After accepting the call to adventure, the hero crosses the threshold and enters the unknown. Whether this week was your first day as a CHOICE hero, your first day as a CHOICE parent, your first day as a CHOICE guide, your first day in a new studio, or simply the first day of a new school year at CHOICE, you crossed the threshold and entered the unknown. Anticipation, excitement, curiosity, nerves and emotions were high. As we all entered the unknown this week, here is a taste of what we found…
In the Spark Studio we entered the unknown and found we aren’t alone. We are a tribe. In the Spark Studio that means we are a team and a community. We found that as a tribe we take pride in taking care of our studio. 
We are building our tribe by stretching outside of our comfort zone and meeting new friends. By now most heroes can name all the Spark heroes in our studio. As heroes get to know one another they are discovering the many things they have in common. At lunchtime heroes sit by a new friend every day. A favorite lunchtime game is “Raise your hand if you like ____!” A favorite comment I overheard a hero say this week, “I’m already making new friends!” 
During our Montessori work cycle we entered the unknown and found we can learn and guide one another in this journey. In our Montessori work cycle, each activity (work) on the shelf requires a presentation before beginning. This is an explanation on how the activity is intended to be used. As the heroes receive presentations, they are then able to give other heroes presentations. The hero becomes the guide. Heroes are also learning how to take turns, work together, treat the materials respectfully, and share their findings.
During outside free time and the CHOICE work cycle, heroes entered the unknown and discovered we have lots of open-ended materials. I love that open ended materials require heroes to plan out what to do; this helps develop their executive functioning skills.
Since open-ended materials don’t dictate one given purpose, they can be intimidating. Some heroes started out analyzing the materials with curiosity.
As they observe and experiment, they start to see the possibilities, and transform the materials for their own purpose.
By the end of the week, heroes were creatively using materials from different areas in the Wonder Room to achieve their own goals in their self-directed mini-project. Goals such as writing scripts, making tickets, creating a stage area, and putting on their own play.
In the Fire Studio heroes entered the new school year with lots of feelings – nervous, sleepy, happy, excited! Channeling energy from Samwise the Brave, we took a step into the unknown and found that each hero already has real-life superpowers to contribute to the studio, and we look forward to building new ones in the months to come. This week the studio focused on the rewarding work of setting up our systems and governing contracts, and the fun work of getting to know our fellow travelers.
Fire Studio heroes entered the unknown of quest and found they get to explore the world of Greek Mythology this session! Following the adventures of Odysseus, they are reading, listening to and performing many different stories, while also playing games and creating works of art found in ancient Greece. This work is also accompanied by the work of learning to cooperate with and work with their squad… the latter often being the most challenging!
In the Middle School we all entered the unknown and found that we were surrounded by a group of kindhearted, hardworking, fun, young people. As the heroes participated in many team building challenges, their collective determination and ability to laugh was quickly apparent. As they started and ended the long process of creating a vision statement for their studio, I wished I had attended a Middle School with a vision such as theirs.
During the afternoons, the Middle School found themselves exploring the unseen world of DNA, cells, and the whole array of living organisms in our biology quest this session. The heroes have been able to choose their own learning activities in the form of games, books, simulations, magazines and quizzes and have investigated natural selection, taxonomy and scientific paradigms this week. We’ve also had lots of fun with Board Slam and Ultimate Tic Tac Toe to warm up our math brains this session.
As families many entered the unknown of camping for the first time (or the first time in a long while) or camping with new people they hadn’t met before or rafting even when they were nervous. What we found was a beautiful community. A community willing to stretch outside their comfort zone. A community willing to pitch in and drive or let others drive their cars. A community willing to watch one another’s children. A community willing to share food with one and all. A community willing to spend their time around a campfire laughing, singing and getting to know one another. A community that we are so grateful to be a part of!
All in all, as we entered the unknown this week, we found that we are going to need more than one school year to enjoy all the fellow travelers, challenges, and adventures that this journey is going to bring. We are so excited to begin this Hero’s Journey with you!