Session 5 Learning DesignWe are excited to announce our Quests and other focus areas for each of our four mixed-age studios for the upcoming session. This is our second of three science themed sessions, where learners have the opportunity to explore various scientific topics in a very hands on way. You can read more about our learning design here. Quests are real-world projects to master 21st-century skills. Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history. Sparks | Transportation ThemeRather than complete traditional Quests, that are reserved for our Elementary and Middle/ High School studios, our Spark Studio explores a different theme each session. This session is all about transportation! Hero of the Week: The Sparks will also continue learning about their hero of the week through the Ordinary People Change the World book series. Last session's favorite hero was by far Rosa Parks. The learners really latched onto her story, her courage, and simply couldn't fathom the idea of treating someone so poorly based on the color of their skin.
DISCOVERY + ODYSSEY Zoo keeper QUESTThe Discovery + Odyssey Studios will be teaming up once more this year for another exciting quest. This Quest places learners in the shoes of a zoo keeper here at the Lincoln Children's Zoo, where they will need to assess the enrichment needs of animals at the zoo. After creating a proposal that they submit to Zoo staff for approval, learners will build enrichment tools or activities for the zoo inhabitants that will actually be featured in each habitat. This Quest is loosely based on Toys for Elephants created by MA University art students and was the winner of the network wide learning design challenge a few years ago!
Adventure Studio | Medical Biology Quest
![]() Communication: This session's Communication challenge is based on the book 'The Audacious Ask' - In some cases a high likelihood of failure can lead to fear and paralysis. In other cases it can be incredibly freeing - If failure is essentially guaranteed, what do you have to lose, but also, what do you stand to gain? This session Heroes in the Adventure studio will be identifying and attempting to contact a number of their own real life heroes. They'll be challenged with making an audacious ask - something bold, something daring, but something they can make a persuasive case for. Will any succeed? Only time will tell, but regardless, all heroes will have a great opportunity to hone important skills and attributes like clear communication, grit, perseverance, and, of course, audacity! Onward!
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A Tale of Crossing Into the Unknown for One Lincoln Highschooler I have experienced many things throughout my life, and Acton has remained most meaningful. I am here to share my story, my growth, and how I have changed for those who are to come. To begin with, I have explored the academic world my entire life. I have seen many different perspectives on school all with ample opportunities. However, no school quite fit and I didn’t feel seen. Homeschooling left me lonely, and I felt my academic progress couldn’t be compared properly. I struggled socially, felt outcasted, and was consistently frustrated with how underwhelming the learning environment truly was. One day I was introduced to a new idea. A school that worked with self-paced learning, and individuality while also working together in a tight-knit tribe. It piqued my interest and rekindled a spark of hope for learning that had been gradually fizzing out. Shortly after, I walked through Actons' doors and it became abundantly clear how different this school was. A spacious “studio” with high ceilings holding barely a dozen handpicked people, guided by this overarching idea. This newfound freedom had to be earned, requiring copious amounts of patience and work. I felt completely overwhelmed, convinced a year's worth of work had to be done in a day and my mind was overflowing with new knowledge and responsibility. However, I knew I wasn’t the only one. The other heroes in the studio were faced with similar challenges and it felt comforting knowing we were learning together. Unfortunately, though, life is never that uncomplicated. How do you navigate through a learning space without adult intervention? What happens when two don’t get along? I never enjoyed being in the foreground, but I felt I was forced to scramble to keep things together. I had meetings upon meetings to come up with strategies on how to handle the situation, but none of their suggestions seemed to take into account the game theory that was running rampant throughout the studio. Things came and went as the year went by. But soon things crescendoed into suffocating arguments that rang on all day; every fleeting moment would fan the flames of a new problem. Tension grew stronger and every semblance of guidance seemed to fade into the background. I took things into my own hands (or at least tried to). I walked in knowing I would have my part in the tribe, but I wasn’t expecting to lead the charge. I felt abandoned by the tribe and by the idea. I felt overwhelmed and in desperate need of a quiet space to hide with schooldays filled to the brim with chaos. My mother was the only one who seemed to understand the true extent this was affecting me. Eventually, things subsided for seemingly no reason. The experience pierced a hole in my perception of Acton and the people it holds. It felt like I saw first-hand how a little chaos could crumble a tribe to its knees. I felt immense pressure to be the authority that kept things intact, directly or indirectly, but that’s not who I am. My mindset, deepest desire, and seeming requirement to be the shining light, the guiding star for those in the studio clashed with my temperament. Acton is a place where you learn how to learn and learn how to live. There will always be fallouts, and places where things just don’t go how you may have planned them to, but what’s important is the ability to brush it off and keep going. From my time here as a whole, I have changed as a person. But I believe the majority of my change comes from this moment. I chose to lean into the messiness and chaos of the community, something I would’ve never done previously. I chose to deal with the pressure and environment. I seized the opportunity to step into a role I was deeply uncomfortable with and pushed through the difficulties. Now, I have done things I could’ve never previously imagined doing. Read out speeches, fought in discussions, led an exhibition, talked on a radio station, and now wrote this essay. Now, from my newfound deeper knowledge of the flaws in the systems we had created, I worked tirelessly to try to mend them. I saw how much things depended on the relationships in the studio and fought to try to find solutions. Whether they were successful or not is debatable. But, I can say confidently that now the studio has been evolving into something self-sufficient able to finally hold each other accountable to a standard. It’s a world I may have never imagined seeing after the drama of last year. But it’s here and it’s happened. And now, my perception of myself and the world has changed. I see myself and my abilities for what they are, and I have grown more confident in myself. Previously, I couldn’t own my accomplishments or be aware of how much hard work I put into something. It is a profound shift in such a small amount of time but I believe it shows how impressive Acton can be. I consider the most impactful lesson from Acton has been how important this mindset can truly be: there are many ways to view the world but only a handful of them can truly be beneficial. I typically see things in either an abstract or incredibly logical way, but with help from our studies on Growth Mindset, I have now been able to blend things into a mindset that works well for me and my pursuits. In general, I think this is where the bulk of Acton’s power comes from. Sometimes the ideals can blind people to the reality of how things work. You get what you incentivize for and what you work towards. Tomorrow, my life is not suddenly going to be perfect because I said it would be. It requires effort to create and maintain a tribe, it requires effort to write an essay, and it requires work to mend your mindset. Acton gives me, us, the ability to figure these things out for ourselves. Life is a journey that requires consistent work and dedication, it will not always be a straightforward path. There are times were sacrifices must be made and when you must take a different path. Being taught is not how these things stick, it’s from failure and learning for yourself. Acton is a place where you learn how to learn and learn how to live. There will always be fallouts, and places where things just don’t go how you may have planned them to, but what’s important is the ability to brush it off and keep going. Again, this is not something that can just be taught. It’s from first-hand hard experience that shows you, you NEED to just keep going. That person you disappointed, that deadline you missed, that job or team you didn’t make, or that sale you lost. It’s a temporary failure that if you let consume you would become much more. As I have said before, I have done things I could’ve never imagined doing. I went kayaking through a river even though I was terrified and exhausted. I created a business and helped make an escape room. I figured out physics and electricity (tried to at least). Planned an entire trip to Italy. All of these things I probably would’ve never done without Acton. Acton is about growth: I have changed as a person, and so have my peers. As we learn and grow, it’s a mountain we must climb to reach the peak of our potential. You encompass the vastness of the world and the opportunities associated with it, but sometimes you are blinded by the fear of failure or possibilities. Acton is where you learn to see both sides. You see the beauty around you and the possibilities of something going wrong while learning as you go how to avoid them. Your curiosity is what fuels the world, what’s important is learning how to control it. Do Guides Really Not Answer Questions? The following blog is a follow up to a previous deep dive into the Socratic Method at Acton Academy. If you were to boil Acton down to its most basic, it's that Acton Academy Lincoln is a learner-driven community. We are learner driven in the sense that the energy for the learning journey flows from the responsibility of the learners to take on challenges and make choices