In Our Elements! Vol IV
Vol. IV - “it’s actually a really calm vibe”
Welcome to the Elements Academy newsletter, ‘In Our Elements!’
Your behind-the-scenes look at the magic of a child-led school (and life).
Written by Heather DiNino, Founder, Director, Educator, Elements Academy 🌳🌊☁️🔥
Each edition will have the following sections:
📓 IN THE CLASSROOM - Something happening at school in one of our classrooms (don’t worry, learning here is actually FUN)
🚙 OUT AND ABOUT - Something happening away from school! (we all know learning goes past the 4 walls, right?!)
📣 SMALL MOMENT SPOTLIGHT - The small moments that have the BIGGEST impact
🛠️ TRY IT AT HOME - your opportunity to DIY! An invitation to be more child-led at home!
✨ Ready for this week?! Let’s get started! ✨
📓 IN THE CLASSROOM
The Surprisingly Calm Vibe of a Child-Led School
Giving tours is always a pleasure. I love meeting families in person—especially those who are deeply committed to finding the right fit for their family. A recent tour was no different.
As always, I showed every room—even those their child wouldn’t technically be in—because our school isn’t a collection of separate units. It’s a home, a community. It’s important that families get a feel for the whole environment, not just one classroom.
Toward the end of the tour, when we had a moment to chat, the child’s father said, “There’s surprisingly a really calm overall vibe.”
I knew exactly what he meant—we hear it all the time—but I asked him to elaborate.
“Well, when you hear that no one’s working on the same thing at the same time, that there are no whole-class lessons and everything is invitation-based, you imagine chaos. But it’s just not.”
That’s right. It’s just not.
Does that mean we never have chaos? Of course not.
But the reality is, when children are free to learn what they want, when they want, in the way that works best for them, the result is a surprisingly calm (and often laughter-filled) environment.
🚙 OUT AND ABOUT
Let’s be real—it’s not always calm out there. But it’s still full of learning.
This past weekend, my daughter really wanted to go to the mall to find fun earrings for St. Patrick’s Day. I begrudgingly obliged. I don’t love the mall. And I especially don’t love it on the weekends. But I love her—and her excitement for special outfits.
When I say it was not calm, that’s an understatement. The store she wanted to go to was so small and so packed with stuff that I could barely move, let alone sift through thousands of earrings and give my opinion. And guess what? She was just as overwhelmed.
We got our earrings. And we got the hell out of there.
So what did we learn? (Besides don’t go to the mall on weekends…)
We learned that we both have incredible self-awareness. We recognize when we’re overwhelmed and why. We do what we need to do. And we know when to get out.
I was also fascinated by her awareness afterward—coming home and knowing she needed peace and quiet to recover. Those with fellow sensitive kids know exactly what I mean. And IYKYK.
All life is learning. Even (or especially) when it’s learning what not to do.
📣 SMALL MOMENT SPOTLIGHT
About a year ago, a student joined us whose family had been through hell—asked to leave multiple daycares because of their child’s so-called behavior. They were confused, frustrated, and scared. And their child, just three years old, was simply learning how to be human.
Late last week, I caught a moment—she was giggling while cleaning up. And I saw her. Truly saw her. For the small human she is. I just stood there, taking it in, feeling so full of gratitude that she found her way here.
That she can laugh during clean-up time. (No, she doesn’t laugh every time. She’s four. She still sometimes runs in the other direction when it’s time to clean up.) But she can giggle with friends, play with joy, and experience being a kid—without the shame of being a non-conforming child.
Like all kids, she has her ups and downs (as she should). But overall? She’s thriving. Her verbal skills have taken off. Her frustration tolerance has grown exponentially. She’s growing in every way - socially, emotionally, and academically.
I hope her parents can finally breathe a sigh of relief—knowing their child is safe here, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. That they are amazing parents raising an amazing little human.
And if this story resonates with you, I hope you find your home—a place where your child can truly thrive. Because every child deserves to love school.
🛠️ TRY IT AT HOME
Take a moment this week to notice when your home (or anywhere else—your car, the park, an activity) has a peaceful vibe. When do you feel that sense of everything feels okay right now?
Pay attention to what your kids are doing in that moment. What are you doing?
And then—see if you can create more of it.
The beautiful mess of a child-led life is about noticing, about adjusting, about meeting the energy in front of us.
Parenting is never what we imagined it would be. It’s not meant to be.
Education isn’t what we grew up with. It’s not meant to be.
We live in a different world now—let’s raise our kids for today, not for what we thought it would be or what it was 30 years ago.
🌳🌊☁️🔥
Until next time,
Heather 💕