In Our Elements! Vol VII
Vol. VII - FUN learning is changing (and saving) lives
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 has 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
Learning Should Be FUN
Kids are born curious, right? It’s how they learn to walk, talk, and (eventually) eat without dropping food all over their faces. (Some of us are still working on that part... lol.)
Seriously though—curiosity and creativity are baked into childhood. So if school is supposed to be where kids learn, why do we act like it’s normal for them to hate it? When did we decide it was okay for “school sucks” to be a rite of passage?
This week, I took a moment to really look around our mixed-age elementary classroom, and what I saw was this: learning is incredibly fun. Here’s a quick peek inside:
Joy – seeing their friends show up (and which stuffie they brought today)
Laughter – telling jokes and absolutely cracking up
Tears – falling while playing soccer hurts sometimes!
Frustration – “It’s not working the way I want it to!”
Pride – figuring out how to make a snap circuit actually work
Independence – eating when they’re hungry, not when the bell rings
I could seriously go on forever—these kids are magical. But here’s the thing: if they were in a different kind of school, they’d look—and feel—very different. And that difference would shape everything: their identity, their self-beliefs, even how they see the world.
Wild, right?
So the next time you hear someone say kids hate school, or learning isn’t fun—pause. Question that story. Because it doesn’t have to be true.
Learning can be joyful. It can be meaningful.
It can (and should!) be fun.
🚙 OUT AND ABOUT
Trip to the Mall
We had a plan: two of our teens wanted to cut and dye my hair. (Yep. For real.) They were showing me SIMS and I made a badass character with short purple hair, I said I wanted that IRL, and they said, “Let’s do it.”
We have a phenomenal teacher who’s not only wildly creative but also down to try and learn anything expressive. So when we shared our idea, she was like, “Yup - we can totally do this!” They watched YouTube tutorials, compared styles, made plans—and we’re ready to go.
Then, the day of the haircut, realized... we needed scissors. 😅
I mean, sure—we had classroom scissors. But not exactly what you’d want to trust for a real haircut.
So what did we do? Simple. Grab a couple of kids and headed to the mall—Sally’s Beauty at South Shore Plaza. The kids were involved, engaged, and thrilled to be out in the world (they always love an outing). And here’s the best part: this trip, like all trips, didn’t take away from their learning—it added to it.
They still did more math, reading, and writing that day than many kids do in a week. The outing enhanced it. Because when kids feel fulfilled, excited, and connected to what they’re doing, they learn more deeply. And outings like this? They’re packed with learning—from planning and budgeting to communication, navigation, decision-making, and more.
That afternoon during the haircut I heard the teen literally applauding themselves, saying, “We’re eating!” (Which, if you don’t speak fluent Teen, basically means: We are totally killing it right now.) And I knew everything about that moment was exactly right.
I love that we get to think outside the box, step outside the box, and do school outside the box. Watching these kids grow through living life is truly magical.
And I got an amazing haircut (pics coming soon!)
📣 SMALL MOMENT SPOTLIGHT
interests + connection = deep, authentic learning
Two students—both labeled “work avoidant” in their previous schools—sat side by side this week, fully immersed in the National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia.
They weren’t assigned to read it.
No one told them they had to.
They just... wanted to. And bonded over a shared interest.
They asked each other what words meant, swapped facts and stories, lit up over discoveries, and shared things they’ve heard outside of school
(“Did you know they ‘brought back’ a dire-wolf that has been extinct for, like, ever?!”)
They were reading. They were engaged. And they were learning so much more than just animal facts.
It was one of those moments that reminds us:
When kids get to follow their interests and passions, the “work” doesn’t feel like work at all.
It becomes joy.
🛠️ DIY
Infuse JOY
We know kids are born curious. But what if your child seems like they’ve lost their spark? What if they dread school, resist learning, or just seem disconnected?
First—deep breath. It’s not all on you. You might not be able to change how your child feels about school (some things are outside our control), but you can help reignite their joy in everyday life.
So what can you do?
✨ Infuse joy wherever you can.
That might mean making after-school time feel different from school—more relaxed, more playful, more connected. Maybe they decompress with music, drawing, a walk, or silly kitchen dance parties. Maybe they help plan dinner (or dessert), build something, or just talk about their day without any pressure.
Look for tiny sparks. Follow their interests. Get curious together.
When kids feel seen, safe, and free to be themselves, their curiosity returns. And that curiosity could be a step toward a love of learning and maybe a step toward healing from their day.
🌳🌊☁️🔥
Until next time,
Heather 💕
Founding Director, Elements Academy
If you’re ever interested in talking more about having your child attend Elements Academy or a child-led school like it (or even opening your own!) reach out any time. I read (and respond to) every single email. No ai bots in my email - just me, a real human, connecting with other real humans to talk about parenting and education. You can reach out to me any time — heather@elementsacademy.org