and then own the consequences of their decisions. This is the heart of personal growth and character development. We are a community in the sense that we are all heroes in the making, actively building a fellowship of heroes, parents, and guides all working together and supporting one another on a hero’s journey. No one journeys alone and individual choices impact the culture of the whole. Both of these are essential to what we are building at Acton. In an effort to build Acton into an authentic learner driven community, this past year the guides have focused in on the practice of remaining 100% Socratic all the time. A part of this has to do with not answering questions directly, but it is even more about developing our own mindset and habits so we are more effectively equipping heroes with tools and recipes, connecting them to one another, and igniting curiosity and growth. As we have doubled down on this part of Acton learning design, we’ve encountered the misconception (from both learners and parents) that Socratic Guiding means that guides aren’t here to help. That heroes are discouraged from asking questions or seeking help when they need it or that this commitment to remaining Socratic was chipping away at the sense of community at Acton. There’s certainly a part of this that comes from the fact that we are still very much growing and developing as guides. We’re learning every day and making adjustments as we deepen our own understanding and skills. But at the heart of this is the fear that these two critical characteristics of Acton - Learner Driven & Community - are at odds with each other. But this isn’t the case. Socratic guiding is certainly radical practice in education and a nuanced process. But as we have wrestled with it, both in theory and in practice, it's become clear that having guides who commit to always remaining Socratic is a cornerstone of both ensuring a learner driven environment and building a strong community. To help challenge this misunderstanding at school, we played a game for the last two and a half weeks of Session 3. Over the course of 12 school days, heroes were challenged to document at least 1000 instances of either guides helping heroes Socratically, or heroes serving one another in a meaningful way. The specifics of the challenge were adapted to be understandable for each studio, but “documented helping” had to fall into these categories: To keep energy high, we took a variety of ideas from the heroes (ranging from a pet rabbit, to pizza, to a movie/fort building party) and built a prize bracket that they voted on each day until a final schoolwide choice was made. And in 12 days the heroes documented 1053 instances of guides helping Socratically and heroes serving one another. The majority were heroes helping each other but more than 250 were instances of guides helping Socratically. I think all of this is noteworthy, because it shows that at Acton, where guides commit to remaining 100% Socratic all the time:
Again, I think there has been the perception that guides remaining 100% Socratic has been protecting the learner driven side of Acton at the expense of developing the community. And so I’m sharing all of this really for two reasons. The first is simply to highlight the reality that Socratic guiding is an important part of building up both the learner-driven and community aspects of Acton. The second is to offer parents an insight and a tool to help us push back against this misconception and equip your hero to be a learner-driven community builder. As a fellow Acton parent, as well as guide, I’ve found with my own children that the sense (real or not) of facing a challenge alone or not having anyone to turn to for support can be a trap that leads to a victim mentality. Our hope is that when your child comes home struggling with a problem at school and starts to say things like like “guides won’t help me,” or “I can’t ask anybody for help,” that together you can look back at this experience and use it a conversation starter and tool for pointing them both to the learner driven tools they have AND the community that is here to support them.
Out of our family's journey has come a new journey, one in which we are challenge all our learners to push their challenge zone and live life outside. Being kids, building forts, playing games, scraping knees, simply learning to 'be' in nature. But the question remains, is there REALLY no such thing as bad weather? “There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather…” A phrase most of us have heard at one time or another…sometimes easier said than done but a lesson we’ve learned in our home is all too true. “There’s no such thing as bad weather…only bad clothing.” An old tide and true saying- an even better book. One that changed the way our lives look here in the Harsin household. I also credit the book “Balanced and Barefoot” as the initial catalyst for my desire to make outdoor, free play an absolute priority in our children’s lives. I could talk for hours about my inspiration, about the books and the blogs and the podcasts and ALL THE RESEARCH that says, “we go to nature to become our best selves”. But that’s a completely different conversation. The goal here is to simply share a few tricks and tips that have served us well over the last two years as our family has continue to embody this concept. We’re by no means experts on this subject but hopefully, you find something here that you can add to your toolbox to make cold-weather, outdoor time a bit more enjoyable!
Some of our Favorites
My final resource is the link to a podcast hosted by the founder of 1000 Hours Outside with guest speaker, Linda Akesone McGurk the Author of “There’s No Such Thing as Bad Weather”...two, true experts on the topic. Enjoy! In closing I’m sharing a few pictures of our Sparks heroes because they (and their parents) have truly embodied the challenge this year as they have spent every Wednesday, all day, outdoors. They’ve shifted and acclimated with the changing weather and continue to blow us away every week with their grit and amazing attitudes. They play HARD and oftentimes we hear them talk of being too warm, even on a cold winter day! They should serve as a great inspiration to us all! ❄️ Science all around!We are excited to announce our Quests and other focus areas for each of our four mixed-age studios for the upcoming session. Traditionally, this is one of approximately three science themed sessions, where learners have the opportunity to explore various scientific topics in a very hands on way. You can read more about our learning design here. Quests are real-world projects to master 21st-century skills. Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history. Sparks | Detective Work
Discovery Writing Focus | Minute Mysteries Discovery heroes will have the chance to choose from various prompts as one of their meaningful works stations this session. Odyssey Writer's Workshop | Comic Book Creation This session Odyssey heroes will discover their inner comic book artist as they write and create their own comic book! After the first few weeks of drafting and finalizing a story of a Hero’s Journey, heroes will use the Pixton app to design a comic book that that tells their story! Adventure | Biology 1:3![]() This Session the Adventure Studio will be diving into part one of a 3 session science focused cycle with Biology. This series of three quests will help work learners up to the point of a medical biology quest where learners step into the shoes of Doctors diagnosing various diseases. Each week of the Biology Quest heroes will be exposed to challenges and games concerning a different part of Biology, from the tiniest of organisms to systems that affect our entire planet, and from the dawn of time to the latest scientific breakthroughs. There will be a special emphasis on the idea of paradigm shift as they examine examples of the process of discovery and how that impacts scientific thought. In addition, as this session marks the midpoint of the year, we will be dedicating a part of this session to "Rebuild the Tribe." This simply means returning intentionally to the questions and ideas with which we began the year about why we are here and what we are building. Heroes will participate in a series of discussions, challenges and games that offer a process for reviewing and updating key studio systems, examining and improving the studio contract, and strengthening the studio community. Communication will be something of an assortment this session. Some of the heroes will be completing a Biology Hero Biography, where they will choose a great scientist - whether that be a Paradigm buster, a puzzle maker, or a data gatherer - and will focus their writing around the central question, " What made this person become one of the greatest scientists of all time?" Other heroes may be using this session to dive into a few other communication focused independent projects! For Civilization heroes will be continue examining the foundations of early America - the Constitution, Bill of Rights, Slavery and exploration and expansion. As always, their work will put them in the shoes of decision makers in history and their learning will center around the important question, "Why do some civilizations rise and others fall?" Onward! Rise & Fall of CivilizationsSESSION 3 HERE WE COME! We are excited to announce our Quests and other focus areas for each of our four mixed-age studios for the upcoming session. Traditionally, this is our "Civilization" themed session, where learners have the opportunity to explore various historical topics in a very hands on way. You can read more about our learning design here. Quests are real-world projects to master 21st-century skills. Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history. QUEST This session the Spark Studio will be exploring the BIOMES OF THE WORLD.