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.

Madi Zins has been an immersive leader in our Wonder Adventures in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, and at Dance Beyond and other festivals Upstate. Immersive storytelling is a key element of our wonder approach.

Puppetry creates a container in the forest in which care, kindness, and social interaction is encouraged.

“The future can be how we want it to be! We just have to build it!”

The Wonder Magicians are the creative teachers and guest artists who guide the Wonder kids through adventures – but they’re also so much more. Here you’ll learn about the incredible people who facilitate the after school programs and Wonder Camps!

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.

Using the map to find the portal, the group reaches the back end of the Wonder Village. A black squirrel scurries across the group—Gaia is sending the group a guide to the portal! The Wonder Kids follow the squirrel, crossing beyond the previously set Wonder Village boundaries into a newfound freedom together.

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.

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

La Plaza de San Felipe in Zaragoza has a mysterious sculpture of a man seated on the floor. What is he doing there? We propose a wonder mission, a short game to play with the family while you do tourism where you can discover the secrets of this old town.

The other day in La Sarra (Sallent de Gállego) my nephews and I became the Mudlodyte Tribe, inspired by the butterflies, the river, and the mud that we found to paint our faces. I love when Nature infects us with its wildest, playful and magical side.

Before COVID-19, we played Wonder Adventures in parks, such as The Quest for the Magic Potion. This was an original fantasy story created for Fort Greene Park that we played last year. Here are some pictures and videos showing the “magic” that happens in our Wonder Adventures.

Inspired to help Gaia, the mythical Mother Earth, the Wonder Kids embark on imaginative and real journeys throughout the most magical corners of Prospect Park, following maps and completing missions along the way.

The School of Wonder is developing a unique methodology combining experiential learning, story-telling and outdoor education. To create a unforgettable learning experience we follow these four steps.