The first session of our Social Democracy camp over this past Spring Break led the Wonder Kids to (re)discovering the tenets of the U.S. Preamble, guided by the central question: what does it take to live in peace and freedom? In the second session, they were prompted to apply what they learned by creating their own Wonder Town. Want to take a tour around what they built?

In reflecting on this social and political moment, we realized there is perhaps some similarity between the moment the “Founding Fathers” found themselves in then and the moment we find ourselves in today: a world that has lost its way into chaos, a world looking for a compass towards peace and freedom. Maybe this could be the place to begin, as most School of Wonder adventures do — with a compass. 

You are a Wonder Kid. Your mom drops you off at 9am, and you find a cozy spot on the “living room” (a picnic blanket) to keep your snacks and backpack. Chill music is playing in the background, and you decide to start the day with watercolors. You paint what you see — some kids are climbing trees, others playing Elemental Tag, others building a fort out of sticks.

Gaia sends the Wonder Kids two enchanting visitors who leave behind trails of creativity and musical notes that linger like whispers in the frosty air.

At the School of Wonder, we strive to establish an environment in which Wonder Kids can become conscious global citizens who act in service to the environmental and social causes of our shared home.

The theme of this recent Spring Break Camp, Guardians of the Community, brought the Wonder Kids on an adventure to explore the people and places in our neighborhood who care, protect and give personality to Brooklyn’s local culture. In the five mini fields trips throughout the week, here is what they discovered.

Essayist, poet, and wonderer Maria Popova speaks at the New York Society of Ethical Culture in Manhattan, and School of Wonder reports back on what we learned.

A few Wonder Kids scurry across the park — printed-off ballot forms in hand — asking voters to come by the poll to vote for their most aligned manifesto. There is an hour before the poll closes and already voters are coming through to have their voice heard. Real electoral democracy happening before everyone’s eyes!

Our outdoor after school program takes place in the “Wonder Village” - a whimsical forest in Prospect Park where kids go on missions that lead them to play together and build relationships.

This is a free activity for parents to bring some wonder to their beach days - Building a DIY fort with your children is always an unforgettable experience! You just need to bring two blankets, some string and a few more optional things, such as clothespins or hair ties.

The design of all our work is based on the Wonder Compass — a learning framework composed of four main areas of knowledge: community, creativity, autonomy, and earth stewardship.

We have been creating and embarking on immersive adventures since 2017. Read about some of the past adventures on this blog.

The Wonder Adventures are clues games and gymkhanas with an exciting story as a common thread. Guided by fantastic beings (rocks, trees and other natural elements of the park) who speak through podcasts and lead the adventurers to a imagination team game following maps, solving puzzles and doing creative missions along the way.

Dazzled. Overwhelm. Brewing excitement.

Parents and children awaiting their instructions.

Shyly stepping forwards, confidence rising as envelopes are passed and stickers are assigned.

What happens next?

Here we explore with child psychologist Julia Durruty the benefits of imaginative play in child development. Providing a space for experimentation, imaginative play allows children the ability to explore and resolve aspects of life through their imagination to create a better understanding or way to being happy.

Environmental education, social emotional learning, experiential learning, outdoor education, creativity, sustainability, mindfulness, community engagement… isn’t it all we’ve been talking about in the last years? We’re making it happen in Fort Greene Park

Want to bring your classroom to the park? Today we share 5 tips for teachers and schools bringing their classrooms outdoors. You don’t need to bring the desks! Nature is a great natural classroom - here are some ideas for transforming your lessons into experiential learning ones.

The Quest for the Forgotten Kingdom is an adventure into an imaginary world within El Retiro Park, where lions and humans used to live in harmony.

Our children are the future. And we need to prepare them to lead the regeneration of our planet and the reconnection of humankind. What fundamental skills do they need to fulfill this mission?

Humanity is necessarily moving towards more evolved tasks and more flexible mindsets, led by the new possibilities of technology and global connection.