🌎 The heroes will get to explore the wonders of the Ocean🐠, Rainforest🦜, and Desert🌵 through hands-on challenges, books, and exploration! HEROS OF THE WEEK Each week of a session our sparks are introduced to a new hero from world history using the Ordinary People Change the World book series. This session the learners will meet: Helen Keller, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln. CULTURE On Fridays throughout the session the sparks also explore various cultures around the world. This session they will explore the South Pole, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. Discovery![]() Acton is a journey and there are simply so many layers to the Acton onion that we continue to roll various new pieces out throughout the first half of the year! This session is no different, the Discovery Studio will be experiencing Writer's Workshop challenges for the first time this year (see details below) AND will be launching a new Daily & Weekly SMART goal system! QUEST | US CITIZENSHIP This session, the Discovery & Odyssey Studios will immerse themselves in U.S. Citizenship! The heroes will immerse themselves in the history of immigration in the United States, their family trees, and will experience what it’s like to be someone seeking to become a naturalized citizen, all while playing some games and reflecting upon the experience. CIVILIZATION This session, the Discovery Studio will take a break from 'The Story of the World' book they have been reading and instead shift to reading stories of Immigrants. INTRODUCING WRITER'S WORKSHOP! This session will be the first chance the Discovery Studio has experienced formalized writing challenges. This first session they will simply be journaling each day, taking time to write about their bricks (what's weighing them down) and balloons (what's lifting them up/ what they are excited about). In subsequent sessions they will have a station set up during meaningful works where they will be able to take on various writing challenges from writing and mailing a letter to a hero, to taking on typing challenges, and more! Odyssey![]() Last session the heroes in the Odyssey Studio voted that they would like to attend Wilderness Wednesdays more often and therefore they will now be joining the fun at Shiloh more often! This issue was raised in townhall, discussed and voted on. Proponents of the move talked about how fun it was and how they really wanted to be outside even more, those in opposition discussed how this meant less time to work towards badges, especially in Core Skills. Ultimately, they all decided this was an investment worth making. We share this brief insight, because this is Acton at work! Giving them the freedom and space to raise issues, discuss, debate, and solve as they see fit. QUEST | US CITZENSHIP As mentioned, the Odyssey Studio will be joining the Discovery Studio for this engaging Civilization themed Quest. The Odyssey heroes will immerse themselves in the history of immigration in the United States and will experience what it’s like to be someone seeking to become a naturalized citizen. Through a series of challenges, they’ll assume the role of an immigrant and prepare for a naturalization test, all while playing some games and reflecting upon the experience. WRITER'S WORKSHOP | LETTERS OF GRATITUDE Coming off of Thanksgiving and heading into the holiday season, Session 3 felt like the perfect time to continue practicing gratitude. Heroes will be writing letters to the people, places, and things they are grateful for. CIVILIZATION The Odyssey Studio will continue to make decisions as they walk in the shoes of heroes from History using the Story of the World series as their guide. This session they travel to the 17th and 18th centuries and hearing stories from the Mughal Empire of India, the Great Plague in England, the life of the Sun King, and the rise of Prussia. Adventure![]() Session 3 Focus (Quest, Communication, Civilization) Each year, part of the rhythm of learning in the Adventure studio includes a Civilization focused session that will allow us to dive deeply into the roles of decision makers of the past . Thus this year, Session 3 will be built around the American Revolution. Quest, Civilization, and Communication badge work will all be unified around this theme as heroes dig into the central question: “Should America's Founding Principles be Treasured or Redefined?” Part of the session will feature a gamified “revolution” experience - more on that when we get to week two, but if you’d like a preview, I’ll refer you back to chapter 5 of Courage to Grow! Out and About: On Monday of week two of this session, the Adventure Studio has been invited to travel to the KLIN studio to meet with Doug Fitzgerald - author, entrepreneur, and host of “One Shot. One Life.” Doug has also extended an invite for some Acton heroes and families to join him on the air on Dec. 6 from 5-6PM on the KLIN Drive Time Show! Projects for the Real WorldQuests are real-world projects to master 21st-century skills. Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history. Ingredients of a Successful Quest
When do Quests Happen?
How is progress measured?
Curriculum is a 4 letter word at Acton, but that doesn't mean we aren't intentional about learning designI've already spoken at length about how the word Curriculum is a 4 letter word at Acton. And though it may seem trivial, I would argue the difference between Curriculum & Learning Design is just as vast as the difference between Academics & Education. "Curriculum" stirs up feelings of administration staff, who have never worked a day in a classroom, selecting textbooks from a list of suitors all trying to sell their version of "what children need to know" in this specific subject at this specific age. For me, it implies something that's being chosen for you and done to you and is in no way learner-driven. "Learning Design" on the other hand is simply a series of invitations, challenges, and questions designed to peak your curiosity and actively engage you in the learning process. I also tell every family that tours Acton - "We are NOT an Academically driven school, rather we are a Learner-Driven Community that emphasizes character development and leadership (Learning to Be)." But just because we don't emphasize Academics doesn't mean we don't see Math, Reading and Writing as foundational skills needed to lead a successful life. We still believe in Learning to Do & Learning to Learn (Education). That said, we also believe we don't need to artificially push a child along, label them as ahead or behind, or add pressure to learn a specific skill by a specific age. We believe every child who enters our doors possesses the ability to learn these skills on their own and at their own pace. We desire to see learners establishing a true LOVE of learning, then continuing to take on more and more challenging work overtime. The idea of focusing on MORE than simply academics can most easily be summarized in three words: Whole Child Development. Yes, Math and English are important pieces of the learning design, but they certainly are NOT our only focus: Shifting gears slightly, here are some very brief thoughts on the more academically driven pieces of our Learning Design:
My hope is this blog post gives you a glimpse behind the curtain of our learning design. (Even my wife, Heidi, said she learned something new in proofing this blog!). We are always assessing and adjusting as we continue to learn more from everyone in the network.
This constant state of assessing and learning is also why we changed math software this year. Dreambox wasn't as fun & engaging, nor did it provide the immediate feedback loops for self-correction like Beast Academy. Plus Beast is actually far more comprehensive in nature too with built in instructional videos for when learners get stuck. Beyond that, we are able to lean on the Acton network here too, Beast came highly recommended from the network/ learners at other Actons which made the decision easier for us. We didn't even have the space to touch on things like independent reading, handwriting, typing, foreign language, PE, Servant leadership badges, our outdoor program, or really any of the Learning to Be & Learning to Learn concepts in the "Whole Child Development" graphic above. All of which play a VITAL role in the overall learning design and badge plans of each of our learners. My questions for you are,
My challenge for you, should you desire to dig deeper on our Learner-Driven Learning Design is to complete one or more of the Learning Design Family Badges. There are badges for parents to learn more about: Writing at Acton, Quests, Excellence, Mastery, and more! Onward! zh Overcoming Early Failures & Challenges
Acton Lincoln came to us at a time where our oldest was in the public school after trying private schools in Lincoln and everything in between. We were midway into 2020 when online learning was not going well and we were all frustrated at home. We watched a video that solidified everything my husband and I believed and wished for our children…that they have the ability to change the world. Our start to Acton was rocky and there were so many times we all wanted to quit. But we knew that there was a reason we found ourselves here. We are so thankful for Acton and all it continues to teach us as a family. We are all life-long learners and we can’t wait to see where our family continues to grow. We finished our year in public school and made the transition hoping for the best but, ultimately, not knowing what to expect. Elijah, our oldest, 8 at the time, did not thrive. He struggled. We watched him unlearn a lot of the things he excelled at in public school as he is very intelligent but only knew how to use that skill to ace tests and finish work early to have “free time.” At Acton, it isn’t about the testing, it is about the personal development, a skill that we longed for our children to develop but didn’t have the tools to encourage it by ourselves. Acton is that tool for us. As the year progressed, Elijah struggled more. He struggled having his voice heard. He struggled with his peers. He struggled finding his place in the studio. He struggled with his emotions as he learned how to manage those emotions as he became more frustrated along the way. Acton is hard. But they are allowing heroes to fail, early, cheaply, often, in order to learn hard lessons now when the stakes are low. But he also excelled. He excelled at his problem solving skills. His adventurous spirit came out of him–our once fearful child is now climbing trees and exploring the wilderness and nature like never before. He has learned how to share his feelings in a healthy way. He has learned time management skills–something we are still working on as adults. He is learning how to be a better leader, as his sister has now joined him at Acton in the Spark Studio, and as he has the chance to be a part of his studio council.
What do we really mean by |
Happy reading, happy summer. Heidi P.S - If you're not already follow Laura Sandefer's Blog on Being an Acton Parent, you SHOULD be! |
The Final Session of the Year is here!
And just like that we have arrived at the final session of our first full year!
