights, a new roof was installed, exterior paint is perfectly finished in Acton blue, and the parking lots have been dug ready for pavement. Inside, electrical is almost complete and many walls are getting a refresh of paint.

This is a big question with a myriad of answers, worth a deep dive, investigation, and many conversations. Every year at Acton we choose an overarching question, a question that invites deep thought and investigation for our learners to explore possible answers over the course of each session. Given the fact that this is our inaugural year and given our world health crisis we thought humanity was a nice place to start.

Why are Acton classrooms called studios and why is our youngest studio called Spark?

The original Austin Acton campus says it best “Studios are homes to tinkerers, artists and innovators. They harbor hands-on experimentation, ongoing projects and creative messes. Studios reveal integrated layers of work and organized systems that inspire curiosity. Silence and noise each have their place in a studio.”

Montessori isn’t the bread and butter style of learning, so we want to take a moment to clue you in on our Montessori/Acton recipe for Spark Studio learners. The Spark Studio is essentially a Montessori studio and through out the year we will be sprinkling Acton principles such as the hero’s journey, badges, and more. Think 85% Montessori, 15% Acton ideas, a fusion dish!

So, what’s the dish on Montessori?

The magic of Montessori is the absolutely gorgeous materials that excite curiosity. Learning is beautiful and each material was crafted and cared for just as we learn to care for our minds, environment, and community.

Our Acton home is transforming everyday! Say goodbye to the lincoln log maroon exterior and hello to beautiful blue that feels oh so fresh, calming, and perfectly Acton Academy Oshkosh!

Besides the big blue change up, outside is beginning to get a face lift as well. Over the next few weeks our new driveway, parking, and sidewalk will be reimagined and we can’t wait to share these updates with you as we go. Soon to come, fencing and our magical outdoor play area (we’ve got big ideas and so do your learners-we’ve been listening!)

Life as a fly in the Spark Studio is rather magical! As a fly, your antenna would hear beautiful sounds of productivity and creative play. As you buzz around the studio you’ll find chit-chat at the snack table, sweet humming as learners practice washing tables, imaginative story telling during creative play, and many many lessons with Montessori learning materials. Of course, Spark life is real life, and from time to time you’ll hear learners disagree and work through the tough-minded and warm-hearted process of communication. Don’t forget that catchy clean-up song and a few yoga poses each day!