Quests are real-world projects to master 21st-century skills.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
If you'd like to look back at previous sessions quests you can do so here, but this year our learners have explored the following areas through their Quest time:
Spark Studio
Spark Studio
- Servant Leadership
- Holidays & Cultures Around the World
- Space Explorers (Outer Space & Space Travel)
- Healthy Living
- Survivor Quest
- Architecture Quest
- Podcast Creation
- Art Quest
- Mechanical Engineering (Arcade Game Design/ Build)
- Survivor Quest
- World Traveler Quest
- Edison's Lab (Intro to Science at Acton)
- Physics Quest
- Electrical Engineering (Build a Model City)
- Survivor Quest
~Session 7 Quests~
Spark Studio
Growing Curiosity - This will be a learner-led quest in which the heroes voted on various topics they were interested in and will get the chance to dive deeper into them each week of this session.
The heroes will be provided with 2-3 options of challenges each week that they will be able to complete independently with the materials provided to them.
Biomes: "Create your own ecosystem"
- Week #1: Exploring Electricity
- Week #2: Exploring Color
- Week #3: Exploring Farming
- Week #4: Exploring Trees
Biomes: "Create your own ecosystem"
- Heroes will be provided with various craft supplies and get to design their own ecosystem from the rainforest, desert, or ocean biomes, all of which were ecosystems they learned about earlier this year.
Discovery StudioQuest: World Traveling! We will "fly" to each of the 7 continents of the world, where the heroes will have the freedom to explore individual countries' cartography/ geography, culture, and language. After covering the 7 continents, heroes will choose one country to fully immerse themselves in for a more in-depth study. |
Writer's Workshop: For the Love of Writing Around the World! This Writer's Workshop is all about growth in writing - both growth in skills and in the love of writing. Each hero will complete multiple pieces of writing, but they get to choose a plan in their challenge zone to reach that goal!
They have a variety of prompts all based on the continents and world traveling - with the emphasis on exploration, creativity, and fostering still the love of writing.
They have a variety of prompts all based on the continents and world traveling - with the emphasis on exploration, creativity, and fostering still the love of writing.
Adventure Studio

Quest - Art and Creativity
Are artists discovered or created? What is art? Is art valuable? Your job in this quest is to answer these questions through deliberate practice of art, and careful studying of artistic heroes and their works.
Goals: Study the foundations of drawing and technique, make an educated decision about a specialty or niche to study further and make a deliberate practice of as you work towards a public showcase and gallery art sale of your works.
Exhibition: Public Art Showcase (with visitors looking to purchase art under a randomly assigned persona and budget).
Are artists discovered or created? What is art? Is art valuable? Your job in this quest is to answer these questions through deliberate practice of art, and careful studying of artistic heroes and their works.
Goals: Study the foundations of drawing and technique, make an educated decision about a specialty or niche to study further and make a deliberate practice of as you work towards a public showcase and gallery art sale of your works.
Exhibition: Public Art Showcase (with visitors looking to purchase art under a randomly assigned persona and budget).
Genre - Short Essay and Creative Writing
The Acton approach to building great writers is to write a lot and to utilize a powerful system of peer review, critique, and revision. This session's genre is designed to both inspire and equip the heroes as writers by offering them the opportunity to write a number of short pieces on topics they choose and then to select their best work to take through a process of critique, revision, and publishing.
The Acton approach to building great writers is to write a lot and to utilize a powerful system of peer review, critique, and revision. This session's genre is designed to both inspire and equip the heroes as writers by offering them the opportunity to write a number of short pieces on topics they choose and then to select their best work to take through a process of critique, revision, and publishing.
Parents Reflect on their Journey to Acton:
"We can't think of a better legacy than this."
We had high expectations for Acton Academy coming in, and Acton has exceeded them.
Our journey to Acton is probably like many others. We felt there was more to education than what we'd seen with traditional schooling. And that's not a knock on the teachers, only the current system they work in, which in our view is suboptimal. Reading books like Nurture Shock and The Talent Code and listening to TED Talks like Sir Ken Robinson's opened our eyes to a new way of thinking and inspired use to explore alternative education options in Lincoln, Nebraska. We questioned why today's approach to traditional schooling is essentially the same as decades ago.
A series of events then unfolded that led us to Acton Academy Lincoln. First, our daughter, who is very much an outside-the-box thinker and someone who is always coming up with new ideas, was being graded on her handwriting in 1st grade. What wasn't on the checklist scorecard was creativity, where she thrives. Why is that? Doctors toil for years after college, working long hours to perfect their craft, and we consider them successful in life. You know what else they're known for...having illegible handwriting. So why the disconnect in our school system? Why not emphasize usable skills in today's world--creativity, collaboration, communication, and critical thinking--instead of procedural rigamarole? Our daughter would come home from traditional school exhausted, no doubt because they forced her to learn in a manner that didn't suit her best. We can only imagine how many other kids are in her shoes.
During the fall of 2020 through the spring of 2021, we homeschooled our daughter. Our daughter thrived under this less rigid education model. She had the autonomy to study what she wanted when she wanted. To spend more time on something that interested her and less time on what didn't while still getting the work done. The idea that a one-size-fits-all approach works for school doesn't make much sense. The home school experiment was not a long-term solution, so thankfully, we learned about Acton during the tail end of our daughter's second-grade year.
We had high expectations for Acton Academy coming in, and Acton has exceeded them. We love this school, its mission, philosophy, and how it encourages kids to be kids—Forest Fridays, learning about podcasts and outdoor survival, engineering, etc. We love the mixed-age studios and how everyone works together and encourages each other. Focusing on critical thinking skills, collaborating with your peers, communication, and brainstorming creative ways to solve problems are vital skills for today's world.
Not to mention, we love the entrepreneurial focus of Acton and how they encourage young minds to consider the possibilities and challenge the status quo. A person can read about starting a business or running a business until they're blue in the face, but nothing replaces doing those things. Firsthand experience is essential to growth; it's where the mistakes are made and thus where the lessons are learned. It's much safer to stay on the sidelines and criticize others doing the work, but the actual rewards are in the doing. At Acton, kids learn to be, learn to do, and learn to learn. Acton is creating lifelong learners and kids who have a growth mindset. We can't think of a better legacy than this. |
- Jon & Audrey Sevenker
Acton Lincoln Parents
Lincoln's Top Rated Private School Now Offering
Part Time Kindergarten (And PRe-K)
When we first started looking for Kindergarten options in Lincoln, Nebraska one of the most important things for our family was to have a part-time option for our daughter.
As we searched, it quickly became apparent that there weren't many options for part-time Kindergarten, let alone ones we saw working long term for our family.
Needless to say, it has always been part of our vision to offer a part-time Pre-K and Kindergarten option at Acton Lincoln. Today that vision is a reality! We are happy to announce we will begin offering a limited number of part-time seats in the fall, with the hope of growing this option in the future!
As we searched, it quickly became apparent that there weren't many options for part-time Kindergarten, let alone ones we saw working long term for our family.
Needless to say, it has always been part of our vision to offer a part-time Pre-K and Kindergarten option at Acton Lincoln. Today that vision is a reality! We are happy to announce we will begin offering a limited number of part-time seats in the fall, with the hope of growing this option in the future!
Our montessori Spark Studio
Our Montessori based Spark Studio is designed to give your 4.5 - 7 year old learners the chance to build the math, reading, self-regulatory, and
social skills needed for success in the highly independent Acton Elementary Studio, or wherever their journey takes them next.
Our Spark heroes practice basic goal setting and complete challenges at their own pace to earn learning "badges" in math, reading, and citizenship. The rest of the time, they learn through exploration in a series of hands-on
project Quests and present what they've discovered at an exhibition at the end of each Session.
social skills needed for success in the highly independent Acton Elementary Studio, or wherever their journey takes them next.
Our Spark heroes practice basic goal setting and complete challenges at their own pace to earn learning "badges" in math, reading, and citizenship. The rest of the time, they learn through exploration in a series of hands-on
project Quests and present what they've discovered at an exhibition at the end of each Session.
Nobody wants to be in the last generation that remembers when it was considered normal and expected for children to go outside and play. Nobody.
-Richard Louv
Outdoor Program
We are excited to announce our revamped Wilderness Wednesdays in partnership with Camp Sonshine - Shiloh, where our learners will spend the day exploring and immersing themselves in nature. Barring extreme weather, we will spend half the day in free play, simply learning to 'be in nature' and half the day completing challenges, hiking, and developing outdoor & survival skills. They will also have the opportunity to work together, build shelters, and become connected to our natural world and each other.
Survivor Quest is here!
Quests are real-world projects to master 21st-century skills.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
This session our entire school will be diving into the "Survivor" Quest which, as the name suggests, is focused on a variety of survival based skills and challenges. Heroes will dive into basic human needs like food, water, shelter, and warmth and will learn skills to take care of those needs in a wilderness setting. They'll get to try their hand at a variety of awesome hands on activities like starting fires with magnifying glasses and flint & steel, setting up tents, purifying water, and practicing first aid skills (Adventure Heroes will get first aid certified!). This Quest is built to offer the right level of challenge to heroes no matter their previous experience or initial comfort level with the outdoors. While all three studios will be completing this quest, the specific challenges will vary across studios.
This Quest also culminates in a camping trip for our Adventure and Discovery Studios, where they will have the chance to put their newfound skills to the test! And while they will walk away with some practical skills they can take with them, the more important skills of critical thinking, problem solving and overall confidence are far more valuable take aways!
This Quest also culminates in a camping trip for our Adventure and Discovery Studios, where they will have the chance to put their newfound skills to the test! And while they will walk away with some practical skills they can take with them, the more important skills of critical thinking, problem solving and overall confidence are far more valuable take aways!
Spark Studio
Biomes | Desert
Each session hero's in the Spark Studio spend time exploring a different Biome from around the world using our Waseka Biome Readers, with the goal of sparking curiosity & a love for reading. This session they will be exploring the Desert Biome!
Each session hero's in the Spark Studio spend time exploring a different Biome from around the world using our Waseka Biome Readers, with the goal of sparking curiosity & a love for reading. This session they will be exploring the Desert Biome!
Discovery studio
Writer's Workshop | For the Love of Writing - Let's Grow!
This Writer's Workshop is all about growth in writing - both growth in skills and in the love of writing. Each hero will write 6 or more pieces of writing, but they get to choose a plan in their challenge zone to reach that goal!
They have a variety of prompts to spark their writing - from "What would you like to invent?" to "Finish the story" scenarios.
This Writer's Workshop is all about growth in writing - both growth in skills and in the love of writing. Each hero will write 6 or more pieces of writing, but they get to choose a plan in their challenge zone to reach that goal!
They have a variety of prompts to spark their writing - from "What would you like to invent?" to "Finish the story" scenarios.
Adventure Studio
Genre Writing | Apprenticeship Prep
Heroes will dip their feet into one of the most important and unique aspects of the learning design at Acton - real world apprenticeships.
Heroes will begin with research on industries, companies, and professionals that interest them, then narrow their list to their top three possibilities, and then spend most of their time on the process of actually securing an apprenticeship. It might sound a little intimidating, but the daily challenges will walk heroes through a tried and true step by step process for finding and securing an apprenticeship.
Heroes will dip their feet into one of the most important and unique aspects of the learning design at Acton - real world apprenticeships.
Heroes will begin with research on industries, companies, and professionals that interest them, then narrow their list to their top three possibilities, and then spend most of their time on the process of actually securing an apprenticeship. It might sound a little intimidating, but the daily challenges will walk heroes through a tried and true step by step process for finding and securing an apprenticeship.
socractic launches
We don't do lectures at Acton. We have launches!
- Launches serve three purposes: to inspire, equip and connect.
How do you demand attention, teach key skills or keep young people in order if a guide has limited authority and is unable to questions or lecture?
In many ways, it’s a mis-framed question for a learner-driven community. But the short answer is that Heroes get everything they need for the day in a few 15-minute Launches, written and delivered by a guide or (even better) a Hero.
- To Inspire by connecting to a challenge, hero or world-class example that lifts your eyes to the horizon and gives you energy.
- To Equip by offering a process, recipe, algorithm or framework that leads to better decisions and habits.
- To Connect by bringing the tribe closer together with each other, fellow travelers or loved ones.
“To Inspire” comes first, because without a “Why?” it’s unlikely Heroes will embrace a new process or want to work together.
Description
The 15 minutes of group time at the start of the day, before a work sprint, and to kick off project time is called the “Launch.” It’s a powerful moment because it gives your studio the opportunity to get inspired, equipped, and connected before embarking on the next challenge. At the end of a successful Launch, everyone is ready to get something important done.
Here's your chance to step into the shoes of a guide...
Questions for your studio
It’s 8:30 a.m. Heroes are arranged in a circle. The Exhibition is in two days and there are at least four days of work left to do. Do you launch by: inspiring Heroes with a moving video about a sprint to the finish; equipping them to create a plan to prioritize and execute on the last stages of the Quest; or connect the tribe by sharing personal experiences of sprinting towards a deadline?
A week later, it’s early in a new Learning Arc. You start preparing for your next launch by assessing needs. Do energy and intentionality need attention? Is there a key process or framework that needs to be introduced to uplift the culture or execute on a difficult learning challenge? Do you need to introduce incentives or encouragement to unite the tribe or break up cliques?
How will you inject energy, right from the start of the launch? Will you do a quick physical activity, watch a short video, or tell an “imagine this . . .” story? Or perhaps you will share a personal testimonial, tell about the struggle of a hero, describe a big upcoming event, or do a centering exercise?
Which opening question will place each Hero in his or her own shoes or the shoes of a protagonist, facing an extremely important and difficult moral decision that requires immediate action and someday may be faced by each Hero in real life?
What two to four “anchor questions” will you ask, in what order, to dig deeper, provide more perspective, diagnose a problem or create an action plan? During today’s launch, will you focus more on Socratic process to enhance critical thinking skills, the needs or a few to be heard or making progress on a critical decision faced by the studio?
Finally will you close the day with “lessons learned;” next steps or a call to action, for example:
It's through these daily launches that we develop
It’s 8:30 a.m. Heroes are arranged in a circle. The Exhibition is in two days and there are at least four days of work left to do. Do you launch by: inspiring Heroes with a moving video about a sprint to the finish; equipping them to create a plan to prioritize and execute on the last stages of the Quest; or connect the tribe by sharing personal experiences of sprinting towards a deadline?
A week later, it’s early in a new Learning Arc. You start preparing for your next launch by assessing needs. Do energy and intentionality need attention? Is there a key process or framework that needs to be introduced to uplift the culture or execute on a difficult learning challenge? Do you need to introduce incentives or encouragement to unite the tribe or break up cliques?
How will you inject energy, right from the start of the launch? Will you do a quick physical activity, watch a short video, or tell an “imagine this . . .” story? Or perhaps you will share a personal testimonial, tell about the struggle of a hero, describe a big upcoming event, or do a centering exercise?
Which opening question will place each Hero in his or her own shoes or the shoes of a protagonist, facing an extremely important and difficult moral decision that requires immediate action and someday may be faced by each Hero in real life?
What two to four “anchor questions” will you ask, in what order, to dig deeper, provide more perspective, diagnose a problem or create an action plan? During today’s launch, will you focus more on Socratic process to enhance critical thinking skills, the needs or a few to be heard or making progress on a critical decision faced by the studio?
Finally will you close the day with “lessons learned;” next steps or a call to action, for example:
- “What do you absolutely have to get done today?”
- “How many minutes until we are focused on important work?”
- “What is the one thing you promise not to do today to make sure you don’t get distracted?”
It's through these daily launches that we develop
- Clear thinking, which leads to good decisions,
- Good decisions lead to the right habits,
- The right habits lead to character and
- Character becomes destiny!
What exactly do you mean by "Learning to Be"?
The following is a Deep Dive into "Learning to Be" at Acton Lincoln.
At Acton Academy we promise Heroes will find a calling that will change the world by:
The final “learning to be” promise means finding ways through difficult challenges and decisions to deeply etch habits of positive character traits into each soul, while rubbing away the negative habits that take away from who we are destined to become, if we want to reach our full potential. |
Acton Academy’s Learning Philosophy is:
Learning to do means making practical decisions in the real world to accomplish great tasks, as a way to change the world.
But however important the tasks of learning to learn and learning to do, the most important part of finding the Grail in the Hero’s Journey is not the Grail itself, but how the hero is changed in the process. This is the essence of learning to be.
We want Eagles near the end of a successful, satisfying and fulfilling life to have answer to three important questions:
Variation Across Studios
In the Elementary Studio, much of the “learning to be” impact comes from hero stories, working together in curiosity-filled quests and “learning to be” badges, supported by Full-Circle Feedback from peers.
In the Middle School Studio, 360 feedback and Hero Bucks become even more critical for earning additional freedom and responsibility through Freedom Levels, all supporting the habits of self-management and self-governance, as recorded in Servant Leader Badges.
By Launchpad, many of the most important “learn to be” habits are deeply embedded, and increasingly put into action in lower studios through Servant Leader badges, while attention shifts towards who Launch padders will become in their “next great adventure” in the real world.
- Clear thinking leads to good decisions,
- Good decisions lead to the right habits,
- The right habits lead to character and
- Character becomes destiny.
Learning to do means making practical decisions in the real world to accomplish great tasks, as a way to change the world.
But however important the tasks of learning to learn and learning to do, the most important part of finding the Grail in the Hero’s Journey is not the Grail itself, but how the hero is changed in the process. This is the essence of learning to be.
We want Eagles near the end of a successful, satisfying and fulfilling life to have answer to three important questions:
- Did I contribute something meaningful?
- Was I a good person? and
- Who did I love and who loved me?
Variation Across Studios
In the Elementary Studio, much of the “learning to be” impact comes from hero stories, working together in curiosity-filled quests and “learning to be” badges, supported by Full-Circle Feedback from peers.
In the Middle School Studio, 360 feedback and Hero Bucks become even more critical for earning additional freedom and responsibility through Freedom Levels, all supporting the habits of self-management and self-governance, as recorded in Servant Leader Badges.
By Launchpad, many of the most important “learn to be” habits are deeply embedded, and increasingly put into action in lower studios through Servant Leader badges, while attention shifts towards who Launch padders will become in their “next great adventure” in the real world.
Announcing
Session 5 Quests!
We are thrilled to announce our quests for our Spark, Discovery, and Adventure Studios for this upcoming session.
As our learners continue to work towards answering their overarching question of the year, "How do we build a heroic culture?" each studio will spend the first week back this session revisiting all things Acton. From their daily launches, to Freedom levels, from Core Skills to their contracts, they will explore how these systems help build culture and why each is an important building block for a successful Acton experience!
On top of that, we are also partnering with Tiger Rock Martial Arts this session, to allow all of our heroes to try out Taekwondo during PE, culminating in a Taekwondo showcase as part of our public exhibition on March 31st!
As our learners continue to work towards answering their overarching question of the year, "How do we build a heroic culture?" each studio will spend the first week back this session revisiting all things Acton. From their daily launches, to Freedom levels, from Core Skills to their contracts, they will explore how these systems help build culture and why each is an important building block for a successful Acton experience!
On top of that, we are also partnering with Tiger Rock Martial Arts this session, to allow all of our heroes to try out Taekwondo during PE, culminating in a Taekwondo showcase as part of our public exhibition on March 31st!
Spark Studio
Quest: Healthy Living It's pretty remarkable if you stop to consider, the only world our youngest heroes have ever known is a world fixated on the pandemic. We are coming up on two years since the world shut down. This world altering event marked the beginning of their school experience and in many ways the outside world of masks and hand sanitizer is the only world they've known. |
But what does it truly look like to live a healthy life?
Our Spark studio will explore how factors like food, exercise, sleep/ screen time, and mental health all contribute to the strength of their immune systems and ultimately their ability to live a long healthy life!
Our Spark studio will explore how factors like food, exercise, sleep/ screen time, and mental health all contribute to the strength of their immune systems and ultimately their ability to live a long healthy life!
Biome of the Session: The Rainforest
The Sparks will dive into the world of rainforests, exploring the ins and outs of this diverse and important ecosystem!
Discovery Studio
Imagine this… you are a mechanical engineer who works for one of the biggest arcade companies in the world. Your challenge is to create a new arcade game that will win the prize for generating the most income at your company’s exhibition on March 31st. Not only will the winning team be promoted within the company with the honor of having designed the company's most popular new game, but each team member will receive a Chick-fil-A gift card as well! Buckle your seatbelts, here we go!
Writer's Workshop: Pitch a Pet
Narrative: The learners have a big responsibility: to better the community by choosing whether or not to purchase a studio pet, and if so, which pet to choose. They come up with proposals, conduct the appropriate research, learn the art of persuasion, ask others to join them, and then vote on a final decision.
The Challenge: You are placed in the shoes of a mayor/ city planner and must balance the wants and needs of different residents, and ultimately build a great city!
In this Quest, Lions will have the chance to deeply explore electricity and quantum mechanics, and put theory to concrete use by constructing functioning 21st-century cities. Throughout, they’ll be challenged to function as effective teams - setting goals, dividing work, and managing projects in the face of uncertainty and aggressive deadlines.
In this Quest, Lions will have the chance to deeply explore electricity and quantum mechanics, and put theory to concrete use by constructing functioning 21st-century cities. Throughout, they’ll be challenged to function as effective teams - setting goals, dividing work, and managing projects in the face of uncertainty and aggressive deadlines.
Genre: "I Have a Dream For My Community" Speeches
The learner's genre challenge this session is to write a persuasive speech to designed to help improve something in their community. They have six weeks to work their way through a series of writing challenges, culminating with a speech where they "stand on the box" and give their 5-8 minute persuasive speech.
The learner's genre challenge this session is to write a persuasive speech to designed to help improve something in their community. They have six weeks to work their way through a series of writing challenges, culminating with a speech where they "stand on the box" and give their 5-8 minute persuasive speech.
Quests are real-world projects to master 21st-century skills.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
Exhibitions 101
Acton’s Exhibitions of Learning take place at the end four to seven-week sprints that make up a session. Much like an agile software sprint, sessions have a real-world deliverable at the end, often presented to a live studio audience made up of more than parents.
Exhibitions are performances, with stakes as high as possible. We want Heroes to feel more like Steve Jobs presenting the iPhone than a lame middle school science fair.
Although Exhibitions allow Heroes to showcase what they’ve “learned to do” in Quests, Civilization, Writing, Art, and other learning challenges, they should never resemble the pristine, tightly managed traditional school performances largely crafted by adults.
Therefore, exhibitions are 100% planned & ran by the heroes. Each session a committee is selected to plan the exhibition and we have seen the exhibitions very much take on the personalities of those heroes selected to the committee, meaning no two exhibitions are alike!
By the end of your time in your child's studio, you should have a grasp of their learning and progress over the past session. But please keep in mind at Acton, academics are not our primary focus. They are important, but finding a true passion for learning, for life, and developing interpersonal skills and leadership skills trump all and that is a little harder to summarize in an exhibition or a piece of paper.
Exhibitions are performances, with stakes as high as possible. We want Heroes to feel more like Steve Jobs presenting the iPhone than a lame middle school science fair.
Although Exhibitions allow Heroes to showcase what they’ve “learned to do” in Quests, Civilization, Writing, Art, and other learning challenges, they should never resemble the pristine, tightly managed traditional school performances largely crafted by adults.
Therefore, exhibitions are 100% planned & ran by the heroes. Each session a committee is selected to plan the exhibition and we have seen the exhibitions very much take on the personalities of those heroes selected to the committee, meaning no two exhibitions are alike!
By the end of your time in your child's studio, you should have a grasp of their learning and progress over the past session. But please keep in mind at Acton, academics are not our primary focus. They are important, but finding a true passion for learning, for life, and developing interpersonal skills and leadership skills trump all and that is a little harder to summarize in an exhibition or a piece of paper.
As we said previously, exhibitions are the responsibility of heroes to deliver excellent value for parents and guests, so our events are not stage-managed by myself or the guides. We ask parents and visitors to offer frank criticism as well as praise and to direct it to their hero and his or her peers. We care less about the perfect exhibition and more about the learning opportunities to create one.
This is an example of focusing on the process of learning, rather than the outcomes. Better for these young heroes to try and fail and learn than to be relieved of all the responsibility to make it look really good at the hand of an adult.
As you review all their hard work, we invite you to ask questions not only of your own hero but of other learners as well. Here are some growth mindset questions you might want to ask:
If at the end of the exhibition your hero doesn’t have an answer to one of your questions OR hasn’t progressed as much as you anticipated, I would invite you to do two things before reaching out to the guide or myself:
1. Re-Read the Parents on a Hero’s Journey Document linked in the parent hub.
2. Have a conversation with your hero, asking them how they spend their time during core skills, ask them if they would log you in and walk you through what they are working on/ how often they are working… While it varies per week and per studio, any hero that is utilizing a computer for their Core Skills should have between 120-200 minutes available per week per program.
Remember, praise the process - not the outcome.
This is an example of focusing on the process of learning, rather than the outcomes. Better for these young heroes to try and fail and learn than to be relieved of all the responsibility to make it look really good at the hand of an adult.
As you review all their hard work, we invite you to ask questions not only of your own hero but of other learners as well. Here are some growth mindset questions you might want to ask:
- What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome this session?
- How often were you in your Comfort Zone, Challenge Zone or Panic zone this session?
- How does ________ system work? (ie Freedom Levels, Hero Bucks, Peace Table, etc)
- Will you show me how to do a math problem on your current math program (KHAN or Dreambox)?
- What was the most interesting thing you learned from the Quest this session, did you finish all the challenges? Why/ Why not?
- What book are you reading? Will you read to me? Who is your favorite character?
If at the end of the exhibition your hero doesn’t have an answer to one of your questions OR hasn’t progressed as much as you anticipated, I would invite you to do two things before reaching out to the guide or myself:
1. Re-Read the Parents on a Hero’s Journey Document linked in the parent hub.
2. Have a conversation with your hero, asking them how they spend their time during core skills, ask them if they would log you in and walk you through what they are working on/ how often they are working… While it varies per week and per studio, any hero that is utilizing a computer for their Core Skills should have between 120-200 minutes available per week per program.
Remember, praise the process - not the outcome.
New Year, New Session + Quests!
Quests are real-world projects to master 21st-century skills.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
Spark StudioFrom the depths of the oceans to the far reaches of outer space our Spark heroes will be exploring the solar system for their quest this session and 'the ocean' for the new Biomes portion of their week. |
As heroes explore the world of art, they will also uncover the artist within them! They're going to dive into questions such as: What is art? Why is art important? What skills do artists need? Can we all be artists? As they discover different mediums of art they will complete challenges which eventually unlock their ability to work on their own art projects! Along the way they will meet fellow local artists to help inspire them as they build towards their very own Art Gallery for public exhibition!

Writer's Workshop | Memoirs
Heroes will write a collection of short stories from their lives that, when put together, create their very own memoir.
They will be required to go through the stages of the Acton writing process including; Prewriting, Drafting, Revision, Editing and eventually Publication in order to earn their writing badge for this session!
Heroes will write a collection of short stories from their lives that, when put together, create their very own memoir.
They will be required to go through the stages of the Acton writing process including; Prewriting, Drafting, Revision, Editing and eventually Publication in order to earn their writing badge for this session!
Adventure Studio
For our middle & high schoolers each year they will complete a series of 3 science based quests in a row. Last session our heroes were introduced to how we explore science at Acton with Edison's Lab Quest. This year's series of science quests will explore physics, followed by Biology and Chemistry in future years.
Physics One Quest | The challenge that will be presented to our Adventure Studio learners is: Explore and model basic physical systems in order to make predictions in simple hands-on systems. They will be challenged to constantly examine the “why” behind studying physics and extrapolate our understanding to everyday real-world areas, including sports, transportation, energy (in the industrial sense), design and engineering. |
All of this hard work will be completed with their exhibition in mind: The Physics Olympics, a series of competition physics events where studio members compete in showcasing their skills and knowledge by calculating and predicting the outcome of real-world physics challenges.
Discover The School You Wish You Went To!
| Acton Academy Lincoln is Nebraska's fastest growing independent school, request your FREE Info Kit to see what sets us apart. |
Real World Learning at Acton Lincoln
Quests are real-world projects to master 21st-century skills.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
Around the World | This session our quest in the Spark Studio will be titled “Around the World.” The learners in our Montessori Studio will be “traveling” to different countries around the world and learning about their culture, how they celebrate the holidays, and what day to day life looks like. Along the way, they will earn stamps for their passports, which they will then present at exhibition!
Colonial Acton | Lions in our Elementary Studio will imagine that Acton Academy is a British colony. They must pay taxes to King George and are subject to royal proclamations and taxes imposed by the King (via his Royal Governor played by a guide). To end Colonial Acton, Lions must draft a Declaration of Independence and roll a die to determine the consequences.
Putting themselves in the shoes of frustrated British colonists being ruled by King George gives Lions an opportunity to:
--- A note to parents: Heroes may feel a lot of emotions when this is introduced, as freedoms they normally have at Acton are temporarily taken away by the tyrant King George. Thanks in advance for your support and encouragement through this journey!
Putting themselves in the shoes of frustrated British colonists being ruled by King George gives Lions an opportunity to:
- Feel the resentment and frustration of having to obey a distant and seemingly unfair ruler who knows little about their way of life;
- Understand the need to compromise and join together as one in order to have any hope for winning a war against a larger power; and
- Weigh the possible outcomes of two choices and make a decision with real-life consequences.
--- A note to parents: Heroes may feel a lot of emotions when this is introduced, as freedoms they normally have at Acton are temporarily taken away by the tyrant King George. Thanks in advance for your support and encouragement through this journey!
Writer's Workshop: Creating a Podcast! Heroes will discover the world of Podcasts, pick a topic they would like to talk about, decide what kind of podcast they want to create, write down the script for the podcast, record it and add personal touches to their final product. The goal is to practice communicating their voice, working within time constraints, and giving and receiving specific and helpful feedback to peers. |
Edison's Lab | This session the Adventure Studio heroes will get their first glimpse at how we tackle subjects like Science at Acton Academy. This will be the first in a three part physics-focused cycle of Quests for this year.
For this quest Heroes will take on the role of innovators in the footsteps of Thomas Edison in his Menlo Park lab. They will be working in teams to solve challenges dealing with energy and electricity by devising simple machines and systems and creating patents. This Quest will challenge them to be curious and innovative, to work effectively as a team, and to master the basic principles of energy, work and electricity through hands on experimentation.
For this quest Heroes will take on the role of innovators in the footsteps of Thomas Edison in his Menlo Park lab. They will be working in teams to solve challenges dealing with energy and electricity by devising simple machines and systems and creating patents. This Quest will challenge them to be curious and innovative, to work effectively as a team, and to master the basic principles of energy, work and electricity through hands on experimentation.
Genre: Gratitude For this project Heroes will begin by reflecting on the various things in life they have to be grateful for - from big important things, to the little daily things we take for granted. They will first be invited to observe, consider, and notice these things and then simply journal. They will take these initial reflections to create a short essay or other creative writing piece on a topic relating to gratitude. |
New Session Means
New Quests!
Quests are real-world projects to master 21st-century skills.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
Usually lasting four- to six-weeks, each Quest includes a series of challenges bound by a compelling narrative and is designed to deliver 21st century skills while simultaneously incorporating traditional topics like science, social studies, and history.
Servant Leadership | The first half of the year will see the Spark Studio spending an entire session on a focus area as they step into the flow of Acton and prepare to launch into more complicated Quests later in the year. Last session the studio focused on "building the tribe" and "defining emotions".
Each week this session the Spark heroes will explore a different aspect of servant leadership through their launches and projects.
Each week this session the Spark heroes will explore a different aspect of servant leadership through their launches and projects.
Week 1: Random Acts of Kindness
Week 2: Paying it Forward
Week 3: Volunteering
Week 4: Thankfulness/Gratitude
Week 5: Thanksgiving/Exhibition Prep
Week 2: Paying it Forward
Week 3: Volunteering
Week 4: Thankfulness/Gratitude
Week 5: Thanksgiving/Exhibition Prep
Frank Lloyd Wright Architecture Quest | This quest is completed in pairs, with challenges taking Lions through the process of designing their own Acton School building: research, design (drafting/sketching), and construction (model building). The goals of this quest include: to introduce the Lions to architecture as a calling and the heroes who chose it, to inspire a love of design and creation, and to instill a deeper understanding of process and the importance of knowing when to follow instructions and when to take your own path. The challenges require deep focus, attention to detail, and an understanding of applied mathematics. The creative element of this quest, along with strict deadlines, requires Lions to self-manage and stop creating when time is up.
Writer's Workshop: Poetry
Civilization: Middle Ages
Creativity Time: Improv Workshop
Civilization: Middle Ages
Creativity Time: Improv Workshop
World Traveler Quest | During this session Lions explore the world through travel. Asking hard questions like: Do we look to the past, present, future, or distant lands for direction? Why travel? With who? Should it be a tight or loose schedule? Cheap or luxurious?
Along the way Lions will be planning a life changing trip to a city they would love to visit, complete with travel itineraries, budgets, trip preparations and useful travel tools. Lions will also create a Bucket List of places they want to see in the world (and in Nebraska), as well as learning to create a complete itinerary; a trip budget and a Google Earth Tour for a relative who can’t make the trip they planned!
Along the way Lions will be planning a life changing trip to a city they would love to visit, complete with travel itineraries, budgets, trip preparations and useful travel tools. Lions will also create a Bucket List of places they want to see in the world (and in Nebraska), as well as learning to create a complete itinerary; a trip budget and a Google Earth Tour for a relative who can’t make the trip they planned!
Writer's Workshop: A Speech in the Shoes of a Historical Figure
Civilization: Middle Ages
Creativity Time: Improv Workshop
Civilization: Middle Ages
Creativity Time: Improv Workshop
An Open Letter to Lincoln Families
Building a Fiercely Independent School in Lincoln, Nebraska
Dear Acton Lincoln Families,
We are building a school that's redefining education. Traditionally education has focused on standardized test scores and memorizing facts. (Control, regurgitation, oversight.) At Acton Academy Lincoln, it’s about deep learning and bringing a love of learning (true mastery) back to the forefront. But more importantly, it’s about raising the next generation of leaders that will move us closer, not further, from the founding ideals of America. It’s about raising human beings to be personally responsible, respect individual liberty, value freedom of religion, and exude patriotic reverence for country.
This defines the spirit of the private school my wife (Heidi) and I have started to build here in Lincoln, Nebraska. We will be a school for anyone, but I know full well we won’t be for everyone.
Heidi and I first came across the Acton model a little over a year ago. Acton is a decade-old micro-school concept that puts the child in the driver’s seat of their education and focuses on building strong human beings. We opened our doors last fall in the middle of a pandemic when other schools around the country were closing theirs. Why? See that opening paragraph again. I believe we need strong young leaders now more than ever.
Before Acton, we were simply two parents seeking an education option that would help us raise happy, healthy children who wouldn’t be placed in a box or sat at a desk to passively take in the information being presented to them for the next 12 years. We wanted them to be the driving force behind their learning and to discover the world for themselves.
We wanted them to be personally responsible for the decisions they made and the consequences of those decisions.
We wanted children who would think critically about the world around them, question authority when it needed to be questioned, and respect it when appropriate.
We also desired our children to know what they believed and how to defend said beliefs, know what they stood for, and ultimately know why they were put on this earth.
We wanted them to do all this while loving everyone who stood in opposition to their beliefs and understood why it is vitally important that we have the freedom to believe and worship in our own way in our country.
Speaking of country, we were seeking an educational option that taught them to love their country and know its true history. The perfect implementation of the American ideals may have proven to be beyond our grasp so far, and that’s okay; because each generation has the chance to change that. Each leader elected, each vote cast, has the ability to move closer to that founding vision.
When we discovered Acton, we realized this was our chance to build the very school we had worked so hard to find, one that baked all the things we desired for our children right into its DNA.
As we set out to build this school, we knew it had to be an independent, exempt school. We wanted the freedom to build something more powerful and freer than the confines of state-mandated curriculum, standardized testing, and bureaucracy. Why? See the opening paragraph again...
As a small, private micro-school, we operate as a small business. We make business decisions that are in the best interest of our customers: the children first, and the paying parents second. We are not here to teach your children to hate their country, their race, their religion, or their gender. In fact, we aren’t here to push an agenda, unless you consider the first paragraph an agenda, and then we are here to push the hell out of that agenda. Why? Because critical thinking leads to good decisions, good decisions lead to the right habits, the right habits forge character, and character determines destiny.
Acton Academy Lincoln exists to empower character-filled human beings for life. Our graduates will be the leaders our country needs to help America finally live up to her ideals, allowing Freedom of Religion and Individual Liberties to live on for future generations, and have personal responsibility return to the home, the workforce, and society as a whole.
Be Blessed,
P.S.
Parents, if you agree with me and want to see your child thrive in a setting like this where they can discover and grow their unique strengths, then Acton is for you! We still have a few seats left for the fall of 2021. You can request an info kit here >>
If you disagree with me, I would love to hear from you. We can disagree and do so respectfully. That is Acton. I have stated my belief and made my stance knowing you may have a different opinion and you’re entitled to stating and defending your stance. But let’s not do it in online comments. It won’t solve anything. Let’s do it face to face over lunch or coffee. We may both grow and learn something from the experience.
Parents, if you agree with me and want to see your child thrive in a setting like this where they can discover and grow their unique strengths, then Acton is for you! We still have a few seats left for the fall of 2021. You can request an info kit here >>
If you disagree with me, I would love to hear from you. We can disagree and do so respectfully. That is Acton. I have stated my belief and made my stance knowing you may have a different opinion and you’re entitled to stating and defending your stance. But let’s not do it in online comments. It won’t solve anything. Let’s do it face to face over lunch or coffee. We may both grow and learn something from the experience.
Acton's Montessori Program Named
Best Preschool in Lincoln, NE
We are excited to announce our Montessori-based Spark Studio was named one of the 9 best Lincoln Preschools by Expertise.com!
Experise.com scored 58 preschools in Lincoln, NE on more than 25 variables across five categories, and analyzed the results to hand-pick the list of the best Lincoln preschools, with Acton Academy Lincoln topping that list.
Experise.com scored 58 preschools in Lincoln, NE on more than 25 variables across five categories, and analyzed the results to hand-pick the list of the best Lincoln preschools, with Acton Academy Lincoln topping that list.
Criteria for Ranking as a Top Lincoln Preschool
More About Acton's top rated Montessori Preschool
Our Montessori based Spark Studio is designed to build the math, reading, self-regulatory, and social skills needed for success in the highly independent Acton Elementary Studio, or wherever their journey takes them next.
Our Spark heroes help establish the rules in their Montessori Studio and meet for weekly Town Hall meetings to identify, discuss, and vote on issues that affect them. They practice basic goal setting and complete challenges at their own pace to earn learning "badges" in math, reading, and citizenship. The rest of the time, they learn through exploration in a series of hands-on project Quests and present what they've discovered at an exhibition at the end of each Session.
Our Spark heroes help establish the rules in their Montessori Studio and meet for weekly Town Hall meetings to identify, discuss, and vote on issues that affect them. They practice basic goal setting and complete challenges at their own pace to earn learning "badges" in math, reading, and citizenship. The rest of the time, they learn through exploration in a series of hands-on project Quests and present what they've discovered at an exhibition at the end of each Session.
Why Montessori?
An important time for learning is the period between birth and six years of age. Children are eager to learn from new people and experiences. They absorb all the environment has to offer and it is our responsibility to ensure the world they experience is rich, safe, nurturing, and intelligent. The foundation of self-esteem and all future learning is constructed during these early years. Our Montessori based Spark program encourages children to step toward independence in an environment specially created for the developing young learner. This happy and intelligent setting offers your child an opportunity to develop strong social skills as well as explore language, music, practical life skills, art math, geography, science, culture, and large motor activities. In our Montessori - Spark Studio, your child will be introduced to many different concepts and will learn through observing and through direct interaction with our beautifully crafted materials.